Thursday, May 7, 2015


Music for Memory Session Notes & Background:

I've been playing for elders "officially" since January 2013, when I volunteered to play the Reverie Harp for a friend's group at CH in Fargo.  I added fiddle playing a few months later and learned that people especially enjoyed the dance tunes.  Those tunes led us to talk about their experiences dancing and learning to dance, which led to more conversations. 

I added a monthly memory care group at PS in the Spring of 2013, playing both Reverie Harp and fiddle. 

In August of 2013, I ended my teaching career, having taught Suzuki violin and piano for 34 years.  I concurrently taught fiddling both in my private Suzuki studio and on the Turtle Mountain (ND) Reservation for many years.

I began playing weekly at CH in the spring of 2014, and PS increased my sessions to twice a month by January 2015. 

I launched my Music for Memory business (www.musicformemory.net) in March of this year with a mailing to Fargo-Moorhead area retirement communities and memory care facilities.  Thanks to a friend, my business was featured on the front page of The FM Extra on April 9, 2015.  (www.thefmextra.com)  I sent copies of the paper to my March mailing list and began receiving more requests for bookings.  I am adding two facilities a month.  Yeah!

In January 2015, I was playing at CH and noticed that a woman was bothered by the sound of my fiddle.  I moved across the room from her for the rest of that group in hopes of making it more pleasant.  As I thought about this later, I decided to try playing my octave fiddle in groups.  The octave fiddle is a regular fiddle that has special strings which sound an octave (8 notes) lower than the standard fiddle tuning, putting it in the viola and cello range.  I use the octave fiddle for all my sessions now and find that it is more soothing for listening and easier for singing.  This fiddle was a gift from a student's family many years ago, and now it has new life giving to elders.

I am amazed as I watch people awaken to my music.  Many who are unresponsive begin to move to the music, either their feet or hands or both.  Those who rarely make eye contact begin looking at me as I play.  I send the thought to them, "I see you!" when I observe this.  I know they are being reached through the music.

Yesterday a woman, who had not responded earlier, put her hands together as if she was praying as I played "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."  I watched her hands the remainder of the session, and she only had them in praying position during that song.  Later she began watching me and making eye contact.  "I see you," I thought.  So cool!

In April, a woman did not respond when I asked her name.  I greeted her after learning her name from another woman in the group.  Her head was bowed until about half way into the session, when she began making eye contact with me.  I sent her a nonverbal greeting and watched as she began to move her feet, first her right, then her left, then both feet as I played a reel.  It seemed that she was doing a pattern dance!

I have rhythm shakers that I hand out for people to shake with the tunes, if they wish.  Some of my shakers are old Snuss cans that are filled with pea rock, beans or pellets.  I glue the lids on and wrap the cans with contact paper or clear packing tape.  Someone invariably tries to take the paper off to get the can open, even when we explain why it's not to be opened.  (I don't want to be picking up pea rock after a session!)  Often I'm missing a shaker or two at the end of a session.  They disappear into pockets and purses and are found by aides later. 

In a session today, a woman was sleeping in a chair near me.  I noticed her feet tapping and moving whenever I played fiddle tunes but not during hymns.  I recognized her as the grandmother of two students I taught in the ‘8o’s!

Today the power went out before my last session.  I carried on with the music, and we were all surprised when the lights came on again.  We don't need electricity to have a great session!

When I played "In the Garden" today, a woman and her friend were singing along and swaying with the music.  I was in tears watching the joy on their faces.

I include questions and trivia in each session, and these often lead to reminiscing about earlier times in our lives.  Thanks to ElderSong (www.eldersong.com) I have many books of songs and trivia that help make my sessions more interesting.  The songs are transposed to lower keys, making them much easier for elder voices to sing. 

I started this blog today to help me remember some of the highlights of my Music for Memory sessions.  I'm sure there will be many more entries.  En-Joy!

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