A Few Tears.

[Stephen Hawkins]

Earlier today, I played at our dementia friendly group. One lady brought along her 94 year old Aunt, who found difficulty in communicating and was obviously confused and a little bewildered.

I adjusted my repertoire accordingly, playing a number of popular tunes from the 40's & 50's. After completing a set of three or four tunes, I put down my instrument and looked at the old lady. She beamed back at me, with tears rolling down her cheeks. I prefer to think that they were tears of joy, rather than any reflection on my ability.

Anyway, it made my day, especially when this lovely old lady thanked me and bade me good afternoon as she was leaving. It makes it all worthwhile, doesn't it?

 

[landro]

Probably tears of pain. She might have been suffering ,sitting there unable to move away from all the noise. Heh,heh,heh.

 

[JerryPH]

Tears caused by music are mostly tears of love and memories. Personally I find them so precious as they are rare and touch deeply. Fantastic!

 

[losthobos]

I've had this happen twice...both times French elderly ladies and both times the tune was J'attendrai...which was the Parisian equivalent of WWII anthem We'll Meet Again.....funnily enough when playing said number at a function a young Belgian lady came to the stage and took the mix to say that "this was the song her grandparents had first danced to when they met, danced to at their wedding, danced to at family gatherings and he played at her funeral...beautiful people...still shakes me when I think of them...

 

[debra]

My wife plays for people with dementia every other week. She frequently has people in tears which are mostly tears of joy, thinking back of old times (which are the only times they can remember). She also has them play along using some percussion instruments (and on one occasion also on a small accordion) and that works very well to make the whole musical experience more enjoyable for everyone involved.

 

[george garside]

well done Stephen! I find LillY Marlene good for producing tears!

george

 

[wirralaccordion]

Thanks for sharing that Stephen. Yes, it certainly does make it worthwhile and is very encouraging.

 

[Corsaire]

I think it's a wonderful thing to do, Stephen and Debra. Music can reach people where things can't. It sounds corny to say it reaches people's souls, but I can't think of another way to describe it. Music is so often associated with memories and the effect it seems to have on people with dementia is remarkable.
Bravo both of you !

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement. I am not the kind of man who does things for recognition, but it is nice to read the thoughts of kind and decent people.

I have always viewed music as an International language, as sweet music needs no interpretation. It is also becoming increasingly apparent that it can bridge some of the gaps caused by illnesses such as dementia, and I fully intend to make good use of it for that purpose.

Sally was right (and not a bit corny) when she said that music can reach people's souls, and I now have irrefutable evidence that this is true.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

 

[wout]

Beautiful story! What music does with people is one of the most amazing things. Today I went to the countryside to play in peace and quiet of the open air and after I was packing up a farmer passed by to tell me he could hear me all across to his field and he said it made his work so much easier. This kind of things are what makes it all worth except for the sole pleasure of playing itself

 

[SteveH]

Good for you, Stephen. I've done the same thing at the facility where my Alzheimer's- afflicted mother-in-law lives. The residents really appreciate it.

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

SteveH,

Keep up the good work, Old Scout. If you can make a positive difference in someone's life, and bring comfort to people who are probably quite fearful about the future, it is worth more than gold.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.