The Power of Music
My mother and father are 82 and 85 respectively and live in a wonderful independent/assisted living community. They are both accomplished musicians and performers who have connected with audiences through the decades of their lives.
As you would expect, they have both been affected by the physical challenges of the aging process and their skill level is not what it used to be. To their credit, however, they are still both active musically—mom especially.
At the facility my parents call home, mother directs the community choir—a group of roughly 20 residents of varying ages and abilities. She’s very passionate about her new role and asked my wife Linda and I to witness their most recent performance. We entered the community room where the concert was held to find the place filled with eager attendees and 18 choir members, all dressed in matching white shirts. Yes, there was a ‘parking lot’ filled with walkers and a few wheelchairs, but the energy in the room was youthful and upbeat.
The show lasted all of 45 minutes and the repertoire included old standards from South Pacific, Mary Poppins, and the whimsical “Sing” from Sesame Street. I could hear my father’s voice periodically stand out from the chorus and my mother sat at the Yamaha baby grand, playing the role of accompanist and director—one arm periodically extended toward the ceiling—directing the assembly with purpose.
Most notably, during the performance, the audience was upbeat—tapping toes, chair dancing, head bobbing, and singing along.
Assuredly, most participants and performers headed back to their apartments for a much-needed afternoon nap, but equally assured, they left the community room buoyed, joyful, and uplifted from the experience they just shared with their fellow residents. The feeling of pride that I had for my mother for facilitating such an impactful event overwhelmed me for a brief moment as I backed out of my parking spot and sped off to continue the rest of my day. And dad, keep singing—even if it’s not up to your previous standards and skill level. You’ve still ‘got it.’ I’m proud of you too.
So what’s this cute story about a bunch of 80+ year olds jamming in the community room have to do with you? Two things:
Always keep moving. You might be reading this as an early career professional, filled with the sense of invincibility that accompanies those initial two decades of your working life. I can directly attest that these years are gone in what seems like an instant. The ravages of time will catch up to you. If you allow these ravages to get the best of you—if you succumb to comfort—if you allow the recliner to wrap its appealing but selfish arms around you—”old age” will come sooner. No one wants to get old faster, so the best way to avoid this is to stay active by understanding and embracing your current-state limitations and simultaneously engineering an active, forward leaning lifestyle.
Embrace the power of music. There’s an old saying that my father often repeats: “Keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart.” In this forum, I talk a lot about developing an agile, growth mindset and nurturing a strong portfolio of emotional intelligence tools. Embracing this old saying is one of many methods I’ve used through the years to keep my head screwed on straight and avoid the slide into a fixed mindset when the going gets tough. Yes, listening to your favorite music by yourself can be cathartic and healing, but periodically doing so in the company of an audience can be exponentially more powerful.
So, no matter what your age, get out there! Stay connected with the community. Music tests the mind and body. It literally helps keep you young in mind and spirit, even if the body is actively conspiring against you as time marches on. Is it always go, go, go? You know the answer to that question—my whole schtick here is balance. The post-performance nap I described earlier is an essential part of the process.
In closing, cheers and thanks to mom and dad for once again providing a life lesson that we can all learn something from.
