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Fifteen years ago I started doing professional music gigs. During these years I have found myself performing in ways and places that I never imagined I would. At times it has been interesting and challenging. This year I started doing some gigs in Aged Care facilities; a ‘venue’ that I did not imagine back when I started out on the path to being a performer.
We believe that everyone deserves the best entertainment - whatever their age, and there’s nothing better than music! Music is there throughout our lives. From birth onwards, music can be used to lift our mood, relax us, and connect with others. For older people, it...
Ask anyone their thoughts about music and you’ll likely hear different responses. Some people turn to music as a form of escape while others turn up their favourite songs to stir their creativity. Many have even dedicated their lives towards perfecting their craft and delivering memorable pieces that are still played today.
People may hold different opinions about music but its effects can be felt in all corners of the world across all generations. Music is such an expansive area that new things are constantly being discovered. Here are some facts about music you probably didn’t know.
1. The First Instrument Was Made From Bone
Many of the musical instruments we use today are crafted from materials like wood and metal using highly precise tools. Take a guitar for instance. Sheets of wood are cut and glued together to form the body and neck of the guitar. A soundhole is then made which allows the air to vibrate inside and produce a sound whenever a string is plucked.
Sound holes can also be seen in other instruments like a flute. Covering the holes alters the pitch as a flautist blows air into it. The Divje Babe flute is one of the earliest prehistoric instruments and is estimated to be at least 40,000 years old. It was carved from a cave bear femur and had lateral holes pierced into it, indicating that it was used as a musical instrument. The discovery which was made in Slovenia also shows that music has been with us for millennia.
2. Music Has Therapeutic Benefits
Many of us have stressors we deal with on a daily basis – Commuting through heavy traffic, getting a project finished in time, etc. Many of these stressors are not life-threatening but they can make you feel irritable. It turns out that listening to music can produce a positive shift in your mood.
Think back to a time when you heard your favourite song on the radio. Chances are that it evoked positive memories and you may have even found yourself humming along with the tune. A growing body of research shows that music can have therapeutic effects. A meta-analysis of 400 studies found that music reduces stress. Listening to music was also found to be effective at reducing anxiety before surgery.
3. Music Boosts the Growth of Grey Matter
Musicians are constantly challenging themselves to play more complex pieces. The amount of practice that they dedicate to their craft supports the growth of grey matter – A major component of the central nervous system that is crucial for various skills.
Research shows differences in the volume of grey matter between musicians and non-musicians. Part of the changes come from an intense practice that musicians spend on honing their craft. This, in turn, can have spillover effects into other areas like academics.
4. Singing Benefits People With Dementia
Dementia is a brain illness that affects an individual’s cognitive functioning, including their ability to think and remember past events. Results from a study have found that singing for people with dementia offers a number of key benefits. These include improving relationships with others, having a positive impact on over well-being, and helping people come to terms with their diagnosis.
Songbird Serenade provides quality live entertainers for aged care homes and retirement villages. Contact us today to book a Songbird and we can help you find an entertainer for your next event.
Author’s Bio
Alex Morrison has worked with a range of businesses giving him an in-depth understanding of many different industries including home improvement, financial support and health care. He has used his knowledge and experience to work for clients as diverse as Acacia Pest Control, Cosh Living and Me Bank to help them reach their business goals.
Music has been deeply embedded in human culture for thousands of years. The exact origin of how music came to be is practically impossible to pinpoint without any archeological records. But its far-reaching impacts in every part of the globe is undeniable. Music is a powerful medium that affects all of us in different ways.
You don’t need to play an instrument to engage with music. Just listening to one of your favourite songs play on the radio can stir pleasant memories and dramatically lift your mood. Numerous studies have shown that music has positive effects on the body. There is now a growing profession in the field of healthcare that utilises music to improve our wellbeing – Music therapy.
Here we’ll provide an overview of what music therapy is including the many health benefits it brings from keeping depression at bay to improving sleep quality and helping with physical rehabilitation.
What is Music Therapy?
Music therapy is an established profession and has been used in hospitals and healthcare facilities since the 1970s. Musicians use the powerful effects of music to improve the mental, physical, and emotional state of their clients. A music therapist assesses each client individually so they can tailor a specialised program based on their needs.
Musical involvement in a therapeutic context provides an outlet to help individuals express their feelings in a way they may not be able to with words alone. Treatments typically involve listening to certain kinds of music to evoke emotional responses. But a music therapist may opt instead to sing, play a musical instrument, or even teach their clients how to play an instrument.
Music therapy is often used with people who have disabilities or illnesses but people of all ages can enjoy the healing benefits of music. No matter what form the music takes, sessions revolve around the therapist, the individual, and the music.
Health Benefits of Music Therapy
A growing body of research demonstrates that music therapy can help patients and improve their quality of life in many ways. Here’s how:
Keeps depression at bay. Music therapy can help patients with depression, a medical disorder which causes intense feelings of sadness. A meta-analysis of 28 scholarly articles consisting of 1,810 participants found that musical therapy sessions led to improvements on scores that measure depression across all age groups. Noticeable improvements were found amongst elderly participants (aged 60 years or above) when attending individual sessions.
Improves sleep quality. Getting enough quality sleep is important to maintain good health. Sleep deprivation can increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. An analysis of 10 studies involving 557 participants found that music therapy improved sleep quality for patients with acute and chronic sleep disorder. Other studies have also found that music therapy given at bedtime has a positive effect on the quality of sleep for elderly patients.
Helps with physical rehabilitation. Physical rehabilitation helps restore body functions to patients who may have suffered an injury or disability. An analysis of several studies has found that music therapy has led to improvements in gross motor functioning and has even increased motivation for those undergoing physical rehabilitation. The results suggest that music therapy can enhance an individual’s physical, psychological, cognitive, and emotional functioning during rehabilitation programs.
The key takeaway is that music therapy offers powerful health benefits to people of all ages. If you are looking to bring more music into your life with quality entertainers, we can help.
At Songbird Serenade, we connect aged care homes and retirement villages with live entertainers who are passionate about bringing their music to the elderly. If you are looking to book a Songbird for your next concert, then contact us today and we will be happy to help.
Author’s Bio
Alex Morrison has worked with a range of businesses giving him an in-depth understanding of many different industries including home improvement, financial support, and health care.
About 15 years ago I started doing professional gigs. During those years I found myself performing in ways and places that I never imagined, which has always been an interesting challenge. This year I started gigging in Aged Care facilities – a type of ‘venue’ that I hadn’t even considered so many years ago when I started out on this path to becoming a performer.
As a young child I would look at ‘old people’ and see them as different; “who were these strange looking humans?” I wondered “Surely they have no idea what I think or what I am interested in”, which I now recognise as my projection of lack of understanding toward them. Now I am on the 50 side of my 40’s I see them very differently. I now see myself in them – the person I will become. A person with memories and dreams; dreams that were fulfilled and dreams that went unfulfilled. The person with a lifetime of joys, love and of course a few regrets.
The thought of ageing is confronting. It is however, undoubtedly a part of life. As I watch my elders continue to grow in age, I recognise the inevitable ‘Change of The Guard’. Those who I always viewed as ‘in control of the world’ are no longer in that position. Their energy, power and influence declined, making way for others to fill their previous roles. I am now at an age when my kids look to me as a ‘power in the world’ – this does not mean I actually have any power to influence world events but it is a statement about the way our kids look at us parents, much like the way I looked at my parents. We all have a role to play in creating a stable, peaceful, loving and mature world in which we live.
The unique thing about music and art, in my view, is that it calls upon the practitioner to think about and understand why they are performing. There can be many reasons wrapped up or weaved into in a single performance.
So far, I have found working in Aged Care very rewarding It takes skill, talent, compassion and bravery to do this work. It’s an absolute privilege to contribute to the lives of seniors in this way. The senior audiences I have encountered have always given back to me too, as I give to them. As well as the joy of creating a fun environment while I’m working, I also find opportunity to observe and think about life, what it means to feel connected, cared for and loved. I hope I bring this to every concert and audience member I encounter for years to come,
Author’s Bio Guy Walton has been a Serenading Songbird since early 2018. He began his study of music at the age of seven and trained on piano and voice. When not making music Guy works as a cabinet maker building bespoke furniture items for discerning clients based in Camden NSW.
Music has a powerful effect on the brain. Think back to a time when you heard one of your favourite songs on the radio or in a restaurant. How did it make you feel? Chances are you were delighted. You may have even quietly sung the song back to yourself and followed the beat, eagerly anticipating the chorus.
You’re certainly not alone as music has a similar effect for many people. Researchers have found that even sad music can provide a sense of enjoyment for some. Listening to music can certainly be mind-altering but what about actually learning to play?
Here we’ll look at some of the benefits of learning music. Read on if you’re still on the fence about picking up an instrument to play.
Learning Music Improves Cognitive Functions
Albert Einstein is widely recognised for his contributions to science. But what many people may not know is that he was an avid violin player. Playing music helped him think through some of his most famous theories. He would take refuge in his music when he ran into a difficult problem and would often come back with new insights. It turns out he may have been onto something.
One study divided a group of 70 healthy adults between the ages of 60 and 83 into 3 groups: Those who had studied an instrument for at least 10 years, those who had played between one to nine years, and a control group who had never learned an instrument. The group that had more than 10 years of experience with an instrument scored the highest in areas such as nonverbal memory, information processing skills, and other cognitive functions.
The more that individuals trained and played, the more benefits they gained. Interestingly, they still reaped the benefits even when they hadn’t played in decades. The results of the study show a strong correlation between learning music and academic success
Learning Music Relieves Stress
We all have busy lives – Errands to run, work to finish, meetings to attend, calls to make, etc. It’s like a never-ending cycle that goes on and on. For the most part, you’re able to handle everything that comes your way and still have enough time for a breather. But if things reach a breaking point, it can become too much for you to handle.
Music has a unique effect on our body. Just listening to a moving piece can help lower your heart rate and ease anxiety levels. Other notable effects include triggering the release of dopamine, a brain chemical that plays an important role in motivation.
Learning an instrument then offers incredible benefits for the mind and body. It acts as a form of self-expression and can even be used as an outlet to cope with stress. If you’re facing a particularly challenging or difficult moment in your life, playing an instrument can help turn those emotions around and improve your overall well-being. While it’s true that learning a skill is easier at an earlier age, it’s never too late to pick up an instrument.
Author’s Bio
Kym Wallis, the founding director of Higher Ranking has over 15 years of advertising sales, digital strategy, and business development experience. He is currently working as Digital Adviser for Bioscor.
For older people, it can enrich their quality of life immensely. As well as bringing positivity and joy into their lives, it can give them a chance to interact and it can also bring numerous health benefits and
Here are some of the ways the elderly can benefit from music events:
The health benefits
Music has been used for thousands of years as a therapeutic way of healing the body and soul. It can be used for people of all ages, and has been shown to have some positive effects on those suffering from depression, anxiety, or loneliness.
Furthermore, studies have shown that music therapy can be beneficial to older people in particular, especially those suffering from dementia, memory loss, and other health issues.
It’s believed that one of the reasons it can be so beneficial for dementia sufferers is that it can help them to recover memories. It can, in some cases, be easier to access memories through association to a song than it is to a name or event.
For this, and many other reasons, music sessions are becoming increasingly popular with the elderly. It can have many positive effects on both mental and physical wellbeing.
Benefits for the mind
As well as being good for promoting a healthy body, music is also known to have an array of benefits for mental health, happiness, and overall well being.
Music is an interactive art. It has a social aspect. With live music events, there’s a sense of being part of a community. Being able to meet others and enjoy music together can bring joy to people’s lives.
For the elderly, this is so important. Music can also bring back memories from their lives, transport them to past events. It allows them to connect with cherished memories; nostalgia can promote a more relaxed physical and mental state.
In addition, it’s been shown that music can improve your mood, and in the elderly, some studies have shown it can even improve memory, and has a positive effect on the brain’s processing speed.
How can we help?
At Songbird Serenade, we are passionate about providing top quality entertainers to the elderly. For our musicians, music is life. And by sharing their gift and their passion, they hope to make a difference to the lives of those listening.
We have dozens of different types of songbirds waiting to entertain the elderly. We connect care homes and retirement villages with singers, tribute acts, dancers, instrumental acts, and others. If you’re looking to book a musician or become one, you can sign up online or contact us directly for more information. Whatever type of concert you’re looking for, we can help you. So get in touch with us today.
Author’s Bio Kym Wallis, the founding director of Higher Ranking has over 15 years of advertising sales, digital strategy, and business development experience. He is currently working as Digital Adviser for Konnect Salon Software.
First Christmas at Arcare Glenhaven in December of 2017
Songbird Serenade helped Arcare Glenhaven celebrate their first Christmas with family and friends who joined us in the morning for a Christmas concert. Songbird Serenade’s Miss Eleni who is a favourite performer of the clients. As well as singing many favourite Christmas songs and jazz tunes Miss Eleni being of Greek heritage shared with us, some of the traditional Greek songs, which two of our Greek residents and families sang and danced along to. Eleni also invited a visiting family member from Germany to sing a Christmas carol in her German mother tongue, whilst Eleni sang along in English. It was a beautiful duet and all the clients sang and clapped along with them.
We connect Aged Care homes with highest caliber entertainers who live and breathe music. Our performers are passionate about their craft and this passion resonates with their audiences.
