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.
Book Guy for a Songbird Concert
