Singing with Old People

A couple of weeks ago I woke up thinking that I should find some place to sing— maybe a choir—and I began my hunt. Turns out Philly has quite a few and  many require an audition. Too scary for me.  I’m not a professional, although I  can carry a tune and have sung in choirs before.

More than 8 years ago, I woke up with  a similar thought, but it wasn’t about me:it was about my daughter Suzanne, who passed by suicide in 2017. She had been a music therapy major at Temple, before going into nursing, and music had always been helpful to her. I thought, as I could see that she was struggling, that singing might  help. She listened when I suggested it to her, but she didn’t follow through. We will never know if it would have helped.

So, feeling these days at times overwhelmed by the state of our country, losing public transportation in my city( I don’t have a car), and caring for a mom with dementia,  I thought singing might help. It was worth a try.

I searched deep into Google.  It wasn’t easy but I found a group ENCORE, a nationwide organization that sets up choirs for people ages 55+.  And they were starting in two days!!  And the rehearsals are right around the corner! What luck. I signed myself up.

But this would not be my first time singing with “old people.”

When I first moved to Philly in 2008, I joined OLLI,   (a program for ages 50+) associated with Temple University and took their choir class.  We had wonderful leader, Ellie Shaffer, who passed away last year.  At that time I was the youngest one in the group. Suzanne  came to see me perform “with the old people.” As I got busier with work, I had to let that go.

In high school, this “aging hippie” gave up the clarinet for the guitar ( much cooler I thought) and joined a folk group that did some performances. And in the 90’s after my divorce, I got connected to the Baha’i’s and sang briefly in  their local choir. So I am not brand new to this.

What I didn’t expect was how wonderful this new choir would be. I was greeted warmly when I walked through the door and felt welcomed.  “Everyone has a place at Encore,” is on their flyer.  At 72, I fit right in!  Not sure whether or not I’m happy about that, but it is what it is.The choir director, is full of energy and heart. And the 55 voices in the room sound pretty darn good ( even for “old people”!)

The best part is the music. The pieces are both beautiful, and inspirational. And fun! And to make it easier.            ( gotta love the computer age), we can download the songs with our part dominant in order to sing along.

I feel uplifted when I leave the Tuesday afternoon rehearsals. And I practice at home every day for about a half hour. And am better for it. There’s something about the vibrations of sound moving through the body that is calming. And seeing beautiful, hopeful and inspirational songs is an act of humanity.

There was a moment in yesterday’s rehearsal as the group sang in 4 part harmony, “Be the Light,” a piece inspired by an Amanda Gorman poem, where I felt like I was singing harmonies and rounds with my girls as we rode in the car. I was overcome with emotion for a minute,  but  I continued to sing.

Singing is something we can still do. They can censor  and ban books. They can put military in the streets. We can sing. We can use our voices in so many ways. So I will.

How about you?