I surprised a lot of people a few weeks ago when I mentioned I wanted to join a community choir – especially my friends who have heard me sing! Before they start planning on how best to console me when the rejections start coming in, I have since experienced another epiphany. I think what I might actually be looking for is opportunities to sing karaoke.
You know those childhood days of lip-syncing with your friends, jamming on pretend guitars and belting out The Monkees tunes? Our garage band was, in fact, in the garage, where we strummed on badminton rackets from our stage of piled up Boy Scout tents. We were The Junior Woodchucks and it involved us kids and the dear friend neighbour kids. We spent a lot of time in this activity, years in fact, and loved it. Tried to think of any way possible to make money from it, little capitalists that we were.
Years later, this same combination of people discovered home karaoke machines and proceeded to spend many a night in a very similar activity. Not much changed except the beverage, which had evolved from Kool-Aide to wine. But the songs we hollered-sang were the same ones, just much older (as were we!). Even the conversations were the same, as we discussed suitable costumes for taking it on the road. This was only 15 years ago, so the lifelong joy and hilarity of casual music-making has followed us all along.
So why couldn’t there be a fun community karaoke gathering specifically for seniors? That home karaoke machine made it to a house party just a few years ago and the host, who had never experienced the thrill that such an event can bring, quickly unearthed her childhood baton. It wasn’t actually far away, which begs the question of whether she may have been performing little secret solo baton performances all these years. Let’s not closet our love of sharing music any longer!
I know I’ve stated before that I think drummers are the happiest people on earth. I’m starting to think any musical form that people surround themselves with, in their real everyday lives, creates happiness. Mom was forever singing as she puttered around the kitchen and she was a model of simple joy. It was usually catchy commercial jingles, especially Campbell Soup ditties for some reason, that she sang as she went about her day. People who sing for sheer pleasure seem truly happy, at least in that moment.
Studies have shown that music, listening to it or performing it, has huge therapeutic affects – boosts immunity, re-engages damaged pathways in the brain, releases dopamine – the joy hormone. New research shows why: music touches all segments of the brain at once, which can provide an overwhelming sensation of euphoria. How great is that? We have all experienced that soul-touching moment when a favourite song tingles up your spine. Music is health-giving, it’s otherworldly and yet its for everyone. Now that is mmm mmm good!
Visit Sandy’s website at LifeInRetirement.ca