Having now taken identification from the members of the Chorale, I am excited about this new direction, but also aware that I do not want to view them differently, unless it is helpful to the Chorale to do otherwise.
The median age of the women is 66 and the median age of the men is 69. There are three people over 80, with eight people over 70. Three people have left the choir in the last year, I want to talk to them about what caused them to give up the choir, with my new lens of gerontology, rather than aggrieved conductor.
Now I have a delightful three-group setup
The Hamilton Chorale of fully independent participants
The Hilda Ross Glee Club with residential independent participants
The Hilda Ross Rest Home Singers with dependent singers.
Watch this space!!
Singing in retirement complexes generates powerful effects for the participants. My research into those self-reported benefits give strong participant voice, and unique stories which all point to the physical, psychological, and emotional benefits of group singing. Gerontology is a field which is a growth area, where 1 in 4 New Zealand residents will be over 65 by 2045. Market research over the last decade has led to the production of www.singingforseniors.co.nz Dr Julie Jackson-Gough
1 comment:
All the best for this research. It will be exciting to read what you find out in this new area. I have seen you work with singers before, and you have what it takes!
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