Grant to Bring Live Music to Older Mainers
Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571
ORONO — A unique cooperative program between the University of Maine Center on Aging and the Bangor Symphony Orchestra (BSO), funded by a $25,000 grant from the Maine-based Davis Family Foundation, will bring quality live music and music education to people in living facilities for older adults and to local area school students.
The program, which will start this summer, will feature ensembles from the BSO performing at the senior living facilities. The BSO staff will work in partnership with the Center on Aging, which will provide program coordination and expertise in working with elders.
“It is always important to work to develop multigenerational connections between members of the community and elders, who are at risk of becoming disconnected,” says Lenard Kaye, a UMaine professor and director of the Center on Aging. “The idea here is to link those in nursing homes and other similar facilities to the lifeblood of the community, represented in this case by younger people and outstanding music. Music is one of those common threads that bring together people from different generations.”
The BSO musicians will be accompanied by music educator David Klocko, a retired UMaine professor and leader of BSO Classical Concert Previews, who will lead a discussion about the music that will be played.
BSO Executive Director Susan Jonason calls the elderly population “under-served” and says that this program is a natural extension of the orchestra’s ongoing outreach activities, many of which are focused on schools.
“This fits right into our mission,” Jonason says. “We are always looking for ways to enrich peoples’ lives with outreach programs that provide high-caliber music experiences and this program will create an avenue to deliver this music to an important population. This kind of effort is central to what our organization is all about.”
Kaye and Jonason both indicate that it is likely that the program will expand over time. They plan to hold performances at elder housing facilities where local school children are also invited to attend. UMaine student musicians will also bring their talent to the performances.
“It is particularly exciting to consider the long term perspectives that the elders can bring to this program,” Kaye says. “Their experiences allow them to share with others a rich, vibrant knowledge of the history associated with the music that will be performed. People from all generations will benefit from that perspective.”
Jonason says that the BSO has a number of different ensembles that will be involved in program performances. That flexibility, she says, will allow the BSO to work with the staff at the facilities to match the needs and interests of the residents. She says that orchestra members are enthusiastic about this project.
“The musicians love to do this,” she says. “One of the great things about a community-based orchestra like ours is that our performers literally know their audience and have a real connection with the community they serve.”
Kaye credits UMaine social work graduate students Carol Solinger and Daryne Sandford with taking the lead in organizing the university’s participation in the program.