For All Ages

Yesterday, I sang at a nursing home on Daniel Island! I know that I am primarily sharing my project with children because of their ability to gain and absorb knowledge, however, I felt that sharing the classical music with the elderly was greatly impacting. The premise behind going to this nursing home was sharing the side of classical music that heals. Classical music not only helps the developing brains of children, but it can also aid in treatment or can stimulate brain activity. These are both things that I know these elderly men and women are not getting frequently. I truly believe that opera is for the ages. It is for everyone, and it can be beneficial in multiple circumstances. While at the nursing home, I sang, "In Uomini, In Soldati,""I Dreamed a Dream," "Think of Me," "Only Love," and "O Sleep Why Dost Thou Leave Me." One may think that these seniors to whom I was singing gained nothing from my being there, but I know it made a difference. These people were by no means invalids who had resigned themselves to the end of life. They were people who were in a nursing home, yes, for one reason or another, but they still want to live and experience, and I feel that I provided a tiny window into a past life. Maybe they had heard some of the songs before, ages ago, and I gave them a shard of memory. That is why I truly believe this to be so important. That is why I am not only learning from my project for me but for the youth and the elderly.