Music Stirs Up Memories for the Assisted Living Community

Pictured above (from left to right): Cindy Kingsbury, John Kingsbury, and Bonnie Uran. Picture by Easton G. 

The Oxford Dictionary describes music as “The art or science of combining vocal or instrumental sounds to produce beauty of form, harmony, melody, rhythm, expressive content, etc.” This beauty can improve one’s mood, reduce stress, and set one off for a good day. As people age, music doesn’t become any less important, so some people are giving back to the community by playing music for the assisted living.

For three years, the Bagley Area Arts Collaborative, through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, has been scheduling performances for the assisted living and memory care at the Bagley and Fosston Cornerstones. Janet Brademan, a collaborative board member, has been meeting with activity coordinators at the assisted living to schedule performers and artists, such as Cindy Kingsbury, John Kingsbury, and Bonnie Uran, to play for the residents once a month for an hour, usually on Tuesdays or Thursdays around 2:00. The performers play a wide variety of music, including country, Celtic, and gospel music. They try to play songs that were around when the residents were younger.

Cindy Kingsbury, John Kingsbury, and Bonnie Uran have been performing at the assisted living for several years in Bagley and Bemidji. They perform because they think it is a good thing to do. One thing John thinks is important to remember is “It’s not songs. It's not music. It's memories.” They think that it is important to play songs that the residents know, can understand, and enjoy. Their favorite part of performing is watching their audiences' faces slide up into a smile when they play a song they know. Some of the residents’ favorite songs that Cindy, John, and Bonnie play are “God Bless America” by Irving Berlin and “Stripes” by Johnny Cash. One meaningful moment for Janet was when her friend’s mother, an alzheimer's patient who always had her hands folded, eyes shut and never knew if you were communicating with her or not, but one day she sang along to “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” by Bing Crosby when a performer came and played it on the piano.

Anna Mayer, though not scheduled through the Bagley Area Collaborative, has been bringing her piano students and her guitar to play for the residents. She started to play for residents three years ago because of her grandmother-in-law and has enjoyed it ever since. When asked what her favorite moment of performing was, Anna said, “One day when I brought my guitar a bunch of the residents were making requests, and I was trying to figure out songs that I never heard before and getting them to sing along.”

Some problems Janet has trying to get people to perform are weather and sickness. Among the elderly, getting sick can be a problem: whether it be the performer or the residents, you don’t want it to spread. Minnesota weather gets to be an issue when some of the performers are seventy miles away and the road is closed to Fosston or Bagley. Luckily, the performance can usually be rescheduled for when the weather is better or people are healthier. Getting performers from the Bagley area would make the weather less of an issue.

When asked why someone should consider performing for the residents, Janet said, “Most of the people I work with are retired. I feel like this is a way to give back to a community. it may not be their community, but I feel that it is important for all of us, once we have that opportunity to have a little extra time in our schedule, to give to our community.” It gives her a warmth knowing that she did something meaningful, even if it was just one person.