Saturday morning, August 31, 2013....hot and humid day, perfect for Labor Day Weekend. My Daughter, Cindy, was born on Labor Day in 1971....it put new meaning into the word "Labor".
A few weeks ago, I received a phone call inviting me to play my Harp for a 2 Hour Open House at an Assisted Living for their Wine & Cheese Event. This Event was open to all levels of the Senior Living Community and was intended to encourage residents to sign up for the long-term care at the Reminiscence Unit. Well, this was a paying gig, so how could I refuse. I am NOT a performer. I have never been comfortable in front of people, but somehow when I play Therapeutic Music on my Harp, I fall immediately into my Service Mode, rather than the Performance Mode.
I have been a little nervous about this Gig, but determined to work through the anxiety....after all, it's a Wine & Cheese sort of thing....people coming and going, chatting over my Harp background music. I wasn't on stage or anything....people could stand around me and listen for a few minutes and then move on, I am used to that at the Hospital and I knew I could keep my focus and do this.
I spent the better part of 2 weeks downloading copies of Music, specifically from their Genera. I found some beautiful oldies but goodies that my Grandma and my Mom would sing. I am so used to playing with"no fluff" in Therapeutic Music, that I worked on adding lots of fluff and flair to these pieces. I am mentioning this because I did not show up unprepared, just the opposite.
I arrived about 30 minutes early to set up and tune. The Receptionist at the front desk said, "oh good, there she is, the Harpist! We have people coming from all over the community". Ok, now I start to sweat. Oh, did I mention it was 100o in the Facility? I let myself into the Unit with the special code and was greeted with lots of smiles and warm welcomes from the Staff and in particular the Activities Director of that Reminiscence Unit, who invited me to play. Here is where I start to panic.....
I walk into the large living area on one side of the Unit and there is about 40 people already seated in chairs and wheelchairs....the place was packed and there was a little area left open for me...yep, you guessed it....I was on stage and the main attraction. OMG I wanted to just faint. A little echo in my ears, beads of sweat rolling down my neck. Where the hell was the Wine & Cheese??? How on earth could anyone visit the Unit and chat...there was no place to stand, never mind walk? Why did the Activities Director fail to tell me that on the Flyer they sent around a month ago, I was listed as the Harpist giving a Concert????? Good Grief, now what?
Well, I sucked it up and started to unpack my Harp, while all eyes were burning holes in me. I saw my Gommie across the room and she waved and smiled at me. It melted my heart and I had to go give her a hug. When I got back to my Harp, one of the Residents I had met before while visiting Gommie, was sitting on my right. She didn't communicate, but she was all stares and very interested in what I was doing. I was starting to feel a little better about all these surprises. Here's a kicker....when I stood my Harp up and turned it towards the crowd, there was an "awwwwwww" that filled the room! They just loved to look at the Harp.
I pulled myself together after Tuning and started to play...one Tune after another. The Residents and visitors were softly singing....and then as I played they sang louder and faster. Oh no, not faster....where the heck was I on the page of music???? At one point I was totally lost and I stopped and looked up at them and said, "ok, I am lost in my Music, let's try this again and we will sing a little slower". HA! it worked.....we slowed down and I realized I was in control of the tempo, not them. I kept my Tunes at a moderate tempo, despite many of them racing through the Songs. The most fun was when I asked if there were any Birthdays in August...they just looked at me. How about September, any Birthdays in September? October?....ok...lets go the other way, how about July? A hand went up and Hallelujah we had a Birthday. They all sang at the top of their lungs and it was so much fun, we did it 3 times!
Although I had a few mistakes here and there, it really went just fine. I am very hard on myself and expect perfection, but I had to let that go or I would have never gotten through the afternoon. I played for almost 2 hours without a break and while I was packing up, one of the Husbands came over to me and said, "did you see their reactions to your Harp?" "My wife has been here 3 years and that woman next to her in the wheelchair, I have never heard her utter a word, but today she was singing!" "Your Harp has such a power over us today". When I left the Senior Living I felt really good about my personal growth that I was forced to do that afternoon. I felt like I had left those beautiful people with joy in their hearts and an afternoon of fun, laughter and song. The Staff brought around Wine & Cheese, Cookies and Fruit to each of the Residents while I played. It was a very emotional day for me and you can be sure when the next "gig" offer comes, I will be asking for great detail before I accept the job!!! Now, back to my comfort zone......Therapeutic Music.
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