General Information for Care Providers
Who can access services from MUSIC FOR SENIORS?
You can! If you are a senior adult facility, retirement community,
adult day services provider or care provider for a homebound senior
adult who:
- has senior adult(s) who love music;
- has an interest in an area performer coming once a month to bring an upbeat program of the music they enjoy; and
- want to benefit from a community service program that will provide
enjoyable musical performances for your senior adults while fostering
relationships with area musicians.
Who will my performers be?
A professional musician, singer or performer, or a duo, or group of performers who:
- lives or works near your facility or homebound senior adult home;
- loves to perform for senior adults;
- respects, enjoys and holds in high regard the senior adults in our community; and
- has committed an hour each month to provide music for you and your senior adult(s).
What is expected from MUSIC FOR SENIORS recipients?
You will be expected to have a performer in once a month, for an
initial commitment of 6 months. Note: if you try our services and they
just do not work for you, we will not hold you to the 6-month
obligation. We ask our performers to commit to an initial
6-consecutive-month-period to provide consistency and to allow time for
the performers to build rapport with the senior adults they perform for.
Your performer will provide about 45 minutes of music known and
loved by your audience. Some examples: 30s and 40s standards, camp
songs, songs from Broadway shows, favorite hymns, patriotic songs. A
few of the kind of songs performed: You Are My Sunshine, Home on
the Range, Down in the Valley, Blue Moon, Tennessee Waltz, I Come to
the Garden Alone, Amazing Grace.
After the performance, allow about 15 minutes for the senior
adult(s) and your entertainer(s) to “meet and greet,” to share
experiences and to get to know one another.
When are the performances?
Performances are scheduled once a month, at a time slot that is
convenient for you and for the performer. Performances are scheduled
for day-time or very early evening. They can be during the week or on
the weekend, depending on your scheduling needs and coordinated with
the performer’s availability and preferences. MUSIC FOR SENIORS will
schedule an initial performance time that is convenient for you and
your entertainer, then you and that person will arrange the details of
the consecutive performances. Our staff is always available to help in
this process as necessary. However, after the first performance, the
scheduling of monthly performances is generally coordinated directly
between the facility contact and performer, making it simpler for all.
Your performance scheduling can be flexible. You can schedule your
performances month-to-month, depending on how your schedule coincides
with your other activities and with the performers’ availability. Or,
in the alternative, you can arrange with your performer to come, for
instance, on “the first Saturday of each month at 1:00.”
Where are the performances?
The performances can take place anywhere in your facility that you
normally use for group activities. You know what works best for you and
your participants. Often, it is the lunch room, activities room or
another common area. It can be in a small room with your participants
sitting in a circle. Sometimes, our performers go room-to-room,
providing music for those who cannot get out of their rooms, if that is
what’s needed and/or works best. It can also be a combination of both –
one month a group performance and the next month going room to room.
Our goal is to foster human kindness and connection between individuals
through this music. We want it to be easy and fun for you and your
participants and suited to the needs of your particular group.
If this is a performance for a homebound senior adult, then the
location of the performance depends, of course, on the mobility of the
senior adult and the home environment. It can be in the living room,
kitchen, dining room or even at bedside.
Is there a cost for these monthly performances?
If you are a for-profit or not-for-profit facility with an
activities and/or entertainment budget at your disposal, MUSIC FOR
SENIORS requests that you participate in the cost of paying our
musicians. Your tax deductible contribution supports this lively program helping to spread MUSIC FOR SENIORS throughout our community.
So if you are able to pay a small stipend each month toward these
performances, you will be asked to send your remittance to MUSIC FOR
SENIORS. The program handles the paperwork and details of paying the
performers – making it really easy for you! We do not want any facility
to go without the MUSIC FOR SENIORS program due to an inability to pay
for our services. Therefore, if you do not have the funds to pay for
these performances, then they are free to you. MUSIC FOR SENIORS is
funded to pay its performers for their professional services.
Why should I participate in MUSIC FOR SENIORS?
Hosting a performance each month for your center, facility or
homebound senior adult provides wholesome and fun entertainment and
provides a unique opportunity for these two groups of individuals to
come together.
How do I sign up?
Complete the simple application/registration form and submit on-line or send via U.S. mail to:
Sarah Martin McConnell
Director, Music for Seniors
174 Rains Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203-5319.
For additional information, call 
(615) 330-1937
or email sarah@musicforseniors.org.
