The four hills

Research question -
“What are the quantifiable effects and advantages of therapeutic live music performance on the welfare of those in care?”

Venue – four hillss Tue 20th Jan 2015

About the concert: - I was looking forward to going back to this venue as I had such a good time the last time. I entered the venue and found that it was little quieter than the last time. I saw a few of the faces that had been there before so it was easy to engage in conversation. One of the resident said that he was looking forward to me coming back and asked me if I had learned some Neil Diamond for him. The last time I was there I took notes and so I learned a Neil Diamond song for him to which he was pleased to hear that I had did that for him.

Verbal content and clarity – It is probably wrong to compare the last performance to this one, as the first one was so good that it was going to be hard to top. The two songs that got the most response were “My bonnie lies over the ocean” and “You are my sunshine”

The staff was really vocal in this performance which is great as they help the atmosphere which is always positive in this venue. I took the same approach as the other concert today, clear and concise explanation, what to expect and how long it would last, once again stall set out.

Vocalization of residents: - Lots of singing from the residents on most songs but the two I mentioned earlier really got the place going.

Eye Contact: The way the staff set the seats up is like a theatre so eye contact is really easy. I found that some of the clients were just staring but afterwards they were really vocal about the performance and wanted to talk to me. As always the eye contact and smiles are important so I have kept that up.

Facial Expressions: A bit poker face from the residents im wondering if I could have done more to engage them, I did get lots of facial expressions from the staff which acted as a verbal nod that everything was going well.

Body Posture: again a little unsure and hard to read this crowd due to the way it was set out but overall positive feedback from the way theu were sitting etc.

Movement: - I made a point of trying to engage by singing without the guitar and breaking some of the songs down so they could clap, this works well and is also a good time to encourage people to sing up. I need to do a little more reading on the way people listen to music and how to influence people to get involved.

On-going evaluation: - Overall it was a good concert but not as good as the last time. I had learned a few songs for the people that were really vocal the last time and two of them were not there due to ill health which was shame.

I made a point of letting people know that I had done this and that they cam ask me for songs. I was given Frank Sinatra to learn so I will get that done for the next visit.

I found this crowd hard to read but feedback from the staff was positive and the people who stayed behind to talk to me really seemed interest in the whole process of singing and playing guitar. There was a few people who shared stories about bands they have seen and this got me thinking.

Playing a concert is as much about spending time with people before and afterwards discussing and sharing stories as it is singing the songs themselves. Just another example of music being a sociable medium for people of all age groups.