Once a Conductor...

Wow. It has been way too long. I guess it's safe to say that I've lost track of time. Some exciting things in my life have been happening. One of those things, and a main reason that I am adding this post, is that I was interviewed by The Songwriting Podcast recently. If you are new to my blog from that episode, welcome! I promise I'll make a point to update this more regularly!

Not to mince words, I'd like to just tell a story that way I usually do [or did, as it were]. Last week was the end of the month. As anybody in the health care field knows, this is the time when it gets a little hectic. I have monthly frequencies for all my clients and, when things work out well, I get everybody seen and do not feel rushed at all. Last month was one of those months. It worked out really well, then, that this particular story comes from my last visit of the month.

My client in this session was a long-time band and choir conductor. He claims to have only taught for 23 years, but I know that he did much longer than that. Many students have been musically trained by this man and now I get a chance to improve his life in a nursing home with music. Being a vocal trainer, but also having dementia, I need to be sure that the songs I'm choosing are songs that are both familiar but not too easy. I end up choosing a lot of hymns, but also mixing it up with some folk tunes. I have to choose carefully because, when he sings, he sings loud and proud. I could liken his voice to that of the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz. Even if he doesn't remember the words. I close the door, but I'm sure that does little to muffle our music to the ears of the other residents.

Aside from the song choice, I also need to be careful where I sit because, as a conductor, my client gets very exuberant with his gestures. This, I think, is the key to our sessions. He becomes who he has been for a long time. He directs again. I make sure I follow his tempo, volume, and entrance cues while playing and this seems to bring back a life into his eyes again. Needless-to-say, he is always conducting forte [loud, for all you non-music geeks out there] and just as expressive as we can muster. It's really neat to see this little man become a giant in a sense. His actions are broad, his face expressive, and his posture upright. It's a very distinct transformation.

I guess when you've made a living with music [either professionally or not], once you're hooked into music, you always will be.