I recently had the pleasure of attending an #Elderwise pop up event at the Burlington City Hall yesterday. This event moves all around Ontario. They simply provide a green bench for people of all demographics to sit and chat with a senior citizen. As a musician I understand the importance of making music at any age as there is a direct link between music and the memory centers of the brain. While I was simply their to engage in musical conversation and learn some amazing stories from the members of Elder Wise, I ended up witnessing the amazing uplifting powers of music.
We were joined by singer/guitarist Cory Cruise, who wanted to sing us a song. As any percussionist should, I ran out to my car to grab some instruments so that we could Jam along. With a few pointers and instrument selection we were off. Burlington City Hall has a beautiful open lobby with three floors looking down upon it. As we started playing we noticed employees leaving their offices and citizens stopping in their tracks to listen to our music. One women approached us after and told us how stressed she was before her meeting with the zoning office, to have it all lifted away by our music.
Making music in an unsuspected spot always generates attention. By breaking down this space and 'going with the flow' we were able to not only brighten our days, and those of the Elder wise group, but everyone within earshot!