Sören as a music therapist (1/2)
A musical offering for children and seniors!
“Green, green, green are all my clothes” – one of the songs, which are familiar with all the participants in the group, a common denominator. The five-year-old Lara sings with a loud voice and a serious expression, as well as the 92-year-old Mr. Homann, you are sitting next to each other, a short eye contact, a Smile. “Because my darling is a Jägermeister” sings Lara, the first verse is to turn to the end of that silence, Mr Homann Lara: “But young lady, this is a drink!” Lara makes big eyes, Mrs Strauss calls: “Yes, a brandy is!” and claps, the other, Old and Young laughs and claps. A short conversation about the drink, the color green, the profession of the hunter. Lukas, 6 years, associated to: “forest master”, followed by verse, a forest master. Mr Homann smiles. He looks out the window, maybe it’s somewhere else, but where he is, he clearly feels comfortable.
A small scene from the intergenerational music group. Children and old people come together for an hour, tell, play, sing and dance together, learn to know, to get in touch, and share time. You exchange presents and give gifts, and this with joy, and very aware of it.
“As the old Heier.”Organization
The group consists of an approximately equal number of children and the elderly, usually not more than six to eight per age group. As interest in the offer is on both sides of the daycare children and residents of the nursing home is very large, the meetings are held on a regular basis. It is very important that the groups in their composition to maintain, so that the resulting relations can grow. The children of the kindergarten “treasure chest” in Hörbach (www.schatzkiste-hörbach.de), as well as the seniors of the senior center’s “house of life” in Herborn (www.hdl-herborn.de) meet on a quarterly basis, in each case alternately in the nursery or in the nursing home. The Open living spaces (day-care centre for the elderly) is for all an exciting affair. The Bus with the seniors “As the old Heimer come” ;)!
Music as a bridge
Music is the basis of the contact. It creates without language Links between people, between situations, between the past and the present. Memories emerge, Wake up and reactivated. The participants will be moved and in movement. The task of the music therapist is to make these Connections. It is gentle and careful, not too much and impose. She gives the group room for Private – there are so many similarities between the group of participants that need to be discovered and grow over time with the relations.
At the beginning of every hour the welcome song in which the music therapist participant moves to participants. All of the singing, the repetition is drummed sit in the bar on the chair:
“Welcome to the music, glad You’re here!”
Objectives
The project pursues several objectives: first and foremost, it is used for the approximation of the generations. Both the seniors at the care facility as well as the children of the daycare center, it is without outside help is not possible, to come to each other.
The basis of the contact, the music is, it is particularly well suited, because they have no language Connections, and directly from the “heart to heart”.
The children of the nursery through visits to a stage to be able to your skills to imagine, you receive appreciation, it fills you with Pride. In addition, they learn at an early stage, other living spaces, in an age in which no biases exist. Your social behaviour will be encouraged to: experience the enjoyment to make other people happy. By the regularity of contact relationships that can be maintained may arise.
For the seniors of the nursing home to visit the children means Opening up your living space. The contact evokes playful memories from our own Childhood, with the help of which you are often involved in. The musical performances are stirring that awaken the senses, lively wit, and feeling, even if the old man is already very needy. In retrospect, special impressions can be processed together with the music therapist and integrated.
Continue with the 2. Part – Sören as a music therapist