Live Musical Performances for West Chester Seniors Begins
Musical performances can transform both the musician and the listener— this we know. It’s one of our guiding lights and mission areas at If Not For Music. For musicians, live performances not only give them the opportunity to share their talent, hone their skills and entertain; they can also foster and make deep connections with members of their community. For the listeners, well, the list of benefits is longer than my arm; from stress relief to pain reduction to increasing joy— Joy; that’s something we could all use a little more of in our lives.
In that spirit, INFM has recently begun to collaborate with the West Chester Senior Center in West Chester, PA, to provide their members live musical performances by local musicians every second Wednesday of the month.
The bench of musical talent we have in West Chester is deep. We are so grateful to the local musicians who have already entertained Senior Center members to widespread acclaim, including:
Steve Rhoads, an established singer songwriter and local lawyer
Francesco Protasi and Mandy Smith, performing together as a jazz duo from West Chester University
Mark Oppenlander, a guitar virtuoso
“There is an abundance of research that shows the physician and mental health benefits to seniors of listening to music. So, we are delighted with how well the program has been received.”
Jessica Tipton, event coordinator for the Center said, “This program with If Not for Music is just wonderful. It is just what we were looking for and the talent and musical diversity of the performers could not be better. We love it!”
INFM’s Board Chair, Roger Mustalish noted, “There is an abundance of research that shows the physician and mental health benefits to seniors of listening to music. So, we are delighted with how well the program has been received. We thank the West Chester Senior Center for welcoming us with their participation in this program that directly aligns with our Gift of Performance mission area.”
We are looking forward to the upcoming September performance by the fiddle group featuring fiddle player and local lawyer Clare Milliner and acclaimed banjo and fiddle player Walt Koken. Their group is dedicated to keeping the tradition of old-time music alive.
Given the success of this music series, INFM is exploring collaborations with other senior centers, retirement communities, and assisted care facilities in West Chester and surrounding areas.