Entertaining the Seniors at Carney
Wed Jun 13, 2012
An Upham's Corner/Roxbury team made "their" day. Nancy Conrad (keyboard) and Jordan Lloyd (voice) volunteered their time
at Carney Hospital to entertain the seniors at their June quarterly
Senior Supper. What a delight! There is nothing like "preaching to
the choir" - in this case "singing" - to make you feel like you are on
top of the world.
Barbara Cousins began working at Carney about a year ago and is
responsible for setting up the Senior Suppers. When Jordan called
Carney asking if they needed anyone to entertain there, the answer was
an immediate "yes" for their June 13 supper - well known favorites,
inspirational tunes and a bit of sing-a-long.
So Nancy and Jordan set about identifying the best songs for such an
occasion. "Isn't there a second verse to 'Climb Every
Mountain'?" Jordan was convinced she had seen one
somewhere. Nothing came up on the internet so Nancy wrote a new
second verse that matches the strength of the first verse but changes
the focus to an inspirational message.
Enthusiastic Crowd
Supper begins at 3:30 for the seniors with salad and their choice of
chicken or fish plus some healthy veggies, then a short talk by a nurse
from the geriatric division and on to the entertainment.
I Believe
"I Believe" was a wonderful way to open the entertainment - a well known inspirational song.
Background:
Several people working at a TV studio in 1952 wrote "I Believe" in
response to a letter from a serviceman. Their intent was "giving
the average person hope." An instantaneous success, it was named
the most successful song of 1953 by the "Hit Parade" and it won the
Christophers' award as the finest inspirational tune of the year.
Oh, My Poppa
"Oh, My Poppa" was offered in celebration of Father's Day coming up on June 17.
Background:
Swiss composer Paul Burkhard wrote "O mein Papa" in 1939 for the
musical Der Schwarze Hecht (The Black Pike). A young woman
remembers her beloved, once-famous clown father. It was adapted into
English by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons under the title "Oh! My
Pa-Pa" and recording by Eddie Fisher on December 12, 1953.
America, the Beautiful
Sing-a-long
section: "America the Beautiful" is one of the most beloved and
popular of the many American patriotic songs. The seniors sang
the four verses with gusto.
Background:
Katharine Lee Bates wrote the words as a poem, Pikes Peak, first
published in the Fourth of July edition of
the church periodical The Congregationalist in 1895 but titled
"America" for publication. The music, Materna, was composed by church
organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward for the hymn O Mother
dear, Jerusalem in 1882. Ward's music combined
with the Bates poem was first published in 1910 and titled America the
Beautiful.
Climb Every Mountain
Sing-a-long
section: "Climb every mountain" is well known and the seniors
sang the first verse from their hearts and listened closely to the
inspirational overtones of the second (new) verse, then clapped
joyfully.
Background:
"Climb Ev'ry Mountain" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and
Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. Here it is sung at the close of
the first act by the Mother Abbess. It is themed as an inspirational
piece, to encourage people to take every step towards attaining one's
dreams.
** See below for new second verse. Be sure to sing both verses. Have fun and enjoy.
Over the Rainbow
Not part of the official sing-a-long section, this song is so well known that the seniors continued singing.
Judy Garland found her theme song as a child star in 1939 in the Wizard
of Oz in "Over the Rainbow." Deemed too slow and time-consuming
for the move, the song was cut from the film on at least three
occasions but at the last minute reinstated. It became the high-point
of one of the finest movie scores ever composed and won the Academy
award in 1939. Music by Harold Arlen.
So Long
Just to end with a bit of levity, we offered a kids song written by Woody Guthrie: "So Long, I'ts Been Good to Know you."
Climb Every Mountain
Verse 1
Climb every mountain, search high and low
Follow every byway, every path you know
Climb every mountain, ford every stream
Follow every rainbow, till you find your dream
A dream that will need all the love you can give
Every day of your life for as long as you live.
Climb every mountain, ford every stream
Follow every rainbow, till you find your dream!
Verse 2
May God be with you, guiding the way
Hand in hand the journey, strengthening your day
Love one another, serve from the heart
Shine your light on others, brethren from the start
A dream that will grow from the love that you give
Peace and blessings are yours for as long as you live
Climb every mountain, ford every stream
Follow every rainbow, till you find your dream!
Entertaining the Seniors at Carney