Lessons Learned as a Nursing Home Musician
Music is doing a lot for me. It is beyond the cliché. I am “as happy as a clam,” pretending to be a professional guitarist that is able to play anything. I get excited when I get a proposal to play live anywhere. I am encouraged when I get more than three views on my Facebook page of the short snippets, I create using my iPhone and a growing knowledge of video editing. I am “on a high” if I get more than fifty views on my YouTube channel. I am happy knowing I am getting a little better every week. I am I am giddy when I pack up my equipment to actually play somewhere. Lately all the events have been with senior citizens or the infirmed. They appreciate the joy.
There are a lot of musicians capable of doing what I dream of. It seems none of that is required to entertain our elderly or those in assisted living facilities. I’ve been to a few now. Once you reach a certain stage in your life, this is where you could end up. It’s not for everyone.
With the exception of a few, most nursing facilities are crowded. The residents are tended to by immigrants. Some look numb to what is going on all around them and you wonder if it is low IQ or just the opposite. You may have to be numb to operate in this environment 24/7. The temperature is warm. You may smell urine and see residents that have soiled themselves. Modesty is rare. You are entering someone’s home or personal space when you walk into a place. You may hear someone in distress or in some stage of mental crisis. Sometimes it’s not an emergency. It can be unsettling. People die there.
No facility is the same. They are as different as the people inside it. This includes management.
Music in a nursing facility is therapeutic. Music does stuff to the mind, body and spirit for all of us. It doesn’t diminish when we are old. Playing music in a nursing, assisted living, retirement, or hospice facility is a ministry. I am blessed every time I have been invited in one way or another. It was not what I planned to do when I began. It just happened.
I am learning the importance of calling someone’s name. The importance of touch. The importance of conversation. The importance of being human. In essence, being human transcends mere biology; it encompasses our emotions, consciousness, and the awe-inspiring journey of existence.
Then there are the benefits I provide by playing this music.
There are Physical Health Benefits:
- Stress Reduction: Music has the power to soothe our nerves and lower stress levels. It can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and even alleviate pain.
- Improved Sleep Quality: Calming melodies can promote better sleep, aiding in restful nights.
- Enhanced Brain Function: Listening to music stimulates your brain, activating various areas. It can improve mental alertness and memory¹².
- Heart Health: Music's positive effects on mood and relaxation can lead to better cardiovascular health.
There are mental and emotional benefits:
- Mood Enhancement: Whether it's an upbeat tune or a soulful ballad, music can lift your spirits and boost your mood.
- Emotional Expression: Music provides an outlet for emotions. It allows us to express feelings that words alone cannot convey.
- Pain Management: Engaging with music can help manage pain perception, especially during recovery or chronic conditions.
- Memory Retention: Listening to music aids memory recall and slows cognitive decline, benefiting those with mild or moderate dementia¹⁴.
I see the social and cultural connections when I play.
Music unites people. National anthems, protest songs, and hymns create a sense of shared purpose.
And there are the cognitive benefits I witness in the nursing homes. Active engagement with music positively impacts cognitive function and quality of life.
Speak Life Church Podcast
The Speak Life Church podcast is a Christian ministry for a church without walls. It’s a podcast of encouragement. A show to restore peoples' relationship with God. It seeks to build faith, produce joy and point out God's work in our lives. https://speaklife.libsyn.com
Its been ongoing under many different names since 2002. It began as In The Wilderness Ministry (ITWM.org) The podcast came around 2009.
I didn’t originally hear God’s voice in a church. I can honestly say, don’t remember having my first spiritual moment during a worship service. I remember first hearing the voice of God as a kid, alone outside in the woods. I thought this was abnormal and folks would think I was strange so I never told anyone.
It was out there that I preached my first sermon in a field. The “congregation” was a few rabbits that stuck around to hear and see what I was doing. It was nice to see even if I was nine. I kept this “religious experience” a secret for a long time but later my grandmother informed me that she thought I would become a good pastor some day. I didn’t want anyone to know she said that.
I thought preachers were stereotypical and not in a good way. I thought that they were to be both revered and ridiculed. At least that is what happened with adults I knew. They were mocked and talked about and at the same time called on all the time. I believed that they were not tough guys and I wanted to be a tough guy. I wanted to be the bad boy. Girls like the “bad boy.”
I spent many years trying to be what I was not. The Lord allowed somethings to happen, and He abruptly stopped the others. I have been near trouble, in trouble and just missed by trouble all my life. Bullets, bombs, and killers have been near me and through it all I have come out unharmed by the grace of God.
I learned that it was in the wilderness that Abram spoke to God. It was in the wilderness that Moses saw a burning bush. It was in the wilderness that Joshua brought a wayward people to the Promised Land. It was in a wilderness that battles are often fought. Prophets spoke to errant people, in the wilderness. It is in the wilderness that John the Baptist preached. It was in the wilderness that Jesus went to be tested. It is in the wilderness that men seek to peace, to start over, or gain their freedom. God is in the wilderness.
I started this ministry after joining a church and not feeling welcomed. I became a junior minister on the rolls of big church. I learned not to have expectations of ever “preaching” there. I was not the pastor, yet I was called to serve. I served wherever.
I was different. I rode a motorcycle. So I created a motorcycle ministry called The Forgiven Christian Riders (FCR). I thought I would be able to at least find other Christians to ride with. The FCR became an international ministry almost overnight with chapters from North Carolina to South Africa. I still ride alone.
I testified and witnessed on the gun range which raised the ire of some of the church elders. When The Washington Times reported on me, I was almost removed from the ministerial roster. I reached men and women that hunted, shot recreationally. I spoke to the sportsperson. I connected to the one that thought they were different because they didn’t fit in. They fit in just fine in God’s kingdom, just not always the local assemble of His people.
But I struggled as a minister. I didn’t like the primping, the pomp and circumstance. I didn’t want to socialize with other pastors so that I could get the opportunity to preach in their churches. I didn’t feel adequately equipped to do more than evangelize outside the church. A change was coming.
I didn’t have too long to wait for it. My pastor was fired from the church for a host of things. His character was assassinated and the once prominent church was split. And like the Apostle Peter, I denied him too, took my sword and wandered in the wilderness.
I created In The Wilderness Ministries and it found a home on the internet. There we managed to host a fundraising trip on Carnival cruise lines in the western Caribbean. It grew to a good number when I thought it should start to find a home inside a church somewhere.
I soon found a home church with a struggling group in Washington, DC. It has not been easy, fun, or nice. After two years of serving there, I was ordained as a Baptist minister in the African American oral tradition in front of a congregation and more than nine pastors. A year later I was called as the pastor of that body, to the shock and awe of a few.
I have learned and still learning a lot about people but with this podcast I am returning back to the Wilderness.
I learned that it was in the wilderness that Abram spoke to God. It was in the wilderness that Moses saw a burning bush. It was in the wilderness that Joshua brought a wayward people to the Promised Land. It was in a wilderness that battles are often fought. Prophets spoke to errant people, in the wilderness. It is in the wilderness that John the Baptist preached. It was in the wilderness that Jesus went to be tested. It is in the wilderness that men seek to peace, to start over, or gain their freedom. God is in the wilderness.