Piano Senior Citizens and Road Trips

Jean called at 3:45pm to ask if I could pick her up and take her to visit one of her friends she met while living at Stilwell Retirement. Faye had just been moved from the independent community living of Stilwell to this assisted living community out of town. Faye's children reckoned she needed more care since she had just had another fall and damaged her wrist. Supper for Faye was at 5pm so Jean wanted me to pick her up about 5:15pm so we could get in and get out.

Jean is 92 years old and is the piano player for our two man crew. We have in the past provided music therapy to Seniors in long term, assisted, memory care and independent living communities. Faye was one of the people who would faithfully be in attendance every other week at Stilwell. She had been longing for Jean to came to visit her at the assisted living care facility she moved to.

Since September 2010, Jean has been a part of my life. She encouraged me to sing in front of people. She encouraged me to play instruments in front of people. She has encouraged me to lead groups in singing as if we were at a black church of the holy ghost of holy ghost. She was my personal 5 year old self's black church... just a rugged cheer leaders on the front pew encouraging everybody.

When we do our thing, it is as improvisational as it can get with her playing songs all by ear in any key and keeping up the pace that I set by challenging groups to pay attention, to slow down or speed up, to hold a note a very long time, to come to a hush and then to clap those hands and stomp those feet. It is actually quite amazing to get folks to perk up who probably haven't said a word in months.

So, when Jean called and asked with very short notice could I drive her 30 miles to Hillsboro to see her friend's community piano, I had to agree. She hasn't had a chance to play for her age group since the beginning of the pandemic. She has been confined to a mother-in-law cabin that sits behind her daughter's house in Gholson, Texas. I had a feeling we just weren't gonna chat it up with Faye, but I didn't not bring any of our song books. I figured Jean could just play some songs on the piano and that would be it.

Jean wanted me to take the back roads on the drive up which made this an hour long drive. I was fine with it because it gave us a chance to catch up. We drove passed plenty of old dusty Trump flags and signs. She never said a word. She being the diehard republican. I was happy she stayed quiet when we darted by those drab and dusty relics.

We make it there in record time for the route we took. We see Faye and go over to greet her. She immediate ushers us to the common area where the piano lives. She didn't care for any pleasantries or how's it beens. There where four little old white ladies there sitting around the piano on sofas and in chairs. It then dawned on me, "We've been ambushed."

Jean takes her seat at the piano and I put her walker against the wall where she can see it. She asks Faye what she would like to hear, and Faye starts off with Chattanooga Choo-Choo... and away we went for about 45 minutes... singing, dancing, and bringing joy. One woman sang all the songs about three times fasters then everyone and Jean graciously moved the verse she was

playing to where the woman was. We all followed suit. We ended with Amazing Grace. It was fitting.