Sing Forever

The LifeSong Chorus singing Christmas carols at the Alzheimer’s Association luncheon

Our LifeSong Chorus is practicing in the recital hall. They’re a group of elders and they’re singing Edelweiss and I’m going to cry. Half of them are diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s (or other dementias) and half of them are their care partners. Some of them are wives or husbands, some are paid caregivers. And one of them is a young woman, a granddaughter. Her arm is intertwined with her grandmother’s and both of them are smiling as they sing, “Blossoms of snow may you bloom and grow, bloom and grow forever…”

They are all so earnest and so full of joy. Maybe they’re remembering, maybe they’re just singing. Something profound is happening throughout the hall that sends waves of feeling through the air and into my ears and then straight to my heart. I am so moved that I walk out into the lobby and take a few deep breaths, look outside at the sunshine. What is this thing that shakes me (in a good way) to my core? Some of the singers have wobbly voices, a few are too loud, a few are what we in the biz call “pitchy.” They’re not supposed to be “good” at this, that’s not the point. It’s what’s inside their music-making that stops me in my tracks, every single time. There’s a purity in their voices, a reaching-for, a sort of innocence. Is that it? Or is it something deeper?

When humans sing together, we breathe together and our hearts beat together and there are invisible connections happening all over the place. There is love flying around in those notes and words. How does that work? How does music weave this kind of magic? These singers are old, they are facing an uncertain future where maybe they’re losing their orientations to the world, their memories of others, their abilities to do regular daily life things. But in these few moments, all of that falls away and their voices blend and raise the vibe all through the building, connecting everyone in a giant vortex of feeling. This is the thing that music does: it tugs us together and our hearts - whether singing or listening - respond with mutual humanness. Their music is pure and it’s beautiful.

Singing together staves off isolation, boosts social connections, fosters general well-being, gives singers a sense of community. There’s joy, purpose. And when they sing, that’s all that matters in the moment. Each song is its own little community.

There are many of these memory care choirs around the country now, connected by a national organization called Giving Voice. Voices rise together, all over the country.

Where it all started and where the LifeSong Chorus continues to get inspiration: givingvoicechorus.org