Nursing/Rest/Senior Home music.

[A.J.Fedor]

Okay, Here's a question. (I'm gettin ready to do some local nursing home stuff) What are the most popular "Nursing Home numbers"
I was thinking just about any WWII numbers would be cool, but what do you folks think?

@ge

[iowaplayer]

hi aj,

i would suggest almost any big band stuff, all the pops (standards) from the mid-thirties right up to rat pack (sinatra et al) kind of music from the sixties.  sometimes i forget that the sixties was like 50 years ago.

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGG!

iowaplayer

[LJ ATKISON]

AJ,

ELIZABETH & I DO A LOT OF NURSING HOMES. AS A MATER OF FACT WE JUST PLAYED TODAY IN A BAPTIST NURSING FOR A GROUT OF 50 RESIDENTS IN THEIR CHAPEL.
ABOUT 50 MINUTES WORTH WITH A ONE OR TWO HISTORY ON SOME OF THE SONGS.
BEYOND 45 OR 50 MIN'S THE GET TIRED.

AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE DO: DON'T SIT UNDER THE APPLE TREE, MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC, WILDWOOD FLOWER, SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY, AND ALWAYS A MIX OF OLD GOSPEL.   DO LORD, I SAW THE LIGHT, HOW GREAT THOU ART, PRECIOUS MEMORIES, THE GREAT SPECKLED BIRD, ROCK OF AGES, WHISPERING HOPE, ETC.    HAVE THEM SING ALONG WITH THE GOSPELS THEY KNOW. THEY LIKE THAT.

HOPE THAT GIVES YOU SOME THOUGHT.

LJ

[clyde]

age,
one question....solo, duo, or group?  i have found most of the women like the up tempo stuff.
clyde

[smojoe]

Just don't do that Guy Lombardo tune. You know the one........Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think.

[A.J.Fedor]

I plan to play as a solo act with backups; probably preach a little if they allow it. I have a lotta backups, and what I don't have, I can get in short order.  I still have to come up with some kind of small acoustic amp, so I don't have to haul my sound system around.

[Greg McCrea]

Nothing like the power of a memorable song from your formative years. My students sing at a local assisted living center a few times a year. At memorial day we were singing to a relatively quiet, but appreciative, group of residents and then the whole room suddenly broke out in song with us. The number? Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Everybody had huge smiles on their faces and my kids got a big kick out of it.

Sound? I have one of these and it really cranks out the sound. Not bad and super compact, meant as a monitor but works nicely in a small room.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/mackie-srm150-active-speaker-black

[jimgrant]

I play with 2 different groups, 1 is a quartet with lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass and chrom with an occasional drummer. We play only at senior and nursing homes. The lead guitar also sings so he and I alternate with 2 numbers each; usually 1 song and 1 instrumental. We always start off with "Alabama Jubilee" and end with "I'll Fly Away". Some of vocals I do are "Uncloudy Day, This Old House, Mountain Dew, Happy Trails To You, etc. etc. Some of the instrumentals are "The Waltz You Saved For Me", Twilight Time, Cold, Cold Heart, Just Another Polka, Could I Have This Dance, etc. etc. I've been asked to describe our music and the best I could come up with is "Nothing New".

The other group is a duo with an extraordinary lady on keyboard and vocals with me on CX-12. We play show tunes, old standards, some Latin and the other day she decided to showcase some Elvis rock-a-billy with "Blue Suede Shoes". The old folks love that stuff too. You can't go wrong with this kind of mix with the odd Gospel tune like "Precious Memories" thrown in. You'd be surprised at how many sing along. My $.02  Canadian.

[guzoni]

Just don't do that Guy Lombardo tune. You know the one........Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think.

And stay away from "This Old House"...