The "Pay it Forward" Volunteer band, a project developed by the Silver Lake Musicians Co-Op, is maybe the most unique band in all the world. Our band performs exclusively for the sick,lonely and elderly patients in nursing homes throughout Los Angeles County (with hopes of expanding nationwide). This band of more than 120 musicians, almost half of them of them professionals, operates as a ROTATING ROSTER so that musicians donate only the time that they can spare.
With so many BIG HEARTED musicians willing to fill in when needed, the Pay it Forward Band is able to consistently perform for at least two nursing homes a week (sometimes more). On special days we field 3 or even 4 bands. Our record is performing for NINE nursing homes in one day. WHY do we feel it is necessary to perform for so many? Well, there are over 300 nursing homes in LA County alone!
Our MISSION: to spread MUSICAL JOY in nursing/convalescent homes throughout the City and County of Los Angeles by performing concerts consisting of music specifically chosen for people age 70 and over. It is our goal to perform for every nursing home in the City, then the County, and then beyond our local boundaries. We are trying to form teams of local musicians to serve their own local communities YEAR-ROUND. THEN our mission will be to EXPAND the program to other major cities throughout the U.S.
Our REASON for developing this program: We all know that life in a nursing home is difficult enough. After all, a nursing home is full of patients who don't really WANT to end their years there. They would rather be independent or be with their families but are forced to live there due to their health. That is difficult enough.
Then, quite by accident, we discovered that the entertainment provided in most nursing homes is sadly lacking. --Sadly lacking considering the fact that these patients lived during the "GOLDEN AGE of MUSIC". We're talking about the days of the big bands ( Glenn Miller, the Dorsey Brothers, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack; all those great jazz classics; and then the early days of Rock and Roll and R&B ). GOLDEN !!!
We understand that the lack of professional entertainment is generally due to a lack of funds. Nursing homes say that there is just not enough money to budget more for entertainment given the importance of other, more essential, needs.
Well, WE think that GOOD ENTERTAINMENT IS essential. Imagine YOUR life without it.
So, WE perform a FREE OF CHARGE "knock your socks off" program reminiscent of a USO show that might have been seen during WWII, Korea, or Vietnam. We actually integrate music from all those three eras into a nostalgic program crafted to remind our audience of better times, a time when they were young. For many of these patients their memories are really all they have left.
The METHOD: Our 60-70 minute show is performed for two different skilled nursing facilities on the weekend, and sometimes during the weekdays as well. The performing band is usually at least 6 musicians/vocalists and often swells to 10-12 performers.
We typically ask the nursing home Activities Director what music, specifically, the patients want to hear. Our pro musicians can play ANYTHING, but the requests we usually receive means a show full of Sinatra, Dean Martin, Doris Day, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Lena Horn, Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald and many more. Recently, due to popular demand, we have added more classic R&B and oldie rock. The audiences love the performances that we do... they are starving for REALLY GOOD entertainment, a hunger that most nursing homes don't even try to feed.
The Short Term Goal: To bring JOY to people who really NEED that joy. BUT, healthcare professionals in nursing homes ALSO tell us that we are making a connection with Alzheimer`s patients through the music of their past". There is visual evidence of these connections at almost every show the band does. It's a clinical fact that music can be excellent therapy. A nursing home Activities Director has said that a Pay it Forward performance is like music therapy on steroids. We have hopes that our music can be helpful especially to patients who are in the early stages of dementia. But our immediate goal when we are in front of the audience is to get the patients' toes tapping, their bodies swaying, and to bring about the biggest smile that they have had in a long, LONG time.
The Long Term Goal: to SUSTAIN that level of entertainment in ALL the communities we serve by:
- Recruiting (through word of mouth and media activity) local musicians ( including students ) to expand the "Pay it Forward" Volunteer Band;
- Recruiting civic organizations,charitable foundations, local/state/federal government agencies and others to support the effort through grants,fund raising and other activities.
- Operating COMMUNITY bands made up of musicians serving their own communities
- Developing a consortium of other musicians and entertainers doing their own thing into an organized effort in every local community.
- Bring the concept to other cities throughout the country.
The "Pay it Forward Band" will continually seek musicians to join in this effort (and related efforts),with hopes of fielding enough talent to have a band performing every day of the year. If you are looking at this then consider JOINING UP!
