Musicians: Pete Wareham (saxophone) Tiger Wareham (vocals) Quincy Wareham (guitar)
Tuesday was a “Next Generation” day. One of our latest projects (and one we’re really excited about) aims to introduce young musicians into our work. The impact of inter-generational practice in the arts has been shown time and time again to be hugely positive and beneficial, not only to care home residents, but also to the young people performing for them.
The project gives young musicians an opportunity to begin honing their performance skills and their stage presence while building confidence in what is (usually!) a forgiving and safe environment. No heckling here, thank you!
Thirdly, it means that when the Easter holidays roll round, our more seasoned musicians have a ready-made activity for their offspring. Saxophonist Pete Wareham was more than happy to take advantage of this, bringing his daughter Tiger (12) and son Quincy (15) to Bridgeside Lodge to perform as a trio for residents and staff. Both are studying music and have huge potential.
We began by visiting resident JB in her room. JB is working on regaining her speech and diction and singing song lyrics seems to be helping this process. Last week she sang The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love”, including, very importantly the brass fanfare “Da da-da da-da” in the chorus. This song was first on the list for the Wareham Trio then…
You’ll hear a slightly abrupt pause in the chorus. Quincy’s guitar strap broke mid-strum, but ever the professional, he carried on regardless.
The trio then joined in the birthday celebrations of resident JB. (a different JB!) Cake and a sing-a-long Happy Birthday were followed by a rendition of another Beatles favourite – “Here Comes The Sun”, accompanied by the astonishing baritone and lung capacity of Ms GH.
On the ground floor, residents from all floors had gathered and there was a real party atmosphere. Staff danced together and with residents as JC strummed away on his guitar. Quincy and Tiger were getting a real glimpse of an impromptu Bridgeside party!
Our final stop was out in the garden, where it truly felt like Spring had finally sprung. We joined JBL and her partner Matt who were soaking up the rays by the canal. The sound of Pete’s tenor sax wafted across the canal, pricking the ears of people walking by the water or sitting outside the cafe enjoying a coffee in the April sunshine.
Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” was the perfect choice for our very first outdoor performance of the year and got us looking forward to many more events out in the garden in the coming weeks and months.
As we were leaving, we learnt from manager Fatma that the party on the ground floor had continued in our absence. JC led the charge, guiding fellow participants through some favourite rhythm and blues numbers.
You can read more about our Next Generation project in our blog on National Day Of Arts In Care Homes here.
