In the sunny music room at Baptcare’s Wyndham Lodge Residential Aged Care community, the choir is in good voice.
Lyric sheets are handed around, but many people know the words to by heart. ‘Roll Out the Barrel’, ‘Daisy’, ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’, ‘On the Road to Gundagai’, ‘Side by Side’ – every song is a classic.
There is a lot of good singing, a lot of laughter and a lot of smiles. The choir is a weekly highlight, and making a meaningful difference in a lot of lives.
“There is abundant research that shows choir singing has benefits for older people,” says Joyce Wanjiru Nyanjiru, Wyndham Lodge’s residential care and services manager.
“This includes mental and emotional wellbeing, stress reduction, cognitive function and respiratory health, plus an increased feeling of togetherness. And it’s fun!”
One of the leading lights of the choir is resident Tom Webb, who has a magnificent tenor voice. He remembers singing in the Williamstown High School choir at the age of 12. He can play several musical instruments, and is a virtuoso on a highly unusual apparatus – the musical saw!
“I inheriteda musical saw from my father,” Tom recalls. “He could only play a couple of tunes, but I watched him and then taught myself. It’s something pretty rare.”
The saw is played with a bow (like a violin) and bent to produce notes of different pitch. Tom has played his saw all over the world, including in Salzburg, birthplace of Mozart– who shares Tom’s birth date.
“I was in a caravan park in South Australia and heard a group of musicians practising. I joined in with my saw, and they invited me to perform with them the next night in Adelaide at the Swiss Club. I played in the Swiss Club in Melbourne regularly after that.”
There is no saw playing at Wyndham Lodge, but a warm and welcoming residents’ choir with a great sense of togetherness.For more information, call 13 22 78.
