During 2020, our Year in Music, Arts for the Aging has been undergoing a transformation along with the region and the world. Our response to the need for programmatic and organizational change continues to evolve, as we uplift health and wellness in aging through regular participation in the multidisciplinary arts — despite physical and social distancing. We have been implementing various distanced programs to keep creative aging alive. Below we outline the programs we have tested out.

 

coOPERAtion

ROMEZ3arts debuted Arts for the Aging’s first pandemic-resilient program in an interactive opera workshop using Zoom. Singing actor Peter Joshua Burroughs and maestro Carlos Cesar Rodriguez on piano engaged caregivers and older adults with memory loss. They chose famous arias from opera librettos to which most can hum or sing along and masterfully sparked singing, call and response, role-playing, and tactile cognitive stimulation.

“[ROMEZ3arts was] always a favorite of my late husband, and though he passed 2 ½ weeks ago, it really was like being with him enjoying the performance (one of the activities he continued to enjoy the longest in his dementia journey).” –Elaine E.

 

Rhythms of Life

Teaching artists, percussionist Manny Arciniega and bassist Chris Brown, perform ‘Stay Cool,’ by trumpeter Victor Olaiya in a video to be premiered in Rockville-based JCA-Kensington Club’s online variety show. In the video the artists demo loops of bass, percussion, and body rhythms to encourage breathing, movement, and imagination.

 

heART Kits

Teaching artist Marci Wolf-Hubbardis assembling heART Kits for delivery with meals to isolated seniors affiliated with Vita Shady Grove Nursing and Rehabilitation in Maryland. The kits include art supplies to encourage creativity in seniors despite distancing.