Catherine Barr and Laura Irvin

WINDING PATHWAYS TO TRUE CALLING

Last fall, while attending an Oberlin College alumni event, I met Catherine Barr and Laura Irvin, the Executive Director and Program Director of Texas Winds Musical Outreach.  We knew we had more in common than classical music training and the same alma mater but couldn’t find time to get together until this week.

In 1985 Catherine, a professional oboist, discovered in the residents of a Dallas nursing home an unusual audience for her woodwind quintet’s music. The musicians’ desire to perform matched the need of the residents for human interaction. Music made a difference in the lives of players and listeners alike.  That was the beginning of Texas Winds Musical Outreach.

GOING PLACES MEDICINE CAN’T

This year, Texas Winds performed 1,125 live concerts for 44, 204 people!  They perform for nursing homes, senior centers, Adult Day Care, Retirement Homes, Senior Apartments, Hospitals, and Head Start.  This organization understands that many seniors and the disabled simply do not have the option of getting out for live performances.

TX Winds Tracks Every Senior Venue in Dallas

One daughter wrote this about her mother after a performance. “These last couple of years have been quite an upheaval and change for her)…She hasn’t been out and about in the world in almost two years – other than to be in the ER or ICU at the hospital…thanks for giving her an experience that brought so much pleasure…”

It is not just entertainment.  Remaining engaged is an essential factor for the elderly remaining sharp.   For Alzheimer’s patients, music may be the only way they can connect.  At Friends Place Adult Day Care the Alzheimer’s patients showed more reaction than they had in months.  Some even sang along.

DOING GOOD DOES NOT EXCLUDE FEELING GOOD

Tom Demer, a violist in the Dallas Symphony as well as a member of Texas Winds, wrote this after a performance last week: