The inaugural Concert Connections show at Meadow Ridge Seniors Village featured Duane Steele. (Photo Courtesy of Kay Guest)

By Chris Brown

Virtual concerts

Meadow Ridge Seniors Village bopping to the beat again

Oct 11, 2020 | 9:56 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Residents of long-term care facilities have been subject to some of the most restrictive measures since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the city’s Meadow Ridge Seniors Village that has included not having live music inside the building, which Kay Guest says used to happen multiple times a week.

“We have done outdoor concerts but with living in Canada, there’s only so much time we can do that,” said Guest, recreation coordinator at Meadow Ridge.

When she surveyed residents about what they want to do in the winter, music came up time and time again. When one resident suggested showing concerts on DVDs, Guest took the idea a large step further.

“I said, ‘I’m going to be crazy and I’m going to call this agency’ (Sakamoto Agency),” she said, adding a pre-recorded concert was all she was looking for. “And that’s when I got in connection with Paul (Biro) with Sakamoto Agency and he said ‘you know what, you were brave enough to call and ask, I’m brave enough to do better for you.’”

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Biro spoke with some of the agency’s artists such as Duane Steele, Aaron Goodvin, Washboard Union and others. Sakamoto Agency came up with three options to get music back into care homes.

Homes can choose from a pre-recorded introduction and concert, a live virtual introduction and pre-recorded concert or a live virtual introduction and concert.

A question and answer session with the artist can also be added on.

Guest says residents were not only missing the music, but adds the underlying benefits of music can’t be overstated.

She points to residents who have trouble remembering basic details but can sing a whole song from decades ago to you. Or others who could be confused about the time of day but can play the most beautiful music on the piano.

She said music betters the person as a whole and it gives a lot of people hope.

“When you get that going and you get people dancing together it creates a very special bond between people.”

The first concert, featuring Duane Steele, was shown at Meadow Ridge on Friday.

The musicians are doing the concerts free of charge and residents or the home can make donations to the artists if they choose.

Guest hopes to be able to spread the concerts to care homes across Canada and aims to have 100 homes onboard for Concert Connections.

See sakamotoagency.com for more information on the program.