Songs to sing at a Nursing Home

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 3:33pm

Hi! I plan on performing a solo concert at a Nursing Home in a few weeks, and I have compiled a list of 64 possibilities for songs. The songs should be VERY familiar to the elderly patients, so the more popular among older folks, the better. Please help me choose 20-30 songs to sing at the concert, or if you have any suggestions other than what's listed, please feel free to offer them. Note that I am a 19-year-old baritone. Thank you!

Some Enchanted Evening
So In Love
I Get a Kick Out of You
It Might as Well Be Spring
I Love Paris
People
People Will Say We’re in Love
Small World
Sunrise, Sunset
I’ve Got Rhythm
Don’t Rain on My Parade
Night and Day
Somewhere
Another Op’nin’, Another Show
Something’s Coming
They Can’t Take that Away from Me
This Nearly Was Mine
I Have Dreamed
Younger than Springtime
If Ever I Would Leave You
Climb Ev’ry Mountain
Hernando’s Hideaway
Hey There
If I Were a Rich Man
Lullaby of Broadway
My Favorite Things
My Funny Valentine
On The Street Where You Live
Ol’ Man River
If I Loved You
You’ll Never Walk Alone
Till There Was You
Stranger in Paradise
They Call the Wind Maria
There’s No Business Like Show Business
Comedy Tonight
Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful
Edelweiss
From This Moment On
Get Me to the Church
The Girl That I Marry
I’ve Never Been in Love Before
It Only Takes a Moment
Oh,What a Beautiful Mornin’
Old Devil Moon
A Pretty Girl is Like A Melody
Put On a Happy Face
Impossible Dream
All I Need is the Girl
Guys and Dolls
Puttin’ On the Ritz
16 Going On 17
Steppin’ Out With My Baby
Try to Remember

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 3:35pm

Here are some of my picks:

Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'
Impossible Dream

Also not on your list:

Music of the Night

Updated On: 7/29/08 at 03:35 PM

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 3:46pm

Some Enchanted Evening
I Get a Kick Out of You
It Might as Well Be Spring
I’ve Got Rhythm
Don’t Rain on My Parade
Night and Day
Something’s Coming
They Can’t Take that Away from Me
If I Were a Rich Man
Lullaby of Broadway
My Favorite Things
My Funny Valentine
Til There Was You
There’s No Business Like Show Business
Comedy Tonight
Edelweiss
Oh,What a Beautiful Mornin’
Put On a Happy Face
Impossible Dream
Steppin’ Out With My Baby
Try to Remember

Posted: 7/29/08 at 3:48pm

The entire score of 70, Girls, 70.

[BwayJerry]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 3:51pm

70, Girls, 70
Sunrise, Sunset
You Can Be As Loud As the Hell You Want
Walk With Me (Full Monty)
A Call From The Vatican
Who's Got the Pain
Run and Tell That

That's all I can think of.

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 3:52pm

The title song for Mame

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 3:55pm

"You Can Be As Loud As the Hell You Want"

Haha...I only wonder how they'd react.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 3:57pm

Lmao, "Vatican" sounds like a perfect choice...

[tazber]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 3:59pm

Time To Say Goodbye
Dying To Live
We'll Meet Tomorrow

[RyToast1]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 3:59pm

I think you should sing "Die Vampire, Die!"

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 4:00pm

Updated On: 5/2/09 at 04:00 PM

[StageManager2]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 4:02pm

"Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better"

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 4:04pm

Actually, "I Get a Kick" is on the list, but it's funny that you mentioned that, since I had a slew of Porter songs on the list, but eliminated most of them since I wanted variety.

[Timmer]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 4:05pm

Any Porter is probably good. Rodgers and Hart ar eprobably good. How about "My Funny Valentine" of "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered"?

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 4:08pm

It's not an "old" show but I just listened to This is the Moment from Jekyll and Hyde. Great song.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 4:17pm

Not THIS I know something about! Both my folks have Alzheimer's (well, had, Dad just passed last year) and I know a great measurement that will help when performing in nursing homes (something my parents did every year of their lives, bless em).

Most people in nursing homes are 75 to 95, so do songs that they heard when they were in their 20s to 40s. These are the ones they will remember - if they still can - and enjoy the most.

So it's the Rodgers and Hammrstain stuff, Lerner and Loewe, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. Spice it up with a few Kern numbers and maybe one of two more contemporary but don't be surprised if they nod off during Andrew Lloyd Webber. Hell, I do too.

Also do the war standards - "The White Cliff of Dover" and of course Ivor Novello's (do you know who he is? You should.) "Keep The Home Fires Burning" and "Lilly Marlene.

People in homes are often very lonely, so do the stuff that builds up the feeling of home and love - they are wanted and cherished and lay off the "I Wish I Were In Love Again" and "My Man's (Woman's) Gone" stuff.

Celebrate life.

And one more thing before we go.

You're a wonderful person for doing this.

[winston89]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 4:25pm

Having went with a friend who did this last year. Word of advice is that they seemed to enjoy a lot of R&H musicals and porter and those kinds of composers.

I found by watching that they enjoyed the more up tempo songs then they did the long ballads. Try to keep the message of the songs positive and happy. The group of people that I was with were ones who were all scared that they weren't going to have a lot of time left. And, hearing an hour or so of happy songs made them happy.

[brochatkid]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 4:47pm

I work with the senior population and Alzheimer's population in a recreation capacity and often do music groups with them. Basically, all of the songs you have are great. Also, anything Rat Pack-like will also wow them. Break a leg! I'm sure they will LOVE it.

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 7/29/08 at 9:22pm

Hey There
Put On A Happy Face

[jewelchk]

Posted: 7/30/08 at 1:22am

That's a pretty good list. I've done this and gotten great reactions to anything from shows like Kismet, Showboat, Rogers and Hart/Hammerstein, etc. and very tepid reactions to anything even bordering on contemporary (even something well known like Les Mis). Most of the suggestions in this thread are good too. The last time I did a show, the recreation coordinator raved about my program selection just based on the fact that a lot of people who were doing this for them weren't really targeting the audience properly, and a lot of the songs I performed apparently just aren't heard enough anymore. So you're definitely going about this the right way and I think whatever you put together will be a smashing success!

From your list, these stand out to me.

Some Enchanted Evening
I Get a Kick Out of You
People Will Say We’re in Love
Sunrise, Sunset
I’ve Got Rhythm
Night and Day
Something’s Coming
I Have Dreamed
If Ever I Would Leave You
Climb Ev’ry Mountain
Hernando’s Hideaway
If I Were a Rich Man
Lullaby of Broadway
My Favorite Things
My Funny Valentine
On The Street Where You Live
Ol’ Man River
You’ll Never Walk Alone
Till There Was You
There’s No Business Like Show Business
Edelweiss
Get Me to the Church
Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’
Put On a Happy Face
Impossible Dream
Guys and Dolls
Puttin’ On the Ritz
Steppin’ Out With My Baby
Try to Remember

I'd like to recommend And This is My Beloved and Luck Be A Lady, if they are not out of your range (though they may be tenor pieces?).

Also, I've found you may want to keep the between-song banter down to a minimum. A lot of the senior citizens I've performed for can hear singing and music okay, but haven't been able to hear mic-ed speaking voices nearly as well, if at all, from the audience. Break a leg!

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 7/30/08 at 1:29am

Updated On: 5/2/09 at 01:29 AM

[andrewcomp]

Posted: 7/30/08 at 2:03am

Sarah Silverman - You're Gonna Die Soon

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 7/30/08 at 2:28am

You have to open with a HUGE 70, Girls, 70 medley!

[Patash]

Posted: 7/30/08 at 8:27am

70 girls 70 is a great show, and I have directed it. But I can't think of a single reason to sing even a single song from it at a nursing home, including the opening number. They do not "hear" or "absorb" any lyrics except to songs they still know by heart. And why are songs about or sung by old people what they want to hear? They aren't. The idea is to find songs that everybody knows and will remember. You already have a great list, but frankly it is lacking on the patriotic ones -- guaranteed to get them going.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/30/08 at 8:44am

Most of the ideas in this thread are all wrong.

Take a cue from my 90-year-old Aunt Gladys, singing "Making Whoopee" recently at her 90th birthday party.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecTeEOArsLo

You should do all standards that are familiar to them, nothing obscure, mostly up-tempos but not at a breakneck pace with some romantic ballads, and don't experiment with "different" arrangements. They will find it most enjoyable and comforting if they can follow along.

You might try a singalong to something very familiar, tossing out the words before each phrase.