I’ve heard that since I was a child, and a statement that was reinforced not only by my parents, but grandparents, teachers and mass media (although, in the early 60′s, mass media was nothing like it is today). Elders used to be those we looked to to run the family, supply support and leadership, hear the history of the family, and to pass along traditions, both familial and often religious ones.
Now, we need to fight for respect for any elder, more times than not.
Vitality, purpose, health (both physical and mental), self worth, connections with others. These are only a smattering of things that can be accomplished when our older citizens are not talked down to or dismissed.
In Part Two, I wrote about the other group that presented during the Open Opera Conference: Creative Resurgence. Today, I’d like to present the work that I was honored to be part of:
Zach Redler (composer/pianist) and I (creative drama/creative writing) were brought onto a grant funded project by Laura Day Giarolo, Director of Learning and Community Engagement for OPERA America. Working in conjunction with Project Find in NYC, Zach and I were brought together on creating an ensemble musical experience, stemming from the life stories of our participants.
We discussed our program: at a senior center in the upper west side of NYC, for sixteen (16) weeks, we were allotted an hour and a half, once a week, to meet with our group. In May, we had a culminating “work-in-progress” performance of songs and short personal story bites as performed by the elder group we had worked with.
What was lovely were the connections the group made with each other. In sharing their stories, both in small groups and large, they found commonalities: this was not a homogenous group in regards to nationalities, only in age group. New friendships grew out of the process. Many, if not all, were asking when we would be coming back, doing this again, continuing the work we started. That, to me, is the success. They were energetic, bright eyed and happy…and in the end, that should account for a lot.
The beginning sessions were split in half between music and storytelling/writing.
Zach introduced musical concepts and structure that served our performers well: he gave them not only rehearsal material, but strove to deepen the understanding of what was being created, how it all fit together, and how it can evolve. As the process continued, many of the participants continued to contribute, offering key or tempo changes that only strengthened the songs. Zach was gracious throughout, adding what worked and then building on it. During the rehearsals, Zach modified his conducting style for the comfort of the group, finding new ways to bring them all together when they were getting nervous as the performance date got closer.
Starting off with a story game the first week, we dove into writing personal stories the following week. From there, I introduced a Japanese poetry form, a Tanka, that I felt would help them self edit their stories to the story beats. A Tanka is where Haiku’s came from: a longer piece, it has five lines instead of three. In American English syllables, a Tanka form is 5-7-5-7-7. This was a challenge for some of the elders, but the majority worked well with it. By this point, we had them working in small groups; Zach would then take these works and, with the whole group, start creating the songs for our performance.
Zach’s musical safe environment to work was continued in what I did. Seeing that some judgements were being made of others in our first session, I introduced the Liz Lerman Critical Response Process, which I’ve used with just about every age group I’ve worked with. If you click on the link above, you’ll find the full details: you start off with positive affirmations (“I liked…”; “I appreciated…”), and the only thing the presenter/performer can say is “Thank you.” Other sharing critique is asked for or garnered, creating a very different form of peer level support and notes. Critique is to help each other grow, not to tear someone down, and for the most part the members of the group were diligent in following these rules.
Time was our enemy in that we didn’t always get the full allotted time scheduled (due to other programs going on in the center) and in the way Zach and I planned out the program. We needed more rehearsal time then we thought we would, and I know I should have better time management in getting the stories to poetry. Hopefully we will get the chance to do this again and learn from it.
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In Part Four of Creative Aging and the Arts, I’ll be discussing the responses/reactions of the attendees from the full day seminar, reactions from these posts that I have received, and ideas of where to go from here.
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ATTENTION:
I am available for consulting on Inter-Generational Program Development
What is your first thought when someone mentions a Senior/Elder Center or Nursing Home?
Did you envision the elderly sitting around, doing little, just passing time until…? Did you see them as audience members at a performance, or just sitting around large round tables eating? Were they napping, or just gazing off into the distance, seemingly not connected to their surroundings?
Hopefully those days will be behind us as a new awareness is sinking in. Actively engaging the growing elder community is key to the growing number of organizations that work with this population. Inter-generational programming (from the 50′s and up, as the baby boomers join the elder sector) is being spoken of across the United States in all areas of the arts.
I was invited to be a Guest Speaker for OPERA America‘s Creative Resurgence conference, speaking to those opera companies (from Canada and the US) whose education departments reach out now to the centers, nursing homes, group homes and special organizations that cater to the older adult. A number of them make partnerships with libraries as well, helping build connections in their communities.
I was asked to attend this conference due to my recently completed pilot project with a senior center in NYC. We had worked on creating a musical experience crafted from the personal stories of our participants. I will talk more about this in the next part of this series.
Ms. Susan Perlstein, an advocate for the creative aging movement, led the day with the credo “Embrace This Moment!” Ms. Perlstein is the Founder Emeritus for the National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA). By the year 2030, it is anticipated that there will be over 70 million people over the age of 65, and that the number of those over 85 will double. There is also the chance that many will have to work, if possible, past what we normally determine as retirement age due to the economic realities we face.
There is evidence based research, as first conducted by The Research Center for Arts and Culture (RCAC) that has shown that interactive, participatory arts programs with the older person promotes a vitality in the aging process, helps to build vibrant communities, and has positive results in both the physical and emotional states of the participants. Dr. Gene D. Cohen, the primary investigator of the research, stated that “Art is like chocolate to the brain.”
Entering into fairly new territory in the arts is exciting in the different challenges it gives to professional teaching artists and arts organizations. The methodology we’ve used for youth programs has to be modified, and in many cases whole new approaches have to be discovered for successful programs for those participating. Understanding the various cognitive and physical changes that go on, and embracing the life history and stories that the elders bring with them are only the tip of what needs to be explored.
In Part 2, I will discuss more of my work in the field, and some observations from the conference attendees.
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ATTENTION:
I am available for consulting on Inter-Generational Program Development
as well as Project Management/Facilitation
I am willing to travel or work over Skype with your organization
Eleanor Kleiner is a one of those people you are just glad comes into your life. We worked together for a short while and became friends. I got to know her as a very creative spirit in both her music and her art. She left for London, met her (now) husband, formed a new band…and is just someone YOU should know.
About a year ago I mentioned to Stu that I was learning web design. What that really meant was haphazardly playing around on Photoshop at a VERY leisurely pace. So, when Stu asked me to design him a website I hesitantly agreed to try, actually having no idea if this was something I could pull off.
Luckily, I did pull it off and it turned out to be a far more creative process than I had previously imagined (of course, building a site for a creative person who used phrases like “flight of fancy” and adjectives like “swirly” to describe want he wants, definitely helps). I also found that having a real world project to complete made learning a lot faster.
Being a musician and creative person, before I began this undertaking I had found the idea of web design to be, at most, a palatable way to make money, but still pretty dull…and Photoshop was a completely daunting obstacle. But as soon as I started speaking with Stu about what he envisioned for his website, ideas started flowing to me. It was a really exciting experience, to be inspired about something which had previously been a complete unknown.
I started seeing people’s websites as extensions of themselves in the virtual landscape of the internet. It’s like a whole new(ish) dimension in which people can present themselves in any way they wish, and my job is to listen and really get a feel for what they want, and then translate that into a site which reflects their vision and is also easy to navigate.
Finding ways to meld the client’s desires and the constraints of the medium into an aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly site is a creative challenge, and it allows me to be creative in a completely different way than songwriting does. With songwriting, I’ve always taken a relatively passive approach, waiting for inspiration to hit and then following it until it runs out.
With web design, I’m finding that having specific projects with various deadlines is allowing me to take a more proactive approach, and I find that the inspiration comes eventually – it just takes some coaxing. When writing a song, I tend to become emotionally invested in the result, which hugely hinders my creativity. The idea that I’m helping someone else create a website, rather than creating something from scratch, takes my ego out of the equation and seems to make being creative a whole lot easier.
So far, the experience has made me aware that trying new creative endeavors is vital for me as an artist. I think that the more creative avenues we explore, the more we grow.
It’s also served as proof for me that no matter how daunting something may seem, if you just jump in and put one foot in front of the other, you’ll get where you’ve wanted to go!
Biography Over the past six years, classically trained vocalist Eleanor Kleiner and French bassist Elie Brangbour have traveled the world on an adventure that began when the two met at music school in London. With a shared passion for music and travel, they took their unique brand of folk/rock across continents, logging enough frequent flier miles to make any avid traveler jealous.
Full of imagery and stories of the human condition, The Whispering Tree‘s songwriting is the backbone of their sound and has been heavily influenced by their travels abroad, which have taken them from South America to China.
Following a seven month gig in Macau and the release of their self-titled EP, The Whispering Tree returned to New York City, where they released their full-length album, Go Call The Captain, in 2010. The Big Takeover calls their latest release “one of the year’s most luminous albums” and Deli Magazine named them “one of the most talented duos to take stage in NYC.”
To trade goods or services without the exchange of money.
A tagline to a newspaper article caught my eye: “Uninsured Can Exchange Talents for Care.” Lincoln Hospital, in The Bronx, is offering artists in that borough of NYC a chance to get health care; they get credits for each hour worked that can be used towards a variety of medical treatments & prescriptions. Their program, Lincoln Arts Exchange, is modeled after the Artist Access program at Brooklyn’s Woodhull Medical Center.
Bartering is nothing new. It is used in markets across the world, trading goods. Services may have taken a back seat, but the idea works for me. I have no “goods” to barter, but I do have a “service,” and that is my art, whether it’s a performance (Storytelling or Interactive Theater), workshop, or Editing/Copy writing service. With money tight, if I can exchange some of my time and energy to get something I need…bartering is a great idea.
When I ran my theater company (The Brothers Grinn: 1994-2006), I rarely paid for rehearsal space (until the need for an abundance of NYC members of the company). I bartered with a few places (Two churches and a couple of other locations), offering them either free group performances or solo workshops for weekly rehearsal space. This was a huge savings for a company that was young and toured an average of 120 performances a year. We had no “home” space to perform/work out of but the spaces I found worked for us on many levels; the money I saved that way was put into many things the company needed (costumes; sound equipment; insurance; etc).
What Creative Service Do You Have To Barter?
Health Care, rehearsal space, food…what can you add to the list? I’ve only just started a very small section of what could be possible if more would open their minds to the idea: Artists have something to offer.
Do you: Go with your gut reaction? Weigh the pros & cons, and come to a decision you can back up and justify? Do you follow what your friends/family/confidants say &/or do, without question? Do you go against what you believe due to outside pressure?
On my way home from a great Interactive Theater workshop in NYC, I turned on the local NPR station (WNYC 93.9 FM). The program This American Life was on, and just in time: I had been hearing the teasers for the program and was hoping to catch it. A group of 5th graders (ten/eleven years old) were undergoing an amazing Process Drama:
“What if, say, the U.S.-led invasion of Grenada in 1983 had been decided, not by Ronald Reagan, but by a bunch of middle-schoolers?”
The students were led on an amazingly detailed program. Three rooms were set up for them: a press room, a command center, and the President’s office/war room. Split into three groups, the students were in role, being asked to make the hard decisions that adults with “experience” in these matters had struggled with almost thirty years ago.
I don’t want to spoil it for you. I included the link above (first one) so you can listen to the program (there are two other “acts”: one with a 14 year old discussing Global Climate changes and a school in Brooklyn that is governed by…the students). I hope after you listen you’ll come back here and leave some comments.
The second link is from the blog Woman Wielding Words about an amazing experience with practicing drama with kids from a very different culture.
The third link: really, the nuts and bolts of what I love to do with students: have them make personal discoveries and to think for themselves. Weigh it all out, find out what they feel is right or wrong, and then also look at how someone else see’s the same situation; How it is sometimes hard to make a decision at all.
There are applications for Arts in Education in all core curricula, as there is in Art in all aspects of life. That is part of what creativity comes into play.
In this changing economy, and as we get older, it becomes more important to stay flexible and find other outlets and sources to maintain a creative life. This is very true for those without a fixed/steady income, like myself. I see “possibilities” for the future, and strive to work on a positive today. It’s not always easy, but…as the quote I used the other day:
“I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.”
I would like to make 2012 a positive year:
The Year of Learning and Creativity.
For me, things are starting to move in that direction; slowly but (hopefully) surely:
I will be working with OPERA America on a four month project, creating an operetta with composer Zach Redler for a group of Manhattan seniors. I’ll be co-directing and writing the book and libretto from stories from the seniors.
Jeff Wirth (Interactive Acting) has opened the door to something new for me: possibly being a member of his NYC iTeam. I met Jeff a number of years ago and had the pleasure to also work with him. This starts soon and I have fingers crossed, as this sounds to be an exciting project.
My book of collected stories and poetry, The Path From Love, will be published soon by Trestle Press (eBook for now; possible print later in the year). Article by me on their website: Crossing Genres
Re-writes of my play, ...everywhere I look, and getting it back out on the road.
A number of already booked storytelling gigs.
May 2012: The Rule of Three Blogfest-The Return to Renaissance
and…some more things that are too soon to mention.
I want to thank Misha Gericke for giving me the title for this blog post (unwittingly, maybe, but it fits a lot of things); ALL the guest bloggers who helped me out in the latter part of 2011 when I got sick; a certain very special someone who has entered my life and has only enriched it, in so many ways; and all of you, the readers of BornStoryteller (and hopefully Tale Spinning too).
“Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.” ~Albert Einstein
Since the middle of October, I’ve been asking people across arts disciplines and other careers to answer a few basic questions about creativity in their lives, how they use it, how it impacts them and/or others.
Only a few educators answered my call.
Now, the easy answer is that creativity is being deleted from many schools. Many Arts-in-Education programs are being terminated; new ones are rarely appearing. Arts organizations are scrambling for grants as the schools are losing the fundings they’ve had to bring in Teaching Artists.
I don’t believe that the only creativity comes from the Arts classes: theater, music, dance and fine arts. I feel that a good teacher finds creative moments daily, when the student surprises them in a positive or negative way. Finding learning moments, working around the boundaries that seem to hamstring some, how they find creative life outside of the classroom and use it…I’m only touching the topic here.
So…why have so few educators answered my call?
Busy? Sure, I do understand being busy. There are times I’ve got so much on my plate it IS overwhelming. Forgetting? Oh yeah, that happens too. Life happens. I get it. (BTW: I asked for 300-600 word essay; this post is 319 words and took me a half hour: just saying)
Now that schools are coming to a close for the holiday break, I do hope to see some of the guest posts promised and maybe a few unexpected ones, not just from people in the arts but outside of it, who find creativity in their lives, whether it’s in their career or daily life outside of “work.”
Personally, I feel there is a LOT of creativity in Education, and it extends far beyond a classroom. Learning happens far beyond a school setting, and it should be life long. I know I search for new things.
Open your eyes.
What creative educational moments do you find in your lives?
There is a great deal of concern and hand wringing over saving the arts. Recently, the Westchester County Arts Council sent out a plea for us to write to our congressmen about major cuts to the arts. I did is they asked, knowing that in even the smallest way our voices have to be heard.
I got an answer back not from the congressmen but from his assistant. there was a lot of blame and finger-pointing in this letter, it still talking how great Westchester County is in comparison to other locations. I will copy and post her letter, but before I do: I have something to say. Yes, big surprise.
With all the talk about saving the parts one very important component seems to be forgotten:
WHAT ABOUT THE ARTIST?
I am a performing and teaching ARTIST. I make my primary living from working in the Arts. My discipline is Theater/Drama, Storytelling and Creative Writing. I do not create “lasting” art in Fine Arts, but I DO perform a service in the Performing Arts.
When you cut the funding for the arts, you are not just cutting out a sculpture or a painting, or a dance or theater piece, or a choral work, you are taking money out of reach of PEOPLE who are trying to pay their bills and survive. by making these budget cuts to save organizations, you are also then putting more people on unemployment. This fall, I have been unable to find a job, mainly because in my field there’s much less work. There are also more people out looking for any work, so even jobs that I could fit into are inundated by other people looking for work.
Where would we be without ones like Van Gogh?
Is it just me, or does this just not make any sense? A good friend of mine has put it very simply: at this point in time, if everyone across the board and that means the big boys in the middle management boys played fairly, more people to keep their jobs. It’s part of what I’ve been saying in that we need creative solutions and problem solving in place of the reactionaries.
I do not want to be on unemployment. I want to work. I feel there are ways that more people can work and keep their jobs. Today on the news from NPR I heard that more than 28,000 postal workers will be laid off soon. What jobs will they be able to get to support their families?
It’s very easy to cast blame and point fingers. As a country, we seem to excel at that.
Wouldn’t we be better off if we were creative problem solvers?
As stated above, here is the letter I got today:
Thank you for writing to County Executive Robert P. Astorino regarding funding for the arts.
Please be assured that Mr. Astorino has read your message and he has asked me to respond to you on his behalf.
The county executive understands and appreciates your concern for the arts. While developing the proposed 2012 county budget, Mr. Astorino and his administration have given the arts the same consideration accorded to every program, service, agency and facility supported by county government.
As you know all too well, this is a very challenging economy. There is a critical need to balance a $114 million county budget deficit with a responsibility to provide essential services and property tax relief, protect Westchester’s neediest residents, promote structural financial reform and reduce government spending at all levels. One of the major roadblocks to maintaining the funding level for Arts Westchester and many other worthwhile programs and services, is the failure of the public employee unions to agree to make a reasonable contribution to their healthcare premiums. Westchester County’s union employees are one of the few groups left in the nation that contribute nothing to their healthcare costs. This ever-increasing financial burden necessitates reductions in other portions of the county budget. The county executive, since taking office two years ago, has attempted to get county workers to agree to the same level of healthcare contributions state workers make. While there is a reduction in the allocation to arts programs, the County Executive’s proposed budget includes funding for the arts at $750,000. This action is in no way a reflection on the outstanding quality of exhibits and performances presented by the arts community nor the talents and efforts of all who labor to bring these offerings to fruition. It is instead, a part of many across-the-board measures which must be taken during these difficult times.
Your views and those of all who live and work in Westchester are very important to the county executive. Your input is both welcome and valued.
Again, thank you for writing.
Sincerely,
Janet Lokay Assistant to the County Executive 148 Martine Avenue White Plains, New York 10601 (914) 995-2127
Here was my response to Ms. Lokay:
Hi… it’s not just the exhibits and performances.
You forget a very essential part: the artist has to live, pay bills, and be part of the economic structure. By cutting the arts, it’s not just the end product but the people who live through the process. Two very different things.
I am a Teaching Artist and a performing artist. My entire life is creative and my livelihood depends on schools, libraries, community centers and more have funds to hire me and others like me. I live for the educational process that is part of the learning process…and it does not seem politicians realize this.
Schools may not hire a full time Theater Teacher anymore (I have my NYS Certification in Theater), but they SHOULD hire me as a consultant, which is what a TA (teaching artist) really is. I integrate my work into the school core curricula, and it enhances, not wastes, the teachers’ lessons.
I would love to have a conversation about this. Yes, many of us produce art that is seen; there are many more of us who produce art that is part of the educational process, for ALL ages, and we’re hurting, trying to make a living.
My thing: instead of telling me why something isn’t working, why are we not doing problem solving around the negatives out there. I’d rather know what has been attempted, or will be, instead of what is not working. I work a lot with my students, when I get them, on problem solving.
I’m serious about talking with Mr. Astorino.
She gave me her phone number. If I don’t hear from them, and if you know me at all, they will hear from me. I will let you know what happens next. I’m tired of the excuses. Let’s get off of unemployment
I had the misfortune of meeting a very ugly woman. Outwardly, she was dressed very well. She was put together. Some of you, if you looked at her, would’ve found this woman in her early 30s to be physically attractive. The ugliness came from inside.
I was at the courthouse parking lot in White Plains, which also serves as the parking lot for the White Plains Library. It waiting our turn to pay for the meter, somehow some conversation started at wound up about what was going on in New York City Wall Street occupation. I know that I mentioned, more under my breath than anything else, that 100 of the protesters had been arrested instead of giving up the space in the Park.
Her next comment: ” I know. Those lazy bastards need to get a job.”
Are you stunned?
My comment: ” Are you kidding me!? I am out of work. I can’t find a job. You… get me a job? Huh? I need a job?” And she just walked away from me as fast as her pointy expensive shoes could take her.
The haves and the have nots.
I had just had a discussion with some one the previous night (someone whose opinion and knowledge I respect and admire: NOTE – all facts that I am going to present are from this person. She presented this information while I was discussing my feeling feelings and opinions; so, I am supporting what she presented to me in total accord) about the occupation of Wall Street and in other areas of our country. It is costing the municipalities a tremendous amount of money for a protest that, while semi-peaceful, has absolutely no purpose other than to say ” I don’t like what you’re doing.” There is absolutely no clear concise agenda or, in my mind, anything that deals with solving the problem. Any problem.
I have railed here often about that fact; if you going to complain, come up with some solutions and do something about it. Playing the complain complain complain game is a total waste of time and it completely diffuses and obfuscates the real problems. Case in point: the Bank of America withdrawal of personal accounts when they decided they just wanted to make more money off of the common person. An action was decided on, it was enacted, and Bank of America backed off.
I believe in protest, but I believe in problem solving more.
I do not believe in violence and nonsensical rhetoric. It gets us nowhere.
Why do I feel that this is part of the creativity series?
It is time all of us to find creative solutions to the problems that we face is very un-united United States. If you think that this country is not a laughing stock to the rest of the world, imo, you are sadly mistaken.
What we are doing right now is not working. Doing the same old again and again and again is putting this into a spiral that goes far beyond the financial crisis of the world. I am not sure I have the intelligence or the finesse to offer any problem solving myself. I do feel that we do need extreme critical and creative team work to take care of the problems that we face.
