A Spiritual Concert Series for All
Michael Pollock, director of lifestyle and wellness at Hillcrest Country Estates Grand Lodge, has been playing music since childhood. When the residents he works with said there aren’t many good-quality music events accessible to them, he did something about it.
“Typical ‘entertainment’ is geared toward the working class, meaning concerts are nights and weekends,” he said. “For seniors, they typically prefer not to drive at night, most concerts tend to be quite expensive these days and, if they live in a retirement home, nights and weekends tend to be more challenging to have team members and drivers to get folks out to events.”
So he spoke to his fellow activity leaders about putting together some daytime concerts specifically geared toward the senior population.
The first concert was in June 2022. Pollock was the performer. He played marimba, with a rhythm section, guitar and percussion, and it was held at Covenant Presbyterian Church. It went well, with seniors from four retirement communities in attendance, as well as members of the congregation. Pollock estimated there were about 120 people who came out to listen.
“People were so pleased and excited,” he said. “They loved the concept and the residents all just went away with smiles. We hosted a cookie reception after and all of the seniors mingled, chatted and got to know each other.”
Since that first concert, there have been four others, and Pollock said they plan to continue having them quarterly. For the June 2023 show, a handbell group called Bit of Bronze performed at Augustana Lutheran Church.
“I counted eight different retirement community buses in the parking lot, and we had many seniors from the local church and surrounding area attend as well,” he said. “I plan to keep it going and keep it growing as long as there is interest and it’s benefiting our seniors.”
For dates and locations of upcoming Spiritual Concert Series events, check our News & Events page.