Sing Out Loud Together 5/6S

 

Earlier this school term, the class of 5/6S from Padstow Park Public School participated in an eight week program called Sing out Loud Together. This program is a literacy and cultural program for primary school children in Years 5 and 6 and elders generally aged between 70 and 90. It was facilitated by the Arts Health Institute. The elders were from the aged-care facility IRT Peakhurst. These two groups formed singing buddies over eight weeks and worked towards a concert. The sessions provided opportunities for the students to learn songs from the elders’ youth while they also learnt about each other. This program was led by the enthusiastic Rose Grayson from the Arts Health Institute who was the Maestro of the program. She kept everybody engaged every week because she was so full of life.

A week prior to commencing the program, Rose came to meet us and gave us information about what the program was about, how we had to behave, hygiene information, information about the ageing process and dementia, what some of the songs would be etc.

It all started on Wednesday 16^th of October when the nervous, yet excited students arrived at the location of the program which was Peakhurst IRT. So in they went to what was called the Bonnet Centre of the IRT and already there were some elders eagerly waiting for some fresh young children to greet. Also waiting was none other than Rose Grayson, the Maestro. As it was the first week, none of them knew who their elder buddy was. The elders’ age ranged from their 70s to one person being 101 in one case. Some elders had one student and some had two. Firstly the students presented their elder with a letter that they wrote on the week Rose spoke to them. After that they got down to business and began to learn some of the songs the elders learnt in their childhood such as Kiss me Goodnight Sergeant Major, Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye and You Are My Sunshine. Morning tea was also provided by the IRT staff. The same process was repeated with the introduction of new songs until the 7^th week where the students had a dress rehearsal for the concert they would put on the following week. The students had to wear black and white clothes as Rose had instructed them the week before. Already they had developed a good rapport with their elder buddy compared to the 1^st week. They had already organised the program, the special acts and most importantly, the songs.

The week after that, it was show time. The hall was set, the glorious afternoon tea that was made by Mrs Weldon and Mrs Luxton was set up and by lunch, Rose had arrived. Not long after, the elders arrived and everyone scrambled onto the seats that were set up on the stage and the floor, but not before they took care of their elders and giving them the afternoon tea. The classes, teachers, parents and grandparents soon arrived and it began. The afternoon went on with songs, piano playing and even poetry.

In the end, it was a fantastic afternoon of performing and we sadly said goodbye to the elders and Rose but not before giving them gifts. It was a fantastic program and thankyou to Mrs Sharp and Rose Grayson for organising the program, to the IRT staff for providing morning tea, to Mrs Weldon and Mrs Luxton for making the scrumptious afternoon tea for the concert, to Mrs Graham for helping us make the gifts, to Mrs Lister for decorating the hall with lovely flowers from her garden and finally to the elders for participating in the program. What a wonderful experience we all had.