We’ve just finished our 2nd week of the Pilot Program of Eldermusik in two residences in Florida. In the words of Danielle, one of the wellness directors at The Fountains in Melbourne, “people love it. I think it’s going to be wildly successful!”

The four teachers I recruited, Donya Lane, Peilin Ko, Sharon Vohra and Linda Marks are remarkable musicians and teachers. The lessons so clearly fulfill a need that’s there among the residents; and that in turn is satisfying for the teachers.

It’s been surprisingly fun and interesting running a business so far. Challenges of course have arisen, but my wife, Chris Tokar and I have found them manageable, mostly because the energy of the people we’re working with –the staff at the residences, the teachers, lawyers and insurance brokers (!) — has been very positive. People are supportive of the idea and the project and problems are getting solved.

I will be traveling to Florida in July to give a Lecture/Demonstration (part of the package we are offering the facilities). The topic will be “What Makes a Good Song?” and I’ve given this lecture/dem before. I’ll be playing and analyzing songs by Rodgers & Hart, The Beatles, Leonard Bernstein, The Kinks and others. The short answer to the topic question is that a song needs to be both fresh (you haven’t heard that particular musical idea before) and inevitable (it can’t go any other way for it to work) for it to be a truly good song.

That’s the update from Eldermusik central headquarters here in the Bronx. Hope your summer is good. Lee