About Us

A Personal History From Our Director:

“Music for the Senior Soul really began in July, 2001. After watching my father's struggle with the agitation and frustration associated with his advancing Alzheimer's Disease, I decided to put my professional music training to work in a different manner. I started by singing and playing a small harp or piano and encouraging him to sing along with me. I made sure the music was related to his generation. He enjoyed it so much, we made it a part of his weekly routine. I discovered that while he could not always remember his name, he could almost always remember the words to “Amazing Grace” or “A Bicycle Built for Two”, music and words that had never left his memory bank. In October, 2001, I decided to approach some of the residential care facilities in Auburn and asked them to help me put a similar program to work in their centers. At first it was regarded as simply another activity or entertainment for their residents. I knew I had to be persistent and encourage them to see the wider, long-term benefits. Eventually, it happened...”

MusicTalk's Mission

MusicTalk consists of trained facilitators using harp, guitar, piano, and other musical
instruments to encourage verbalization through the use of age appropriate songs. People
afflicted with autism, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, mental retardation, stroke
and downs syndrome have extremely high levels of agitation, stress and low self-esteem. By
enabling them to communicate and verbalize, we are able to improve their quality of life. We
can provide a sense of well-being and self-worth. The use of music has been proven to be a
valuable source in the overall health and mental attitude of those people with special
communication needs.

All funding for this program comes from public and private grants as well as community
donations. The program has been in existence since 2002 and currently serves Northern
California residents. MusicTalk is a 501(c)3 corporation.

Our Board of Directors