Two community organizations in Penns Valley are bringing the joys of music to the young as well as the young at heart. Social isolation and loneliness have become widespread problems, especially among older adults who face factors like living alone, loss of family members, chronic illness, and other issues. Seniors living in rural areas can be at greater risk if they lack access to public transportation. In addition to causing sadness and even depression, loneliness puts seniors at risk for cognitive decline and other serious health issues.
The Centre County Office on Aging is working to combat these issues for local seniors through a unique program at its centers in the Penns Valley Area, which seniors can access by a van that will pick them up and drop them off at their door.
Paula Snyder is the senior center manager. “Every generation has different interests. In previous years, older adults came to socialize over cards and coffee. Today they want to learn new things,” she said. “Our seniors learned to play the ukulele.”
Funding from Centre Foundation’s Ruth E. Rishel Charitable Fund, which supports nonprofits and projects exclusively in Penns Valley, enabled a partnership with Simple Gifts, a local music group comprised of two women, Linda Littleton and Karen Hirshon. Linda and Karen have conducted two 3-month sessions of weekly group lessons, bringing enough ukuleles for each participant to play.
According to Paula, the group enjoyed the sessions so much, many of them ended up buying their own.
“We enjoyed this new way of spending time together and the process of learning something as a group,” she said. “When we were able to put our new skills together into a song—with the group playing together and some members singing in rounds—we were almost giddy!”
“I think we surprised ourselves at what we accomplished in being able to pick up something new and create something beautiful,” she continued. The activity was a success on many levels—it helped to promote socialization and active minds, and it was just plain fun.
“Music is a wonderful way for older adults to engage,” Paula said. “It engages the mind and evokes memories and emotion.”
Music is alive at another popular community resource in Penns Valley. Centre Hall Library Branch Manager, Kathleen Edwards was inspired by an article about Music Gardens in community spaces in American Libraries Magazine. When she saw a Centre Foundation Field-of-Interest grant about music, she applied for funding to bring her vision to life.
With support from the Patricia Farrell Music Fund, the library installed its own Music Garden with three musical instruments in spring 2023. The garden includes a flower, a butterfly and a toadstool, each with its own mallet attached to make a variety of sounds. Although the garden is still new, it’s already being enjoyed by kindergarten students at Centre Hall Elementary School.
“Every week during the school year, the kindergarten classes walk over to the library for storytime and to select books,” she said. “We invite the classes to take turns playing the instruments when they visit.”
The garden continues to evolve, and Kathleen is planning a dedication and new programming for spring of 2024.
“The impact so far has been extremely positive so I hope to engage more people through things like music-themed storytimes and gardening activities for adult patrons, which will enhance the area with more plants and flowers and add to the library’s curb appeal,” she said.