September 2, 2016
If you have 2 minutes today do yourself favor and watch this trailer for a fabulous documentary on how music helps the aging heart and soul.
http://www.aliveinside.us/#trailer
I cannot wait to make time for watching the entire film.
There is generally now a lot of evidence to confirm what we all probably believed to be true: art helps us to live happier lives, now and in every year of aging. A thorough summary of the findings can be found here:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/07/using-the-arts-to-promote-healthy-aging/?_r=1
Consuming art, as in listening to music, but also making art. Singing, dancing, painting, conducting, drawing, writing, working with sculpture materials – you name it. My favorite artist, when it comes to aging, is Rembrandt. He was interested in the process, documented in his endless self portraits, with curiosity, not fear or cruelty.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2012/mar/29/rembrandt-old-age
Martha Ullman West
The film looks fantastic, thanks for posting Friderike. Part of me says, well sure, the arts and participation in them, whether as viewer/audience member, or practitioner, makes for a happier, healthier person, aging or not, but another part of me says, why do we have this utilitarian view of the arts, why do they have to be “for” something, why can’t they just be? What struck me about the film trailer was the amount of pleasure we saw in the faces of those elderly people, the joy they took in the music. That in itself, gives me joy, so I”ll stop intellectualizing here and get on with my day.
Lee
The arts are the life blood of humanity and music keeps its heart alive.