Songs for the Elderly in the time of COVID-19

In this time of uncertainty, fear, and anxiety, it’s important to remember those that might be left out of the conversation. It’s easy for me to jump on a quick video call, connect on social media, share my thoughts on this podcast. But for many, including those in hospice or senior centers, social distancing is having a major impact. 

That’s why I wanted to re-air my episode with Jackie Vanderbeck, the founder of Sing For Your Seniors. This episode rings more true than it ever has. I hope it inspires you to connect with a loved one in your life, and remember, we are all in this together. If you need any support, I’m doing Facebook Live events almost every day. Or reach out on Instagram. I’m here for you. And may this episode serve as a lighthouse during this time.

Jackie Vanderbeck is an actor, writer, and the Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Sing For Your Seniors (SFYS), a New York-based non-profit organization. SFYS’s mission is to enrich lives through the universal language of music by bringing professional artists to the communities of seniors in need to entertain, foster connection and create shared joy. Proudly focusing its service to low-income senior communities, LGBTQ+ elders, veterans and those living with Alzheimer’s and dementia, SFYS is a five-time recipient of the Quality of Life grant from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Before graduating in the founding class of the Natomas Charter School – Performing and Fine Arts Academy in Sacramento, Jackie spent her summers interning in Outreach and Education for California Music Theatre, where she cultivated her passion for ensuring theatre be accessible to all. Jackie went on to study performing arts at the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music, receiving her BFA in Musical Theatre and the Ross Award for Excellence.

Some of Jackie’s theatre credits include the Denver Center Theatre Company, Pacific Conservatory Theatre, Sacramento Theatre Company, Broadway Sacramento - Music Circus, Shawnee Playhouse and two concert tours with the Tokyo Philharmonic in Japan. As a writer, Jackie’s first play with music, “THAW,” with co-creator, George Walker, received two workshops at the Pacific Conservatory Theatre.

Jackie is a member of the Actors Equity Association and the Dramatists Guild of America.

Episode Highlights

6:57 - Learning more about Sing For Your Seniors (SFYS)

10:17 - The different communities SFYS reaches

14:01 - Jackie's favorite memories

18:49 - The incredible support of the community

20:30 - Finding new interpretations in old classics

21:49 - Staying connected to your artist’s passion

27:18 - Committing to one another

28:20 - Balancing charitable work and a career

30:45 - Connecting to the caregivers in your life

35:33 - Using your experiences and tools to connect to others

36:57 - The life-changing power of giving back

40:19 - How to get started with SFYS

41:34 - Giving back to SFYS no matter where you live or your singing ability

42:52 - The gift of Broadway

45:23 - Take action with these steps

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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (00:00.354)
Her whole demeanor leading with the look on her face of recognition, of being seen, of being heard, you understood what I was trying to communicate, was so powerful. Words are not their first line of communication and that is unfortunately the rest of the world's first line of communication. And so when we provide music, music has a way of cutting through there. Time and time again, it's just the most incredible experience to witness.

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (00:33.1)
Welcome to the Beautifully Broken Podcast brought to you by AmpCoil. I'm your host, Freddie Kimmel, and on this show, we discuss the common thread survivors share after walking through the fire, the practitioners making a difference, and the treatment modalities that deliver healing back into the hands of the people who need it most. Witness the inspiration we gain by navigating the human experience with grace, humility, and a healthy dose of mistakes. Because part of being human is being beautifully broken.

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (01:07.16)
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the beautifully broken podcast. We find ourselves in a very unique situation right now. March 26, 2020. Most of the United States is on a mandated quarantine. Most of the world is in quarantine. As we try to blunt the curve of this virus. For the first time in our lifetimes, we're experiencing something very unique. And we're called in, we're in seclusion.

Most of us are missing hugs right now and connection and physical touch. And from the grapevine that I'm attached to, the whispers in my ear are that this quarantine might be a little bit longer and a little more stringent in the next coming months, but we'll wait and see. And there's so many things I want to talk about about mining the body's energetic systems and our health and our wellness and creating a robust immune system. But I'll be honest with you, there are people

much smarter than me doing that out there. Listen to Dr. Einitis, listen to Chris Kresser, listen to Tim Ferriss, listen to Dave Asprey. They've got all the knowledge and all the tools in their sourcing, the best solution-based materials you can turn to, as well as how to move away from fear. Actually, where my heart is today.

My heart is with the gratitude that I can open a computer and get on a Zoom call with hundreds of people. I can FaceTime someone on the other end of the world and check in on them. I can schedule a Skype session.

However, the senior population, the immunocompromised, those living in assisted living, those in hospice care, they don't have the ease of usage with that level of technology.

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (03:07.237)
They're very, very isolated right now. And that population is someone who lives off the daily interactions of community dining, which is no longer happening in all senior centers. They live off the family visit or the weekend away, where they get to escape the facility and go stay with family and friends. That's not happening. They live for groups that come into these assisted living centers, the senior centers, and do

Comedy routines sing songs magic shows none of that is happening For good reason, but there's a lot of isolating going on So my request is if this resonates with you If you find yourself worrying about your job or the stock market or what's coming next for you? Just look at as a small little challenge Where you're at in your life, we're gonna get over it. However, there are people at the end of their lives

that are very scared right now, very alone, and could really use a hand, an olive branch, an extension, a message that I love you, because they don't always have the level of technology where they can open a computer or jump on FaceTime. So, if you have a senior in your life, please reach out. Let them know you love them. If you have a connection with a senior center or a hospice center or anywhere that would hold safety for this group, this group of the population,

Even if it's not your immediate family member, send a message of love. And with that, what I'd like to do today is I would like to re-air an episode about Sing For Your Seniors, which is a group in New York City which sends Broadway caliber singers and performers into senior centers, into hospice centers, into community centers for daytime care and provide song and dance and uplifting entertainment and they're a magical group. So I interviewed

Jackie, the group's founder and creator, almost a year ago. This episode rings more true now than it ever has. And if you're moved to what you hear and what you see, Jackie's contact details are in the end of the episode and in the show notes. And if this is something you'd like to be a part of, trust me, we'll find a spot for you. So with that, I give you Sing For Your Seniors and I hope you enjoy this episode.

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (05:33.796)
and I hope you are staying safe and finding where the moments of gratitude are, the moments of love, in this time of complete uncertainty, fall into what's behind that, fall into the unknown, fall into that message behind your heart that you're gonna be okay. And please enjoy this next hour of entertainment. And the beautifully broken podcast is here for you.

if you need to reach out to me, if you need any support, if I can give you guidance. I'm doing a Facebook live about every day. I'm always on the Instagram, so you can connect with me at freddystaco on Instagram or freddykimmel on Facebook. I'm there, I'm sitting at home. I'm doing the same thing that I've always done. Life has not really changed much for me, but now let's drop into this episode and I hope you enjoy.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the beautifully broken podcast. I'm your host, Freddie Kimmel. Today we have a very special guest, Jackie Vanderbeck, as an actor, writer, and producing artistic director of Sing for Your Seniors, a New York based not-for-profit organization. Sing for Your Seniors' mission is to enrich lives through the universal language of music and song by bringing professional artists to the community of seniors in need of entertainment. They foster connection.

and they share joy. They focus service to low income senior communities, LGBTQ and elders, veterans and those living with Alzheimer's and dementia. Now Sing For You Seniors is a five time recipient of the Quality of Life grant from Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS. Jackie is a member of Actors Equity Association and the Dramatists Guild of America. Let's give a big round of applause to Jackie Vanderbeck. Hi.

Jackie, welcome to the show. I was wondering if we couldn't jump right in. If you could frame for someone listening to this, what a typical session of Sing For Your Seniors looks like. Absolutely. Our sessions generally are about four to five singers. Our artists sign up for a particular session at a center. serve right now currently 10 different facilities. So that group will sign up.

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (07:57.803)
and they show up the day of the session with their music books and we have an accompanist for them. And we kind of build our own adventure when it comes to the material that we use in that particular session based on the environment in the room and based on that particular community. So we'll jump in usually with an uptempo and each of the performers will follow after that.

Based on kind of how the energy is in the room, how somebody might be responding to a particular kind of music, that might influence the way that what our choices will be next. And I like it that way because it really does promote the opportunity of community. And we're not just performing at somebody, like you're forced to listen to what we have prepared for you. Instead,

we're taking in your energy. We're like, you know what? They're really kind of feeling down today. Maybe let's focus more on some up tempos. Let's get some pop music in here. Or maybe they're asking questions that day more and they're kind of being more interactive. So we want to talk a little bit more about the song that we're singing or the show that it came from maybe. And we'll go with that dialogue. All of our sessions,

run for 45 minutes and then we do 15 minutes of meet and greet where the artists go out into the audience and thank everybody for coming. We want to give them the feeling of the experience that they have come to see something special. Oftentimes, some of our audiences never get to attend live performances. And so we want to create that gratitude with them.

and thank them for coming to have this experience with us today. And also it gives us an opportunity to learn more about them. Oftentimes they'll tell you a story about how that song that we had just sung was their wedding song with their spouse. And it brings back these wonderful memories. Or at the actor's home, we get people that are saying, you well I was in the original cast of Oklahoma. So I loved, you know, hearing that song. So it's really a communal experience.

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (10:12.647)
Yeah, I want to jump back there for a second. You mentioned the actor's home, and I assume this is in the New York City area that you're working with these centers. You do do work around other parts of the country, but I want to focus on the New York City area and just ask, so there's different locations and different centers, and how are those centers differ from each other as far as the type of person that you're performing for? Yes, I...

I can't help but smile at each individual center, each community that we serve because they are very different and they have their own families, you know, like their own family of their community, the heart. So for example, the actor's home, I always say to our artists that these are our people, these are the show folk. And so when we go there, we're going there to speak the language they taught us and we're giving their language back to them. And so particularly in

at the actor's home, we do two sessions there. We do one in the Alzheimer's and dementia floor, and then we do one upstairs in the nursing home floor. so downstairs in the Alzheimer's floor, that music is extremely impactful and that community doesn't use language as their number one way of communication. And so when we introduce the music into the room, we're opening up a new line.

of connection, a new line of communication that they're able to connect with. And it's incredible to experience. Another center we serve, SAGE, which is the LGBTQ Senior Center, New York, they are super festive. They are huge fans of the theater. Often a lot of them have worked in the theater at some point, or they're just mega fans. And so at that facility,

We come and bring material and I tell some of our artists, know, bring your obscure trunk songs because they love to be stumped. Like if you can stump them with a song, they just get a hoot out of that, you know. Then we also serve Calvary Cancer Hospital and that is a hospice hospital. And so we are serving a community that they're in the last stages of their life and how that informs the room.

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (12:28.825)
is also really impactful for the artists as well as the audience. But we do approach that slightly different. constantly being open to what the environment is. Encore Senior Center, which is right in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, we have less people there that have a lot of live performance experience. so they might, you you'll be performing for somebody who's also playing checkers or who's doing a crossword or is finishing their

their food and they don't really have like the tools for that theatrical etiquette. And so with the artists, when we bring our artists in there, I'm just like, go at it like gangbusters. And if you have to like ask somebody to like, Hey, hey, sir, over there, know, you know, grab their attention in some new way, like go for it. But this isn't their, this isn't their comfort zone, but they love it. But you might not receive the kind of

formal appreciation that you might be used to as a performer on the stage. Yes. For everybody at home, you know, I'm a big contributor to Sing For Your Seniors. It's a big part of my life in New York City. there's oftentimes when I find myself in a center and there's no way you could describe in words, we always try to after a session, what happened in the room.

specifically for me the last, I think, year and a half, I primarily worked in the actor's home. And so, as you said, know, working downstairs in the Dementia Ward is a transformative experience. I mean, seeing people circled up in complete catatonic states and people, when you start the show, dealing with aggression and anger.

And you know that's coming from a sense of confusion, not really sure where they are. And all of a sudden there's people singing and dancing and there's a piano. And to be there, to witness, I know one of my favorite stories was sitting there and having a gentleman in a wheelchair just head down, 45 degree angle, looking at his feet. And 15 minutes later he's up and he's shuffling across the floor. He's in a complete phrase of choreography.

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (14:51.251)
come to find out he had been in like four or five Broadway shows. He was a Broadway chorus dancer. I know exactly who you're talking about. And the music brings him alive and he's, he dances with people. He doesn't dance by himself. There's someone partnering him on the other end of his, his body in that for me, that is a place that's, that's, I bookmark that in my head whenever I go in there and whether I see that outward expression of, of the effect of the music.

or not, you know what's happening on that level. So I really try to keep that bookmarked for myself. Would you share one of your favorite experiences from any center? my gosh. Well, speaking of the dementia unit at the actor's home, there was a session where a woman in a wheelchair. Well, also to speak on the design of how we approach the

actors home dementia unit, you mentioned it, that we circle up and that is something that we do specifically in the dementia unit. we do that so that everybody, that the sound is coming from one location and they don't get more confused as we tend to in our other sessions roam through the audience. And so that is specifically done in that. So at this particular session, this woman sort of broke

the circle in her wheelchair and scooted over to the piano. And she got real close to the piano, which is not typically where they usually want to be. Because usually it's a little loud, you know, they want to be a little further back. And our pianist was hearing that she was vocalizing and we were not sure if she was just doing it happenstance, because sometimes that happens or what was going on. And then the more we listened, there was, was a melody.

one of the artists knew what it was and for some wackadoo reason had that song in his book that day and was able to then put it on the piano and play it and she sang with him the song. he didn't come forth with the words. She didn't come forth with the words. She was coming forth with the music and just the fact that she

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (17:09.785)
wheeled herself over to the piano. I'm by wheeled, mean, scoot with her legs over the piano. And it was just, was doing this melody line and we were all kind of listening like, is, no, that is a song. That is a song. We were able to give it to her and just her whole demeanor, you know, leading with the look on her face of recognition, of being seen, of being heard. You understood what I was trying to communicate, you know, was

so powerful. And I see that time and time again, particularly in the Alzheimer's and dementia units is that, you know, words are not their first line of communication. And that is, unfortunately, the rest of the world's first line of communication. So if you take that out, slowly over time, they give up trying any other way to reach out. And so when we provide music, music has a way of cutting through there.

And if they grab one end of that, I'm going to pull that rope as hard as I can to draw that out. And, and I've seen it, you know, time and time again, it's just the most incredible experience to witness. know you're in close contact with the nurses and the caregivers at all the centers and, I'm sure, and I've heard this feedback and if you can speak to it.

how the mood and there is a shift that happens in energy post session. And I think maybe timeline, we're there almost once a month, maybe it's once every six weeks. Different centers are different timelines. Yeah, some we are there every month, some were there every other month. But absolutely, we get lots of feedback. And I love it when the artists get that feedback like right away from the nurses saying, my gosh, she hasn't been awake for

weeks or she hasn't said a word in two months. That's, it's so, it's so awesome. It really does fill you up. Even our other centers that are, that we're not dealing with dementia. We're very popular program and feedback I'd gotten recently from a facilitator was that more than just the music, it was that our artists were really wanting to make an actual connection with another person. It wasn't just.

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (19:34.137)
We're performing at you and then we leave. It was a communal experience and an intergenerational connection that was being made that instills in our audience that we're just as excited to connect with you as you are to be here to listen to us perform. We want to know you. We want to really know how you felt about that song or really know why that made you smile so much.

For me, it's always had the power of just disabling my ego as a performer. It really unravels and I always find myself so present and it's usually something that for a new way informs how I'll ever interpret that song again. my gosh, absolutely. Yes. And I've had people from Broadway companies come and

and sing and they're just that, you know, being able to see the person that you're singing to, you know, when you're singing up on a stage and it's bright lights and you're telling this soliloquy story, whatever, out into the ethers. Obviously you have this mental image about what you're singing about, but when you're looking at somebody who's your partner right there in that moment, yeah, I've absolutely, my material is absolutely influenced by how it's, how I

done it in the centers and the feedback and the different ways I, the different tactics I ended up using in order to gain a giggle from somebody or, you know, or the image of somebody's reaction to something is absolutely has for me too. Yeah, it's we're in complete alignment on that. And I know we share that sentiment. So I'm picturing, I'm picturing you went to one of the best schools in country in the country to do music theater.

the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Beautiful. trust me, anybody who is listening to this, the people who go to that program, they're some of the biggest names on Broadway. I mean, it's really one of those elite training conservatories. And the level of talent comes out is just incredible. I'm imagining a young Jackie, you know, going to school and really cultivating her craft. You've got your eye on New York, you're picturing moving here.

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (21:59.577)
all the dreams, all the roles that could unfold before you. And you come into the city and how does Sing For Your Seniors come into play? When you have so much on your plate, and I know when I got here, the only thing I was thinking about was getting a show or making it or getting an agent. And that was 125 % of my effort. Yeah. Yeah.

That's what I came here to do as well. So happened? So yeah, when you come to the city, you're incredibly entrenched in surviving as well as chasing your dreams and trying to do those two things at the same time. I struggled a little bit with connecting to my new world, my new environment. I grew up very close with my grandparents and my great grandmother.

So I had that weight of generations very much a part of my life. My grandparents lived next door to me. I talked to my great grandmother regularly. So when I moved out of conservatory program where you're just constantly busy into this new life and kind of creating my new life, I felt a mega thing missing. There was a weight missing and I wasn't interacting with other generations in New York.

I mean, it's fast, young people all the time. I see young people everywhere. Where are all the old people? Where are they? I don't see them. I don't talk to them daily. I don't have interactions with them. That sort of whole paired with constant auditions. The only time that I was singing or telling stories was when I was trying to get

a job when I was trying to get something from somebody. I'm going to sing this song to you in hopes that you're going to give me something, a job. And I started to feel disconnected from my work as an artist, as I've disconnected from the passion of it. It started to feel cold and stagnant for me. And that scared me a lot because this was something that was a love of mine all my life. And

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (24:18.081)
So I was sort of looking for a solution to those two things. And I felt that there could be a connection there. I did try to find some volunteer opportunities in the city, but I found that it was very difficult because as an actor, you could book a job and have to leave. And a lot of times they wanted longer commitments. So I just said, well, I don't need permission to do this. I'm just going to.

write a couple of senior centers and see if I could go down and sing. Cause that's what I have to give. I don't have any money, you know, and that's my, that was my craft. That's what I do is singing. So maybe I can give that. And I heard from the village adult day health center, care center, and I went on down there and I just entered a very noisy cafeteria area and

sang acapella for them for an hour. And I did that once a week for several weeks until I ran out of music. And that's also where we kind of started where the structure of Sing for Your Seniors began. Well, it is where the structure of Sing for Your Seniors began. I put everybody in a circle there as opposed to sort of an audience over here. wanted it to feel

And then I started inviting friends to come and sing with me because I ran out of material and they were hearing the same things over and over again. And so when I got to about four, three to four friends, it felt good. It felt like, okay, there's enough of us for a nice variety of music and perspectives, but there's not so many of us that they don't know how many of us are there or that they can't remember me.

At the time, my roommate was a pianist on Broadway in Chicago. So when we would go on Monday on his day off, he came and started playing. And then that's what really solidified it. And I always say that it was that those seniors and that audience that taught me what Sing For Your Seniors needed to be. I still will always carry with me Edna, Joel, Nora, and Carmen.

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (26:39.341)
who taught me how to connect with them. I just had to be open to it and I had to show up for it. And that's how it was made. That's how it was made. now, so that was one center, the Village Daycare Center, which is no longer there, but we've sort of moved that session around and some of those people do have access to that same scenario. So that was the creation story.

That's our ground zero. And then how many centers are you working with today? We have quote unquote, residencies in 10 centers around the New York City area. And as I mentioned before, some of them we serve every month, some of them we serve every other month, but it's a commitment that it's not just a one-off. We don't do one-offs. We don't just come to sing at you and leave. We want to build a relationship with everybody there.

We want them to know and be excited to come back and see us, to have something to look forward to. Hey, I'm going to be at this next session. You better be here. If I'm going to bring that song you like, come back and see me. Okay. You know, like it's like a, it's a partnership. It's a commitment to each other. There's that, there's that. It makes me think of when I'm working with someone as a health coach and someone will reach out and say, I just want, can you give me like,

some supplements and like a protein and a workout because I'm just going to go do it on my own. And in my head, I know it's not about the things or the information. It's about the process and the journey. You know, it took you 20, 30, 40 years to get to a place of dysfunction where you don't feel great, where things aren't in alignment. And I know in my head, whenever I hear someone ask for the quick fix, that it's going to take us a process of three to six months to undo those

patterns and programming and it goes deeper than our choices. And I love that about Sing For Your Seniors, that there's a commitment to that community, that we're gonna keep showing up every month and they wait for you to show up. They wait for you. And when you miss a session or you haven't been there in a while, you get, have you been? Where have you been? And it breaks your heart a little bit, but it also feels really good that you are remembered. You know, when you're a stranger,

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (28:59.309)
but they know your songs and they know what you've brought there. I want to ask, so again, here you are, know, this amazingly talented performer. You went to one of the best schools in the country and you came in, you started this organization. How did that, and now on a big, big level, how did that balance with your dreams and your acting career? I don't know. I mean, I guess

Originally, I never felt like I had to choose. You know, I could still pursue the arts in that form and I can pursue the arts in this form. It never felt like a choice. I never felt like it was a choice for me. You know, my work with Sing for Your Seniors absolutely influences my work on the stage and how I approach material. And I hope that my work on the stage shows the kind of compassion and

that we champion in our work at Sing For Your Seniors. So I don't see the difference. That's great. I mean, I love that you found that. And I feel that too. I feel that it serves as the outlet sometimes completely. I want to go back to, I want to timeline back a little bit before New York, before Sing For Your Seniors. And there was probably,

I think your connection, like you said, you were looking when you said that I was walking in the streets of New York and I was looking for the old people and I didn't see them and I wasn't connecting with them. And I feel that about New York city proper too. It is very rare that we see someone that I would see at my center out. because listen, the subways are hard. The winters are hard. You know, it is, it is one of those cities where it's very easy to be on the seventh floor of your upper West side apartment and just in, in a way.

and that connection is missed. But that eye that you naturally have to look for that connection developed from somewhere, from somewhere in your family. And I wonder if you couldn't just shed some light on who those people were for you that was your connection as a caregiver. I mean, obviously, my relationship to my grandparents is highly influential in that. But if we go to the starting point, that would be my sister, Jamie.

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (31:27.117)
My sister is blind and developmentally delayed, epileptic. And she is my older sister, so she really taught me the world. And so I think that from a very early age, my perspective of who is in the world was a little bit different than most people grow up experiencing. So, you know,

I see, you if I'm on the subway train and I can see very quickly if somebody's behaving in such a way that that might represent like a little bit childlike or if I see a white cane with a red tip, mean, it's like radar, you know, that I can identify very quickly. And so, yeah, that's my sister. That's from her. And would you guys

Would you guys perform? Would you sing together? she enjoy growing up with a sister who had these gifts as a musical artist? I don't know if she enjoyed it, but that is how we primarily connected with each other was through music. Jamie's unique way of connecting to the world.

was through music oftentimes. And I would have to say specifically musical theater, for somebody who doesn't cognitively work on the same level as everybody else, when you think about it, musical theater sort of tells you how to feel about things. So if Jamie couldn't cognitively understand the storyline of something, the music is telling her,

This is not a good guy. This is not a good guy. The music is telling her, my gosh, they're in love with each other. my gosh, there's a swell. There's a moment of passion. And then the conclusion of the tale comes, the end of the story comes with a very big song and we all sing together and it's happy and that's the end. So we loved musicals. She loved musicals and she loved music of all kinds. She loved

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (33:45.709)
country music. She loved rap music. She loved soul. She loved R and B. She loved pop music. She loved alternative music. She loved James Taylor. She loved story music. Like she loved Sesame Street. Every, every kind. And that is absolutely the language that we spoke with each other. That's how Jamie connected to us. That's how we could easily connect to Jamie. And that's how she connected to the world.

I mean, I can see just listening to you tell that story and framing it that way, how integrative she was in the construction of Sing For Your Seniors and the format and the tools and the eye and the heart and all those things are built through your relationship with your sister. 100%. I think that, yeah, it's like if you rewind so far back, you're like, okay, obviously the grandparents and this, da, da, da.

But then when I think about how I approach the music in a session, how I find my way in with somebody, you know, who's on a different cognitive experience than myself, those are lessons that I didn't know I was learning at the time that I learned from her. That's beautiful. I have a question. So in your mind, when you look at the, when you look at

examining song and integrating touch and connection and really making that bridge to someone in a session. Has that always been a part of the process or do you think that's something that's evolved on another level as you've gone deeper with Sing For Your Seniors? For me, it's always been a part of process. What I love watching is other artists evolve in their tools for connecting in a session.

I've had some artists that come on and they're very like apprehensive at first and they just want to sing their song and like sit down. And then over time I've watched as people start to gain more confidence in their ability to connect. We all have it. You know, you just have to, sometimes it takes a little practice and sometimes you just want to, you know, we'll start, I'll watch somebody kind of start. They go from singing up at the mic.

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (36:06.135)
to maybe grabbing the mic and walking into the audience. And then maybe the next time they grab the mic, walk into the audience and sit down next to somebody, or they might touch a shoulder. And then the next thing I know, they're like picking people, you know, I'm picking them up and like, they're getting them up and dancing with them. So I've definitely seen that growth happen from our artists. What do you think, I wanna ask about the role of a caregiver.

You know, so we're playing a role in these sessions as caregivers. And then you've obviously had this experience from a very young age being a caregiver to your sister. And I'm wondering, I wish everybody could have this experience because in my head it would solve so many problems that we're dealing with in the world. Because I know even for myself, I know for myself and I've

recorded an episode about this and you just heard it, before we sat down, how much taking the focus off myself and putting it on someone else without any investment to what I was getting back, how that changed my shift in healing. Completely, completely. It was my turnaround.

And that's why with every experience I can go into this, I don't care if I'm tired or if I'm not feeling amazing that day or if I'm really struggling with something, I'm always really up and I'm really high after I've had that hour to be a caregiver and play that role. What would be your advice to somebody who it's it's whether they say I don't have time, I'm too busy, you know, I'm struggling to make life happen right now. What would you say to them is an impetus to take action?

Open yourself up. I think that there are so many opportunities, small ones even that fly by really easily. And that if you just started with one little thing, even if it was just a door or a conversation with somebody more than, you know, a few words in passing, those things aren't even neat. They don't even

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (38:23.353)
maybe qualify under donated time. It's just connecting to the things that are around you. Take a minute, pull the earbuds out, take a minute and just observe who's in this car with me. Start there, start there and then follow those instincts and those impulses. think even in our sessions, I rely heavily on my instinct and impulse when I feel

somebody began to stir, somebody began to awaken how to approach them. Sometimes I might just offer my hand out and if they reach back, I know that I've been given permission to connect. And I think that those opportunities are everywhere. If we open that shell up a bit and those can be the baby steps to begin.

to incorporate that in your life, not pause my life, give back, and then pick up my life again, but actually incorporate them, make that a part of your life. But I think if you begin in that way first, that incorporation will feel very organic because I think I truly believe that it is in our human nature to do those things. And we've somehow been convinced otherwise that these other things are more important.

Yeah, beautifully said. Beautifully said. I want to give people, want to give, I have two, two segments of the population that I'm thinking of right now. I'm seeing performers out there that are going to hear this and they're going to want to get in and they're going to want to get started and they're going to feel silly that they've waited so long if they've known about it. I want to know how they get started. Let's do that first. Okay. You visit our website, singforyourseniors.org on there. You can go to the,

application page for filling out an application to become one of our artists. So that would be the first step. Easy peasy. Fill that out real quick. The way that we work is that we send out sign up sheets once a month for the following month and you'll sign up for a date. essentially it's only one hour. We do not rehearse. You show up with your book and you're ready to go.

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (40:49.689)
you know, our artists are professional artists. you bring your audition book and or whatever you have music you want to share or try. And it's that one hour. And that's so much more happens in that one hour than you could think of. But really, if we're just talking timetables here, it's just one hour. It's just one hour a week. So then I have I have people that will hear this and are going to be so inspired. And I know they will. I know my audience and they're loyal. They are. They're good people.

The people who I connect with in the online space in the world, I know they're going to hear this and they're going to want to move. They're going to want to help in some way. And it might not be traveling to New York City and learning how to sing and getting in a session, but there might be another way for those people to be aligned with this mission and to help move this forward. So what would you give that group? What advice would you deliver?

Well, I've had some people reach out to me from different parts of the country where we are not located. And my advice always to people is just to email them, find a senior center, Google them, find an organization in your area and just show up. know, what can I do? Do you guys need anything? Like, I bring, you know, can I bring books? Can I read books to the people? I, you know, what is it that you like to do?

I'm sure there are lots of other people that like to do that too. I like to knit or I like to draw or I like whatever those things are and share that with somebody else. But nobody needs to give you permission to do that. You can just go and do it. And then I have, I know there's another thing you do, which is really, really amazing. And I've actually never been to one, but sing for your seniors actually brings Broadway shows to these centers on a

on a need to need basis. So they shift when they happen and where they happen. But it's usually a person. I think it's is it still Daniel Torres, who's who aligns a Broadway show on their day off, and they come in and they do numbers from the show and they do their own numbers. And it's a beautiful experience. Now know that's something also people can sponsor a Broadway show to come to a center for a day. So how would people do that?

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (43:05.342)
On our website, on our donation page on the website, there are different monetary commitments that you can make. And one of them is the brought to sponsor Broadway session. So you can find that there. And those are so special because it makes our audiences feel important that these people would come and do this for them. And a lot of them, particularly at Calvary Cancer

hospice hospital, they'll not be able to go and see a Broadway show. And for them to come and bring that to them is just incredibly impactful. And they can invite their families to that session so that it's an experience that they can have outside of their hospital experience for an hour to just have something special and something else to talk about. Let's talk about this music or let's talk about that artist. my gosh, that song was so beautiful.

something else. And then, you know, for some of our other centers where we're serving low income seniors, it's just a complete unicorn to them to these people walk in the room and, you know, and, seeing this material it's, and then when you go to Sage at the LGBT Senior Center and Judy Kuhn walks in and seeing someone else's story, the entire overpacked room is sobbing.

Including me. I'm just standing in the back just like, And for the people who don't know at home, tell us who Judy Kuhn is. Judy Kuhn is like a Broadway legend star who has originated many incredible works that for a very young girl in the eighties growing up was the epitome of perfection and inspiration. Beautiful. Well, Jackie, it has been an absolute pleasure.

I thank you so much for opening up and opening your heart and allowing us to have this conversation, this candid conversation about an organization which I love so much, which I believe in so much. I continue to champion it on my outlets in my community with my people and I'm gonna continue to do so in 2019. Well, you're an incredible session leader.

Freddie Kimmel and Jackie Vanderbeck (45:29.504)
So we're so lucky to have you. And I will be leading this year, I'm to be leading the sessions at Sage. So that's happening right in Chelsea and it is a magical experience. everybody has a course of action listening to this podcast. You can take it into your heart. can fill up with warm goodness and you can reach out to a local senior center. You can reach out to singforyourseniors.org and you can get on board. You can sign up.

to do one of these sessions, to be a performer, or you can reach out to the website and you can sponsor a session or you can move this mission forward. again, this is something I really believe in. I've seen the magic. Music has power to heal on a deeper level than what we know to understand. And that's true. Ladies and gentlemen, you made it to the end of the podcast.

Now in a world where the average attention span is less than 10 seconds, we just spent almost an hour together. And I think this is the beginning of something really beautiful. Now one way to support the podcast is to head over to freddysetgo.com and check out my newly launched page, Freddy's Faves, where I've linked every five star product and healing modality you hear about on the show. Most offer significant discounts by clicking the link. And please know it doesn't cost you anything extra

and at the same time, they support the show through affiliation. check out Freddie's faves on freddysecco.com. This episode of the beautifully broken podcast was brought to you by our sponsor, AmpCoil, upgrading the vibrations of hearts, minds, and bodies all over the world. Thank you for tuning in. If you enjoyed today's show, head over to iTunes and leave a five-star review. Grabbing a download is like giving this virtual thumbs up that we're doing it right. And if you want to connect with me, shoot me a message on Instagram at freddysetgo.com or at freddysetgo. That's all for today. Our closing, our closing, the world is hurting. We need you at your very best. So take the steps today to always be upgrading, whatever it takes to move the needle. Remember, while life is pain, putting those fractured pieces back together is a beautiful process. I'm your host. I love you. Namaste. Have a wonderful day.