"Young@Heart"

[Lydia Leftcoast]

This afternoon I watched a wonderful documentary called "Young@Heart," the story of a chorus of elderly people based in Northampton, Massachusetts. Instead of singing old-time tunes, however, this group, under the direction of a fifty-something man, sings contemporary rock and pop.

The reviewer's cliché "I laughed, I cried" never seemed so appropriate. There is tragedy in this film, as two members of the chorus die in the course of filming, but I also found myself misting up when the chorus performed for local jail inmates and moved THEM to tears. However, much of the time, watching the "can do" spirit of the singers and their obvious joy in performing, I realized that I had a smile on my face.

The movie contains a couple of music videos made by the chorus, including a highly ironic and funny one of them singing "I Want to Be Sedated," as well as performance footage from hometown concerts and a European tour.

I was reminded that the arts are for life. With schools cutting budgets, districts go to great lengths to preserve their athletic programs, and our culture as a whole glorifies athletes, but it's the rare person who can participate meaningfully in athletics after the age of 40. It's true that a ninety-two-year-old can't sing as well as a twenty-nine-year-old, but musicians, especially instrumentalists, can keep going till they drop. So can actors, visual artists, and creative writers.

It seems that if we want to prepare our children and youth for their whole lives, we should get them involved in the arts.