Top Five Tuesday: Songs to Promote Singing

As a Music Therapist working in a Skilled Care Facility, I sing lots of genres of music and lots of songs for a variety of decades. It's amazing to think that music from the turn of the last century is still sung with regularity. Often times, I think it's time to retire a song till I sing it and a crowd full of residents sing it out with a smile.  My go-to songs to get a room full of residents to sing will probably change every time you would ask me. But I'm sure a few will always stand the test of time. Here's my list to get geriatric clients to sing without thinking:

1. You Are My Sunshine
2. God Bless America
3. Let Me Call You Sweetheart
4. My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
5. Something Regional: In Wisconsin--It's a Polka "Roll Out the Barrell"

I myself love all of these songs and even though I try to stay away from "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" thinking it's a Moldy Oldie, I always seem to turn to it if a group is turning passive.  Folk songs, Patriotic and the good old polkas seem to bring out the party in residents. These are all songs that I know my own children know and I have not been the one to teach them the words. I'm sure I'll be singing them for a long time to come.