Merry Christmas from Washington, D.C.

Merry Christmas from D.C. where I'm spending the holidays with my middle daughter and son-in-law. We had a fun time this morning opening presents and eating delicious Christmas goodies and drinking coffee and hot chocolate with marshmallows. Yum!! We've been listening to Christmas music for the past 24 hours and all are really in the Christmas spirit!! Hope you're having a wonderful Christmas Day too!

Christmas Comes to Eden Terrace

Well folks, we're back in Spartanburg for my mother's 82nd birthday and it also was the night of the big Christmas party at EdenTerrace. Tumpy (my mother) had pulled together a choir of her peers. She's never conducted a choir before but did a nice job I thought. Music is powerful! Music is healing! Enjoy this performance!

My Thanksgiving Healing Music Special for you

Hope you've had a fantastic Thanksgiving Holiday and enjoyed singing all of your favorite Thanksgiving songs like:

• Come Ye Thankful People Come
• Over the River and Through the Woods
• We Gather Together
• Now Thank We all Our God

For me, singing is as important at Thanksgiving as eating, and a lot healthier! Because I have four fantastic new products that I want you to enjoy and benefit from, I am offering them to you at a huge discount...would you believe 50%??!! Please don't miss this opportunity...it will be gone in another day!

Click HERE to get the fantastic cornucopia of music healing programs and products!

Fun Music Activities with Golden Agers

With the graying of the babyboomers, assisted living ommunities are booming, along with adult daycare centers, and nursing homes. These places have come a along way from when I was a child in the 50's, visiting great-aunts and grandmothers who needed more care. The place where my mother is in S.C. is a beautiful facility with lots of fun, stimulating activities and lots of music.

One of my favorite games to place with folks in their golden years (60-99) is a song title completion game. Some of the favorites are: 1. In the good old....

1. Let me call you ....
2. In my merry....
3. We were sailing along....
4. Nothing could be finer than....
5. When the red, red, robin comes....
6. Tip-toe through the ....
7. Ain't she ....
8. You must have been a beautiful....
9. Down by the ....

There are hundreds of songs that can be tapped. The key is to figure out when people were in their "courting years" and find out the popular songs of that day. Of course you can also do this with hymns, fight songs from college, nursery rhymes...most anything!

Have fun and enjoy this activity!

Singing and Dancing in the Golden Years

I have loads of friends who are in their Golden Years. It makes me want to get there in a hurry because these delightful people are full of energy, enthusisam. I have a dear, dear friend with whom I have coffee every Saturday morning. She has more energy and joie de vivre than I do and I have a lot! Anyway, this dear lady knows the lyrics to thousands of songs as well as operatic arias. She lives and breathes music and every Thursday (or most Thursdays) she and her "beau" go dancing to an afternoon tea dance. She is such an inspiration to me and she firmly believes that music keeps her young! How about you??

Dr. Cash performs at Eden Terrace

After my big speech at Clemson University on Thursday night, I stayed in Clemson for the Clemson football game on Saturday. Then on Saturday night I went over to Spartanburg, S.C. to visit my sister and mother. This morning we had a great time sitting around the piano and singing some old songs, including gospel songs and some Christmas carols! My mother is second from the right in the picture above. To see a video we made this morning, go to www.youtube.com/chantdoc and click on the most recent video. Enjoy and let me know what you think! Alice

Italian Opera Legend Will be Remembered

The world lost a fantastic operatic tenor this week; a tenor that is probably as well-known in the U.S. as any movie star or rock star. Luciano Pavarotti, beloved Italian tenor and one of the famous "Three Tenors" died at his home in Modena, Italy of pancreatic cancer. According to

Forbes.com, "The 71-year-old was considered one of the greatest voices of his generation, and achieved success well beyond the ranks of classical music enthusiasts. He won first prize in a competition in 1961 and was rewarded with the role of Rodolphe in Puccini's 'La Boheme' in nearby Reggio Emilia. Despite his success, he never fully learned to read music, preferring to memorise his roles. In 1996 he left his wife Adua after 35 years of marriage and three grown-up daughters for his secretary Nicoletta Mantovani, whom he married in 2003, they had one child. The singer's weight caused him increasing health problems in his later years, and he also ran into trouble with the Italian tax authorities, with whom he reportedly reached a settlement for the payment of arrears amounting to millions of euros. At the time of his death he had been suffering from ill-health, having undergone surgery for pancreatic cancer in July 2006 followed by chemotherapy, and a series of farewell concerts had been postponed."

Music from Golden Years talks of the Sea

I've been listening recently to my CD, Music for Memory Care. On this CD I am playing instrumental versions of some of the most popular songs from the 1900-1940's. I was struck by how many of these songs talk about the sea: Moonlight Bay, By the Sea, by the sea by the beautiful sea, and lots more that I didn't record on this CD but intend to on the next!

As someone who also loves the ocean, the beach, and palm trees of any type, I think I'll start choosing my next CD's content based on this theme! What do you think?

Benefits of Music in the Golden Years

If you're here reading my blog then there's a good chance that either you're in your Golden Years or you have Golden Years friends. At the risk of making some rather broad generalizations, let me say that golden agers tend to have a little more leisure time. Another generalization might be that their health isn't quite as robust as it was in previous decades. Are you still with me? OK. Another supposition might be that with more leisure time and less physical stamina and energy, golden agers are looking for fun, every-changing, and free or affordable activities on a regular basis. Music can fill the bill every time. Even thought I'm "only" 59 I have noticed myself reminiscing far more than ever before. Music is always one of the triggers for my trips down memory lane.

My dearest friend is a woman who is 79! We are a generation apart and yet we know and love much of the same music. She has taught me tunes and I have taught her things about music. The point is, the musical repertoire is so vast, we could all probably sing 100 different songs every day for the rest of our lives and not repeat one!

So what are the benefits? When we sing songs we love, we breathe deeply and our blood becomes more oxygenated. Our brains get sharper and we feel better. Endorphins and serotonin floods our bodies and we eat better, sleep better and get along with our friends better.

My friend goes dancing with her 85 y.o. "beau" every Thursday and thoroughly enjoys it. I believe that this is happily extending the life of each of them. Soooo, are YOU listening to lots of music each day? Are you singing and dancing your way through your golden years? I sure intend to!

Thoughts of My Father on Father's Day

I loved my Father dearly. I'm sure I was a classic "Daddy's Girl" because growing up, I wanted to be just like Daddy. My father loved music and was always extremely proud of my musical ability. He often would lie on the couch on Sunday afternoons and listen to me play the piano for hours on end. He used to say that the could "just float right up to Heaven" listening to me play the piano.

On this Father's Day I'd like to offer you a very special opportunity to get your father, grandfather, husband or brother a great package of healing music and healing music products. These are downloads that require no musical background or knowledge of music. Just put them on or download them, lean back and enjoy!

Click Here for my Special Father's Day Offer

Is Alice approaching her Golden Years?

Is Alice approaching her Golden Years? Well, what are the Golden Years anyway? I'm sure many people would define them in different ways and at different age ranges. Traditionally I think many of his think of retired folks with grandchildren, gray hair, and rocking chairs as the "golden years crowd" but as I approach the beginning of my seventh decade, I find myself increasingly looking forward to that time in my life. I do look forward to having grandchildren all around me and sitting in my rocker with music all around. I look forward to teaching my grandchildren all of my favorite songs and teaching them to play the piano if they want. This to me, is what my Golden Years will be about. What about you?

Is music part of the fountain of youth?

Recently I started doing a music healing group that meets every Saturday for two hours. The group is free so there has been a flood of interested folks. One of the things that I have noticed both in my new group and in concert audience populations at large is that people of all ages love music and an participate in musicmaking their entire lives. Years ago it was pointed out to me that orchestra conductors frequently live into their 80's and 90's and many conert pianists were concertizing well into their 80's. I heard Artur Rubenstein play a fabulous concert in Italy back in 174 when he was 88 andit was as beautiful a recital--and grueling-as I've ever heard.

Personally I choose to believe that staying active in music-making and music listening will keep you yong for your entire life! It's worth a try isn't it?

An exciting evening in Carnegie Hall

Right now I'm in New York City to attend my sister's concert at Carnegie Hall tonight. Earlier today my sister and I walked over to Carnegie Hall to see if we could see some publicity about the concert with her picture and name. We did find it and we were so excited!

Later tonight we attended the conert and it was one of the highlights of my life to date. She was conducting her orchestra and they played Vaugh-Williams, Bartok, and another lesser-known composer. Wish you all could have been there!

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

When I was first introduced to the "Riverdance" production, I fell in love with it immediately. As a matter of fact I went to see it/hear it for a fourth time in about a decade the other night, and loved it as much as ever. But the folk music of every country is extremely emotional and moving I think. Many of the famous classical composers used entire folk melodies in their symphonies, quartets and even operas. St. Patrick's Day is associated with loads of beautiful folk music and folks in the Golden Years seem to be very familiar with this repertoire for some reason. Maybe some of the people in the Big Bands introduced "an Irish Lullaby" and "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen?" I'm not sure but it is beautiful music. Enjoy! And enjoy my gift to you! http://www.healingmusicenterprises.com/listmailings/StPatricksDay.htm

Music in the Golden Years, Vegas Style

Well, here I am in gaudy Las Vegas, surrounded by flashing lights and blinging slot machines. I really don't care for Las Vegas but there's a family wedding and I must make the best of it.

One thing I am enjoying is staying at the MGM Grand Hotel and seeing all the old photographs of movie stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Right beside my bed is a huge sultry photographe of a movie star and across from me is Clark Gable with some blond beauty. Of course music is brought to mind with all these photos but the walls are strangely silent, muted so everyone can hear the siren call of the slot machines. Too bad. I prefer Hollywood!

Let Me Call You Sweetheart

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I've been thinking about the classic love songs from the 20's, 30's, and 40's. There are so many beautiful songs that I hesitate to start naming my favorites, but the title of today's posting might give you a hint. How often do you hear the songs that you fell in love to? Are you aware of all the benefits of listening to the music of your courting years? Not only do you relax immediately and take a little min-vacation from all the stressors in your life, but you will sleep better and give your day a little boost of energy. What are your favorite love songs?

Singing the Golden Songs

This past weekend, I went to the assisted living facility in South Carolina where my 81 year-old mother now resides. My mother had asked me to bring some music that her friends might enjoy and so I brought my song books, full of the songs of the 20's, 30's and 40's. We had a great time! I could almost see a musical fountain of youth flowing before my eyes. We started out with "Just a Song at Twilight" and continued on with "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby," "My Buddy" "Shanty in Old Shanty Town" and ended with a rousing rendition of "Happy Days are Here Again!" We had so much fun that all of the residents that night were imploring me to come back the next night and every night!

Singing is such an easy thing to do; you don't even need piano accompaniment but I do think it helps! Singing favorite songs lowers the blood pressure, boosts the immune system, and helps folks eat better and sleep better. You really should give it a try!! What do you think??