River Hills church groups ?use healing power of music?

LAKE WYLIE --?

Members of the Music Men and Sometime Singers say they often see miraculous moments when they perform. The River Hills Community Church groups see their audience, even wheelchair-bound, tapping their toes to the music.

?The care givers told us the only time they show any signs of activity is when we?re there or they hear music,? said Kevin Gray, music director for the Lake Wylie church. ?Just a smile or nod of acknowledgement from these people speaks volumes to the magic and healing power of music, and it?s why we do what we do.?

Both the Music Men and Sometime Singers were founded more than 25 years ago by Mack Jones and Joanne Brown, respectively, as community outreach programs. Equipped with a collection of songs from Broadway hits and secular music to The Beatles, the groups travel to retirement communities, hospice centers and adult day care centers throughout York County and Charlotte with a singular purpose: to entertain, make jokes and to shake up the daily routine.

?I think we all have a selfish motive for joining, which is that we love to sing and are grateful to have an audience to listen to us,? said Sometime Singers member Ellen Hendrickson. ?But to be able to reach people who don?t have variety or this type of thing in their lives anymore is truly a blessing.?

Singer Ethel Webb agrees she gets as much out of it as the audience.

?When someone you performed for who you considered unaware suddenly looks up at you with their eyes full of life, it?s humbling,? she said. ?We really benefit so much ourselves from sharing in their joy, and we make sure to let them know how happy we are to share our day with them.?

For others, like Music Men member Bill MacIndoe, it?s a chance to continue a passion and family tradition forged during his childhood.

?I started singing at 12 years old in a Presbyterian church quartet in Philadelphia, and have sang un every church I?ve been a member of ever since,? he said. ?Choir is a big part of my life, and I get to keep doing it while also helping give back to those perhaps less fortunate.?

Many of the 30-plus combined members also see it as a second chance to perform. Several of the performers were members of Lake Wylie Community Theater, which closed in 2001. But those ?tight bonds,? they say, are carried on.

?There were a lot of us here who acted, danced, sang, made costumes and designed sets for the Lake Wylie Theater productions,? said Sometime Singers member Marg Barnes. ?We feel like family here, and since we perform many of the pieces we did back then, it?s a great way to relive those great memories.?

With an average age older than 70, the Music Men and Sometime Singers also find their camaraderie helps them through difficult times.

?For the loved ones we lost that once sang with us, we sing at their funerals as a meaningful way to honor both the family and the person,? Gray said. ?It just continues to show how music can help one elevate and endure.?

Like their church, everyone is welcome to join.

?We have both members and non-members of the church who sing with us, and even those who don?t attend church,? Gray said. ?For both the church and the singing groups, we try to define ourselves by what we embrace in each other, not by the little things that divide us. It doesn?t make any difference where you are on your faith journey.?

Rehearsals will resume Jan. 24. Anyone interested in joining the Music Men and Sometimes Singers should email kevin@rhcconline.org.

Source: http://www.lakewyliepilot.com/2012/01/03/1380250/river-hills-church-groups-use.html

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