So many nursing homes and retirement villages around Australia have copies of the ULVERSCROFT Red and Blue Books, featuring words and music for nearly 400 old time songs from the early 1900s to the 1960s …... all time evergreen songs familiar to all seniors.
Whenever music from this era is played, memories flood back…. Happy times, sad times, momentous events etc etc. Music does this, it speaks in all languages and these books have been a marvellous aid over the years to many age care facilities; however there have been occasions when a piano player has not been available to play the songs when required.
This is where Mr Graeme Pope an ex Aviator from Riddells Creek, Victoria came into the picture. From an early age Mr Pope has been passionate about playing music for elderly people in Aged Care. On the many occasions when piano players were unavailable and the books needed to be used he envisaged a set of recordings to be provided for the accompaniment of all the songs in both the Red and Blue books. To this end Mr Pope approached me and enquired if I may be interested in recording all songs in the two books… 380 of them in all.
Having seen both of my own parents in aged care, I could see the benefit of such a project, and agreed to start the mammoth task of recording. It took some time to complete; but now at last every one of those 380 songs is ready for use.
At the time of writing Graeme Pope is creating an attractive presentation wallet containing 19 CDs, with easy to find 380 tracks for use in nursing homes and other aged care facilities. They will certainly be of great benefit to those organisations who choose to use them. For more information see our MARKET SURVEY pages.
I am personally so pleased to see my musical talents as a pianist being utilised in such a way in the entertainment and indeed therapy of so many aged people not only here in Australia but possibly throughout the world.
BARRY HALL OAM
