Welcome to the Come Together Choir Turnkey Music Toolkits for Senior Enrichment alliance. These materials – developed through years of testing and refinement – are designed to make outreach choir programs easier to implement and more engaging, efficient, and successful.
The Come Together Choir Turnkey Music Toolkits was developed by Key Chorale and me, Joseph Caulkins, Artistic Director & CEO.
Key Chorale, a symphonic chorus based in Sarasota, Florida, uses outreach choirs to serve the senior community while advancing our mission of transforming lives through innovative programming, artistic excellence, education, and community engagement. How did a performing arts organization find itself working in the health and wellness space?
In 2011, I was approached by Doreen Southerland, Founder & President of Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson’s in Sarasota. She learned that choirs for people living with Parkinson’s were beginning to emerge. Participants discovered that singing together didn’t just feel good; it could help improve their health.
Ms. Southerland asked if I would consider creating a local choir for individuals with Parkinson’s. My first response was simple: “Absolutely not. I don’t know anything about Parkinson’s. I’m not a music therapist.” Not easily discouraged, Doreen sent me an article written by a retired ballerina living with Parkinson’s. She had always wanted to sing but never had the time. After joining a Parkinson’s choir in New York, she said something that changed everything:
“Ever since I’ve been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, every day Parkinson’s has taken something away from me.
This is the one thing Parkinson’s actually gave me—it gave me my voice.”
That moment changed my answer from “Absolutely not” to “Okay… how do we do this?”
After consulting neurologists and studying therapies used to treat Parkinson’s, I combined that research with my background in vocal technique and pedagogy to create more than 100 breathing, vocal, and physical exercises designed to maximize the benefits of singing.
In 2012, Key Chorale launched its first outreach choir, the Off-Key Chorale. Since then, the program has expanded to include choirs for individuals living with Alzheimer’s and memory loss, as well as choirs for general senior enrichment.
Along the way, we learned a great deal – often the hard way. We discovered that very little music is arranged specifically for senior voices, and that purchasing music for outreach choirs can become expensive quickly. At the same time, this work became one of the most meaningful parts of our week. Everything we’ve learned is now being shared with you.
Inside the toolkits you’ll find:
- Professionally arranged, theme-based song collections designed for senior voices
- Proven rehearsal plans and warm-up exercises
- A scripted concert format that creates a fun, interactive final performance
Most importantly, these toolkits are designed to help people reconnect – with music, with one another, and with their own voices.
Joseph Caulkins, Key Chorale CEO & Artistic Director
Inspire. Engage. Uplift.