Androscoggin Harmony choir members, from left, Janette Sweem, Barbara Johnson and Alan Elze rehearse June 14 at the Androscoggin Hospice House in Auburn. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
AUBURN — Standing in the atrium of the Androscoggin Hospice House, a small choir performs in an empty hall. Their music is soothing and full of nostalgia. As they sing, family members peek out of doorways to listen.
The group is the Androscoggin Harmony, a choir that comes together every Wednesday from 2 to 3:30 p.m. to sing for residents of the Androscoggin Hospice House in Auburn.
Their work is valued, providing comfort and solace to residents as well as families.
“There are times where they will be doing a bedside singing, and the patient may have been (unresponsive) for a while,” said Jenny Cowie, manager of volunteer resources. “But when the patient hears music, especially certain songs that might trigger a memory, they become a little bit more active, more responsive. Music can be such a healing process.”
Jan Roundy has been singing in choirs for decades, so when her choir disbanded she went looking for another place to put her passion. At the time, she was a hospice volunteer at the Androscoggin Home Health Care and Hospice Center. She attended a conference on singing for the end of life, where she met other volunteers interested in forming a choir at the Hospice House.
“I was retired at that point and I was looking for something to do,” she said.
The intention was to sing in nursing homes, at bedside and in the atrium of the Hospice House. And for years they did just that, occasionally performing at memorial services at the Franco Center.
During this time, their group had a healthy membership reaching as many as 20 at one time, and listeners enjoyed a full and dynamic choir. However, during COVID-19, membership declined and, due to scheduling conflicts, on any given week the choir now consists of between four and six members.
The small number of singers means the group is unable to fulfill requests by families for private performances in their homes.
Barbara Johnson, center, shares a laugh June 14 with Alan Elze during a recent rehearsal of the Androscoggin Harmony choir at Androscoggin Hospice House in Auburn. Janette Sweem, left, looks over her sheet music. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
As such, Androscoggin Harmony members are seeking to expand membership. Anyone is welcome to join the group, regardless of past singing experience. “Anyone who has a desire to sing, even if you can’t carry a note, you can join the chorus and they will help you,” Cowie said.
During practices, singers warm up and take turns choosing songs to practice. Between songs the group members banter about things like who is having trouble with a song and what aspects of their personalities match their astrological signs. Following each rehearsal, the group performs five songs in the atrium where patients and families are able to hear from the comfort of their rooms.
Occasionally, the group does bedside performances at Hospice House at the request of patients or families.
Members Alan Elze and Patricia Griffin were hospice workers before joining the choir. “I have just a real regard for older individuals, and I always sang in my life in different ways,” said Griffin, who had been offering hospice care for more than seven years when she heard about the choir. She said she was inspired to join by “the importance of end of life and how powerful music is and wanting to give that.”
The Harmony group performs a range of songs, including various religious tunes as well as classics like “Take me Home, Country Roads,” “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “You Are My Sunshine” and “Annie’s Song.” Their repertoire also includes “Amazing Grace” in English, French and Cherokee, and songs in Zulu and Mi’kmaq.
The songs done in other languages were not introduced at the request of residents, but rather to further soothe patients with just the melody, rather than message, of the song, according to Roundy.
“A lot of patients aren’t going to understand Zulu, or Mi’kmaq or Cherokee,” Roundy said, “but it’s soothing, it’s comforting and singing in a language they are not familiar with is not going to pull them out of their transition process. It’s just there to support and help them.”
To get involved, email volunteer@androscoggin.org or call 207-795-9506. No hospice experience is required to join the choir for rehearsal and atrium performances. To participate in bedside singing, however, members must complete 20 hours of hospice volunteer training. For more information, got to the Androscoggin Home Health Care and Hospice volunteer page.
Androscoggin Harmony choir member Charlie Kettell, left, helps new member Donald LaBranch orient himself with the sheet music June 14 at the Androscoggin Hospice House in Auburn. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
Androscoggin Harmony choir members Joan Chandler, left, and Barbara Johnson attend a rehearsal June 14 at the Androscoggin Hospice House in Auburn. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
The Androscoggin Harmony choir sings June 14 in the atrium of the Androscoggin Hospice House in Auburn. The group welcomes new members. From left are Patricia Griffin, Rachel Cyr, Janette Sweem, Donald LaBranch, Charlie Kettell, Alan Elze, Barbara Johnson and Joan Chandler. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
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