Music in Nursing Homes Win-Win for Performers and Residents

Gloria Hoffner, a former reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer, now has a second career playing music in nursing homes.

Nearly 20 years ago, I had a guitar teacher who made most of his income playing concerts in nursing homes. I never knew such a career existed, and it was years before I met anyone else who did this work. Now, a confluence of events has made playing music in senior facilities a sought-after career – and second career – for both amateur and professional musicians.

For one, the baby boomers continue to age. Not only are there more people living in nursing homes and senior housing, the musicians themselves are aging. Many musicians have grown tired of playing in bars or venues where the pay and audience appreciation may be low. At the same time, there is a better understanding among geriatric professionals that music not only provides entertainment, but healing. It keeps people more engaged in life, with each other, more pain free, and less anxious and depressed.

Although nursing home work has been harder to get during the recent recession, it is there. Below is an interview with Gloria Hoffner of Media, Pa., who successfully transitioned from a journalism career to playing music in nursing homes and senior living facilities.

LRG: How long did you work as a journalist and what did you cover?

Gloria Hoffner (GH): I was a reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer for 21 years. During that time, I covered everything from town meetings to a murder. Most of the time I covered education in the suburbs with a focus on special education and autism. I am very proud of a story that exposed a lack of classrooms designed for students with autism in Delaware County. It resulted in a state investigation and an order requiring all districts to serve students with autism within their own district schools.

LRG: What prompted you to switch careers – and play music in nursing homes?

GH: I worked at the paper through several buyouts, downsizings, and two sales of the company. So with the future of newspapers looking grim, I looked into switching careers. I’ve spent my life volunteering for various organizations so it was natural to look at my work in that area. I’ve been a registered Girl Scout since childhood and a leader; a Boy Scout leader since 1987; a church and community volunteer; etc. I played in an adult band and we played concerts once a month at local nursing homes. While playing in nursing homes, I met activity directors. Being an activity director seemed like a career that might interest me.

I took a part-time job two hours a week at a local nursing home as an activity assistant to get a feel for the work. The director at the home noticed from my resume that I played guitar and asked me to bring the guitar and play for the residents. I loved playing and enjoyed it so much that in the fall of 2006, I enrolled in a course to earn my activity director certification, with plans to complete the course and then look for a job as a director. 

LRG: How long have you played music?

GH: I played piano in elementary school, picked up guitar in junior high, and added baritone horn in high school. From high school on I played guitar at church and scouts. I taught private guitar lessons and formed a group and played professionally at weddings throughout the 1970s and 1980s.  I majored in journalism and minored in music at Temple University where I earned a B.A. I have played guitar at church services most years since 1969.

LRG: Do you have any formal training in singing?

GH: I sang in “Messiah” with the Main Line Chorus in 1985.

LRG: What is a typical day for you?

GH: I have no typical day. That is one of the things I love, as I also never had a typical day at the newspaper. Every day brings a new chance to meet people and play music. On average, I play at two locations a day. I play music for an hour at most locations.

LRG: Are you ‘performing’ or are you running interactive sessions?

GH: I do both – I play and interactive with the audience.

LRG: What songs do you play? Do you take requests?

GH: I play classic sing-a-longs, showtunes, country tunes, patriotic songs, holiday themes. I do take requests.

LRG: Are you on a stage or do you just play in a room?

GH: I play in a room usually. I bring my guitar, music stand, and an amp system.

LRG: For those who are interested in playing in nursing homes/independent living facilities, what advice can you provide?

GH: This is a very rough time due to cutbacks in nursing home budgets as a result of the housing downturn – seniors who can’t sell their homes don’t move into retirement communities – and the government is cutting back funding for public nursing homes. I’ve since discovered there are hundreds of seasoned musicians that have been playing at nursing homes for years; sadly, due to the recession, many are turning to other venues. I wake up every morning in prayer for the new day. I am fortunate that my home is paid for, my husband has health insurance for both of us, and I have always lived a thrifty lifestyle.

LRG: Did you ever work as an activity director or have you stuck with playing only?

GH: A friend said, “Why take the director’s job (three were offered) when you can play music?” I didn’t do what I naturally would do as a journalist – research. I listened to the Lord and my heart – and my husband said, “Try it for a year.”

LRG: What can someone generally charge an hour?

GH: It is so individual I would not want to say.

LRG: How many hours is a ‘gig’?

GH: That depends on the client. Usually an hour – but I’ve done up to four hours at one location.

LRG: What do you like best about your work?

GH: I LOVE working with people! It is what I loved about being a reporter – never the elections, the courts, the cops… I loved feature stories and telling the story of each individual’s impact on the world. And best of all, being a small cog that helped make a difference – eg, writing about homeless families and the response from the readers, which placed seven families in homes!

LRG: What reaction do you get from your audiences?

GH: I get smiles, hugs. I’ve had people who stopped speaking due to dementia sing all the words to a Christmas carol. I had a woman who, after months of silence, spoke up and said to her husband, “We heard that song (I was playing) at the Latin Casino,” and tell the memory in detail. I had a woman, a former scout leader, for whom I played Girl Scout songs; she had severe dementia, but she remembered me, the songs, and the event three weeks later! I’ve had people wheeled into an area for music who come in complaining of pain and leave smiling and thanking me for the music making them forget their pain.

LRG: How do you go about finding work?

GH: It is word of mouth, my website, networking. A lot of musicians use agents and some nursing homes hire only through agents. I use agents, but mostly I am on my own.