Maestro Muse

During COVID-19 we are all coping with ways to stay healthy and positive.  The Chautauqua Lake Pops is a music venue and prides itself in presenting music for all to enjoy while lifting spirits through music.

Listening to music can help reduce stress, depression and improve mood.  Music can be a source of pleasure and contentment at any time in our lives though especially so in difficult times. The notion that music can influence your thoughts, feelings and behaviors probably do not come as much of a surprise.  If you've ever been moved to tears by a tender live performance then you can easily understand the power of music to impact your moods.

The psychological effects of music can be powerful and wide-ranging.  Music therapy is an intervention sometimes utilized to promote emotional health, help people cope with stress and boost their psychologicial well-being.  Music can relax the mind.  Music has the power to inspire and entertain.  Instead of thinking of music as pure entertainment, consider some of the major mental benefits of incorporating music into your everyday life.  You might find you are happier and more relaxed as a result.

Why do we turn to music in times of crisis?  Communities around the world have turned to music during the COVID-19 crisis.  From YouTube parodies to apartment block sing-alongs, music can help maintain a sense of community. With contraints on our movements and our general way of life becoming more and more restricted, we are feeling a loss of control not experienced since World War II.  In being confined to our homes, we are missing our normal social support from friends and family plus our freedom to control our day-to-day lives. Listening or making music provides a means of regaining control.

Parodies on YouTube are both lifting community spirits and reminding people to look after each other -- not just themselves.  The Chautauqua Lake Pops has always been about lifting community spirit through music.  With the presence of COVID-19 that focus is even stronger, now. Music creates a sense of belonging and participation.

An example of a parody regarding COVID-19 is from a musician who makes a hobby out of putting together parodies of popular songs.  His latest twist turned the famous and beloved Beatles tune, "Yesterday" into a chorus about COVID-19.  The first line sets the tone.  "Yesterday, COVID-19 was so far away.  Now the world has changed in every way."

I recall the residents of Paris singing as flames tore though the roof of their historic Notre Dame Cathedral.  Parisians sang hymns in the streets when they could do nothing else to save the beloved icon.  This spontaneous reaction seemed to reflect the need to reassure each other even though the cathedral was being destroyed before their eyes -- their community would continue.  The presence of music seemed to offer to the cathedral, itself, reassurance that she was being supported by her community in her time of need.

Community support has evolved from a series of spontaneous musical flash mobs to connect with each other to coordinated displays of appreciation which includes clapping, shouting and singing to acknowledge the health care workers on the front lines. These expressions of gratitude help people to cope in times of crisis.  It provides personal and social development, mental health and well-being benefits along with community strength and harmony.

Today, music is the most consumed form of culture.  People listen to music to regulate their mood and to achieve self-awareness.  We are seeing this age-old human adjustment once again being mobilized in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to keep communities pulling together.

Music is a social balm for soothing anxiety, enhancing community connections and acting in defiance of a threat to community spirit.  The Chautauqua Lake Pops is community spirit. Music has not yet lost its importance for humanity and neither has the Chautauqua Lake Pops!


"Music is like magic.  Having been an entertainer and musician for many years I have seen, first hand, the healing power of music and how it lifts spirits and heals hearts.  Music calms the soul, can shift moods, manage stress and stimulate positive interactions with others.  A day without music is like a day without sunshine!"

Rockin' Robin Grandin
Music to Remember
www.musictorememberwny.com

Having dedicated years to developing music programs to help generate mental and social health across Western New York Robin Grandin is living proof of music's effectiveness and importance during times like this.  Robin wrote a song in honor of her mother who developed memory loss.  The title is Memories of the Heart.


"Music therapy was an important aspect at my place of employment. Often times a barbershop quartet or a high school choral group would give concerts which always brought about many smiles.  The residents and staff were pleased that these talented groups took the time out of their day to bring music into their lives."

A Retired Assistant Director of Nursing


"The medical benefits of music are well-known as it does improve mood and may reduce symptoms of depression.  Music can be very relaxing for women in labor and for surgeons in the operating room.  Often times we can experience an uplifting sense of community when we listen to a music concert." 

A Retired Doctor


"As we begin to see some light with moving forward through COVID-19 we must not forget those who are effected mentally, socially and economically.  Music has played a very important part in healing those wounds.  It is a time of renewal, to refresh and reorganize through music to help us all heal.  The Chautauqua Lake Pops can provide a service to the region as we recover and reopen. The Chautauqua Lake Pops from its inception has always been the people. Working hard to find a way, even now, to continue bringing the gift of music to the community in a safe way.  We need it now more than ever."

Dan Dalpra, Chautauqua Lake Pops Founder & CEO



Be safe.

Pat Locke
Maestro Muse