E055 Midlife Pivot: Singing To Seniors
Welcome to the Experience 50 Podcast!
In her mid-50s, Mary Sue Wilkinson left her paycheck and found her entrepreneurial spirit. A lifelong musician who described her dream job as getting paid to sing to children and old people, she found her answer.
After leaving the profession of education, she enlisted a business coach (Christine Kane), did her homework and created a business plan. She recommends mid-lifer’s looking for a career change at 50+ look to making a business of their hobbies.
Mary Sue is now providing caregivers of seniors and dementia patients the tools to connect and find joy in the music of a bygone era.
In this podcast episode, you will learn the benefits of sharing the RIGHT music to make a connection, awaken memories and bring joy.
Mary Sue shares her tips on selecting songs and how families and caregivers can integrate music into care.
Mary Sue Wilkinson is the founder of Singing Heart to HeartTM and the Young at Heart Music Program. She is a career educator and a professional musician. And she loves to sing! Her flagship program, Young at Heart Music, is devoted to bringing the joy of music and singing to seniors with decades of life experiences and memories tied to music. Mary Sue recently published “Songs You Know By Heart: A Simple Guide for Using Music in Dementia Care.” Leading dementia care specialist Teepa Snow contributed to and endorses the book, which includes Mary Sue’s recording of 18 familiar sing along songs.
Mary Sue is available as a trainer and as a keynote speaker sharing her expertise about the power of music to connect, to awaken memories and bring joy. In addition to her book, her CD “Songs You Know By Heart” and her E-Book “Finding Memories through Music: A Family Interview” as well as other resources are available on her website: www.SingingHeartToHeart.com. The book and downloadable music is available at amazon.com*
Mary Sue currently lives in Traverse City, Michigan. She is now 62 years old and has one son and a daughter-in-love. In addition to singing with seniors, Mary Sue still occasionally finds time to sing with young children and her Americana duo Drive South.
