Fans of Disney’s sound know the magic is in the music, and anyone looking to enjoy feel-good, old-time tunes need go no further than Bella Vida, where they can catch a show from Santa Clarita’s own Silvertone Singers.
On Friday, Nov. 15, the Bella Vida senior center is hosting the Silvertone Singers’ “Magical Music of Disney” concert.
“If you talk to these seniors about (contemporary music artist) Beck, they’ll have no clue who that is; but if you talk to them about Disney movies, they’ll all have stories about what they remember as their parents took them to see,” said John Swinford, conductor for the Silvertones and performing arts coordinator with the senior center. “We’re hoping that this will be a good way for the community to see local talent putting on a good source of free, family-friendly music. We want this show to invoke fond memories from both our performers and our audience.”
The Silvertone Singers is a group of about 60 singers ranging in age from their mid-50s all the way to their 90s. The group often performs at venues around town and hosts shows at the Bella Vida senior center. Each week members gather to sing and rehearse. Being part of the Silvertone Singers also serves as a social outlet for its members and the groups they sing for.
Most of the music Swinford chooses for the group are songs from the 1940s to the 1970s, which help remind the seniors of their youth; though he says he has been able to drag them “kicking and screaming” into singing music from the 1990s and early-2000s.
Swinford chose the Disney theme for this concert because he wanted to help bring back fond memories of childhood for the seniors and the audience. Song selections include popular themes from the films, television and theme parks like “It’s a Small World,” “Yo Ho,” the “Mickey Mouse Club” theme and “Beauty and the Beast.”
“There’s a lot of research that shows that music has an impact on the neuromotor functions on the brain that does wonders for cognitive enhancement, especially for seniors,” said Swinford. “We’ve had experiences singing for people in Alzheimer’s care who start to sing along after not having spoken for six months.”
The Silvertone Singers are scheduled to present their concert “Magical Music of Disney” at the Bella Vida senior center at 27180 Golden Valley Road on Friday, Nov. 15, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. There is no charge for the event and refreshments will be served. Guests are encouraged to dress up in Disney regalia.
