<p>It will be too late in the game for some kids to do this but it might be exactly what some are looking for.</p>
<p>I'm on the board of directors for a group called PAL - Players and Listeners - that was just started this year by an extremely motivated and wonderful young lady who is one of my daughter's friends. We have applied for our 501 c3 (non profit status) and are getting all the legal type stuff in proper order. It has a charter with her high school so it is a school sponsored club, and it is open for other high schools to start their own chapters.</p>
<p>All that it is, is a coalition of students in the performing arts who volunteer (usually Sunday afternoons as they are all busy other times) to put on a short performance (an hour or hour and a half tops) at local retirement communities. Everyone in the group can't be and isn't expected to be at every show (except the girl who founded it, who has probably thousands of volunteer hours at this - it grew out of her Girl Scout Gold Award project) but most of them manage to come at least once a month or so.</p>
<p>We have musical theater enthusiasts like my daughter as well as choir students, band students, and kids who aren't necessarily in school programs but who pursue their talent individually.</p>
<p>It is a <em>wonderful</em> opportunity, especially in communities like mine which has limited opportunities, for the kids to get comfortable with performing in front of live audiences. It's very informal; they wear something slightly churchy or businesslike (khakis, nice blue jeans, casual skirts and blouses, etc) that is respectful of the sensibilities of the older people there, and they just do whatever musical pieces in their repetoire that they want. ("no rap singing or flash dancing!" lol) If everyone will respond in time with their numbers, my daughter prints up a quick simple little program, but usually we have to deviate a little from it, and that's okay.</p>
<p>You cannot imagine how much the residents appreciate and eagerly look forward to seeing these fresh young faces put on an entertainment for them. It's an enormously bright spot in their lives, and research all indicates that music and experiences like this are extremely beneficial for Alzheimer's patients. Not all the residents have Alzeheimers and some are just as sharp as tacks, but the ones who do experience improved mood even later after the show is over, whether or not they specifically remember it or not.</p>
<p>My daughter felt a little odd about going around to greet the audience members after the shows but she quickly saw the expressions on their faces and realized what a real gift it was to them for her to give a little of her time and talent. Right now we have way more requests for appearances than we can possibly handle, which is why Shannon (the founder) is reaching out to other local high schools to start their own chapters so that they don't have to be turned down so much. It is really hard to turn them down, but our kids are very busy and there are SO many of these retirement homes. So we need to have more kids doing it! :-)</p>
<p>If you have a student who is perhaps a sophomore or junior (so there is time to get it established) who needs a really great service project for his or her resume and wants to just show off what they can do (I cannot deny that the kids love this part :-) ) to a very appreciate audience and who has the initiative to get a club started in his or her school, this is a wonderful opportunity. I believe I recall reading in the "how to get into the fabulous school you want to get into" type guides, that starting a club looks pretty good on the resume. This type of club is <em>right</em> up an MT kid's alley. They are always working on audition pieces anyway, right? Good chance to do it in a venue that is perhaps different than play rehearsals or voice lessons; all the kids in our group, though they love to perform, have enthusiastically noticed that they feel less and less intimidated about performing in public or "stage fright" since they have started doing this. ~Well, there are a couple of kids who have been performing in their churches since they were tots and to them it just comes like breathing. But my daughter has had much fewer opportunities to perform than she would have liked over the years. It has tremendously helped her, and it makes her feel really good to have done it.</p>
<p>Plus, other than getting the club established (which would probably require the support of a few parents) and seeing to scheduling, there's not that much required except for the actual performances. Which is good, as we all know how busy our MT kids (and parents) are with keeping grades up and also working on their acting, singing and dancing skills. This activity enhances rather than takes away from the time they need to work on those. It's pretty straightforward and simple. They get together and do an informal performance on Sundays in the community center areas of the retirement homes on which ever Sunday afternoons that they are free, is about all it boils down to, but so much reward from just a couple hours of their time.</p>
<p>Shannon has a really good website if anyone is interested into looking into this. I don't recall if we are allowed to post links. If I am notified that it's okay I will, but otherwise you can pm me and I'll send it. Also we have a facebook page, which is listed as PAL Texarkana.</p>
<p>I hope it is okay for me to put this here; it just seems like such a win win situation for everyone involved, the kids who are involved and our older population who we all know are not treated as well as they should be sometimes. "Don't forget about me" is the motto.</p>
<p>Sorry such a long post! Thanks for considering, especially if you or your kid is looking for something significant for his or her resume.</p>
<p>"To enrich our community by taking the arts directly to those in need and to improve the relationship between our seniors and our youth through the performing arts."</p>
The amount of visits and performances that the homes receive in this area could stand to be increased significantly and we hope that having a school sponsored formal club would encourage and facilitate more kids to participate.</p>