ANNA BISSONNETTE HOUSE |
Coordinator:
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Type of site:
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assisted living facility
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| Address: |
1640 Washington St.
Boston, MA 02118 |
Getting there:
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We take the number one bus to Washington Street and walk down Washington until we see Anna B House to our right. There is a very nice ice cream shop right next to here that we can visit after the performance ;-)
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Space:
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We perform in the living room, and there is plenty of space for large group performances.
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| Piano: |
The upright piano at this site is in good condition. |
| Population: |
The Anna Bissonnette House was was originally created for homeless elders, and it is organized by
non-profit organizations. Conversations with the residents are usually very good after the performance.
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THE CAMBRIDGE HOMES |
Coordinator:
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George
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Type of site:
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assisted living residence
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Address:
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360 Mount Auburn Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
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Phone:
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876-0369 -- contact: Lisa Lambert
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Getting there:
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Bus 71 or 73 to the stop after Mount Auburn Hospital.
It will be on your left, and will take about 5 minutes. Or
walking, just keep on Mount Auburn Street and it'll take about 20
minutes or so.
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Space:
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Performances take place in the activities room of the
basement, but it's still quite airy and bright. Nice, open
performance space that is usually filled to capacity with 10-15
residents. "Green Room" usually provided in a
room with a snack machine or a gym area adjacent to the activities room.
Performers usually cheer each other on in the activities room and in the hallway from the rehearsal space to
the activities room.
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Piano:
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Pretty decent white upright piano.
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Population:
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Residents are friendly and still lead pretty active
lifestyles. Many have studied music at some point in their lives.
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CAMBRIDGE SENIOR CENTER |
Coordinator:
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Rui
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Type of site:
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senior center
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Address:
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806 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
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Phone:
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349-6060 -- contact: Arlene McGrady (weekdays), Emma Watkins (weekends)
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Getting there:
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Take the Red Line to Central, then walk along Mass Ave towards the post office,
and the senior center comes up very soon after. Total travel time is 10-15 minutes.
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Space:
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We perform in a very large ballroom area with a tiled floor.
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Piano:
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There is an upright piano that is slightly out-of-tune but playable.
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Population:
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The site usually has a large and receptive audience in this spacious cafeteria-like setting,
and they have microphones available if needed. The people here are lively and energetic and generally not in need of medical care.
They generally have very full schedules of art shows, yoga, etc., and are very friendly and totally with it, fairly young for the elderly.
It's a fairly large crowd, maybe 15-25.
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COOLIDGE HOUSE
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Coordinator:
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Beatrice
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Type of site:
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nursing home
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| Address: |
30 Webster Street
Brookline, MA 02446
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| Phone: |
734-2300 -- contact: Jeff Lewis |
| Getting there: |
Site can be reached taking the #66 Bus toward Allston
(it picks up at the island between Boston Commons and the other side of Garden Street, takes about 25 minutes,
then must get off at Marion Street - that is, Coolidge Corner - cross street and take a right onto Webster soon thereafter.
Takes a total of 30-35 minutes). See map.
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| Space: |
We perform in a large dining/living room on the 8th floor.
It can hold a lot of people, but there are usually about 25-30 patients
in the audience. All instruments are welcome, as the space is
big enough to handle loud sounds. "Green Room" is a smaller dining room adjacent to the large dining room.
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Piano:
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There is an upright piano at Coolidge House
(4.3/6.0). It is great for accompaniment and very good for
solo performance.
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Population:
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The residents of Coolidge House are elderly, and most
use wheelchairs. They are verbally responsive to our
performances, and they often ask cute questions when you introduce
yourself. All kinds of music are welcome, especially standards
(e.g., "Misty").
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FRANCISCAN
|
Coordinator:
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Rui
|
Type of site:
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children's hospital and school for children with special needs
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| Address: |
30 Warren St.
Brighton, MA |
Getting there:
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We take the B Green train to Warren St and then walk. (Trip time is about 45 min)
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Space:
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Previously we have performed in the gymnasium (if we come during the week). There is a very nice piano there. During days with beautiful weather we may perform in the picninc/playground area (this is probably only possible in the spring semester).
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| Piano: |
The piano is an upright piano is in very good condition. |
| Population: |
This is a very unique site for MIHNUET since it is one of the only hospitals that we visit that is for children. The age range of the children is from 8-16. When we perform during the week they actually cut classes short for our performance, so EVERYONE in the school is brought in to the gymnasium (teachers and students). They absolutely love music. Take in mind that you are performing for children, so upbeat music is especially appreciated. Disney music is always very welcome, as is general pop/contemporary music. Sometimes the kids may get up and start dancing. The kids that go to this school are often quite sick but have a really happy countenance and a wonderful outlook, mostly thanks to the great staff that runs the school and the hospital. Julie, the activities director, is actually a music therapist, so she especially appreciates our work here.
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GODDARD HOUSE |
Coordinator:
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Type of site:
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senior center
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| Address: |
165 Chestnut St.
Brookline, MA 02445 |
Getting there:
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T Green to Kenmore, then Bus 60 to Cypress St. = 45 m; or, T Green .D. to Brookline Hills, then a walk = 50 min
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Space:
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The performance room is relatively large and comfortable. Seating is pre-arranged in rows for the audiences which are usually large and very receptive.
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| Piano: |
There is an excellent grand piano which is a highlight for many our our pianists! Also, microphones can be available if needed. |
| Population: |
The audience is usually large and very attentive. The residents are much healthier than at most other sites, and appreciate a wide range of music. They enjoy chatting with us after the performance.
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HALE HOUSE |
Coordinator:
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Natalie
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Type of site:
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assisted living residence
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Address:
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273 Clarendon Street
Boston, MA 02116
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Phone:
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536-3726 -- contact: Jane Pothier
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Getting there:
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Take the Red Line to Park Street, then the Green Line to Copley.
Take the Dartmouth St exit from the T station, and then walk down
Boylston St. You will eventually come to Clarendon St, where you
should take a left. It is about an 8-minute walk down
Clarendon St to Hale House, which will be on your right. It is
not very well marked, so just look for the address. Total trip
time is about 30 minutes.
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Space:
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We perform in a living room, which is connected to
the dining area on the first floor. Hale House itself is
physically a very beautiful site, and this room is no exception. The room has a
high ceiling, it is elaborately decorated, and it has a black
Steinway piano. It is well suited for all types of music. "Green Room" is an open living room area
adjacent to the performance room.
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Piano:
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A Steinway baby grand.
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Population:
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The residents at Hale House are elderly residents who
generally have decreased mobility. However, most
patients are very responsive to music, and have no
problem interacting with us. One man was a very
talented musician (with a master's in music from Yale)
when he was younger, so he is very knowledgeable about
music. He may correct you if you deliver incorrect
information in your spiel. On the whole, the
residents seem to really appreciate MIHNUET's efforts
and they are verbally responsive to our
performances. All kinds of music are welcome, but
it seems the preference is for classical music or
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JEANNE JUGAN |
Coordinator:
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Natalie
|
Type of site:
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multi-level care (independent living, assisted living, nursing care)
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| Address: |
186 Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA 02143
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| Phone: |
776-4420 -- contact: Joanna Coneeny
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| Getting there: |
Take the Red Line to Davis, and then Bus 88 to Benton Road or walk. Total travel time is 30-35 minutes.
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Space:
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There are two possible performance spaces. We usually perform in the large auditorium (which has
a stage) on the first floor. Here we'll usually be provided with a microphone to introduce ourselves since
the 15-20 residents are spread all around. No separate "Green Room", so performers just sit at one of the tables
off to the side. The second space is a dining room on the 5th floor.
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Piano:
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There is a fairly good upright piano with a very high bench.
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Population:
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The residents are all elderly, and since the facility is multi-level care,
they vary in terms of mobility and alertness. But they are very sweet and appreciative in general.
MIHNUET usually draws a large crowd and there is usually some people singing along as well!
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NEVILLE PLACE |
Coordinator:
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Natalie
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Type of site:
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assisted living residence
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| Address: |
650 Concord Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
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| Phone: |
497-8700 -- contact: Sue Bowdridge (x112, or e-mail her)
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| Getting there: |
Take Bus #74 or #78 leaving from inside the T station (#74 bus schedule and #78 bus schedule) and arriving directly at the end of the
driveway of Neville Place. The bus stop comes after the
second, larger rotary (I don’t think you have to request it).
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Space:
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The residents all gather in the spacious living room and the performers stand on one end of the room while the residents sit on couches. They also serve cookies and soda. "Green Room" available in a nearby office.
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Piano:
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Gorgeous upright piano with nice full sound. The only blemish is that the damper pedal squeaks.
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Population:
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There are no particularly favored instruments; they appreciate anything.
They have lots of Irish and Scottish residents so that genre is always appreciated, but really anything goes.
The residents are all elderly residents who grew up mostly in Cambridge or around here.
They love to talk to "us kids" about the history of Boston and Cambridge and are very appreciative of everything, in general.
Many have studied music in the past.
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NORTH END COMMUNITY NURSING HOME |
Coordinator:
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Type of site:
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nursing home
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| Address: |
70 Fulton Street
Boston, MA 02109 |
Phone:
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726-9700 -- contact: Tina Leoni (x9708)
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| Getting there: |
Red Line to Park Street, Green Line (Lechmere train) to Haymarket.
Cross underneath freeway and turn right on Endicott. Endicott
becomes Cross, continue along Cross. Turn left on Hanover. Turn
right on Richmond. Turn right on Fulton. Nursing home is right at
corner of Fulton and Richmond. Total time traveling from Harvard is
about 30 minutes. |
| Space: |
Performances take place in a fairly large activities room, and for audiences of about 15-20 residents.
Decent acoustics. Given the tightness of the facility, louder brass instruments are probably not desirable.
Performers gather in conference room a few doors down which serves as a "Green Room". |
| Piano: |
For the most part in tune, if a bit twangy and tinny; the D below middle C doesn't register,
and the top and bottom octaves are pretty out of tune.
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Population:
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Filled with friendly and familiar patients, the North
End nursing home has always been a favorite site for
MIHNUETers. Patients are generally very receptive;
occasionally some will need to get up and leave during
performances. Italian tunes as well as oldies
appreciated!
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SANCTA MARIA NURSING FACILITY |
Coordinator:
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Rui
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Type of site:
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nursing home
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Address:
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799 Concord Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
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Phone:
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868-2200 -- contact: Kathleen King (x2625)
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Getting there:
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Bus 74 or 78 to a few stops before where Concord
meets Blanchard. It will be on the right. This takes
about 15-20 minutes. On a nice day it may be walkable as well, at
about 35-40 minutes.
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Space:
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Performances take place in the activities room on the
second floor, and it is quite a big performance space that lends
itself to people strolling in constantly. There are usually
15-20 residents, although some may require nurses or assistance.
Performers usually gather in one side of the room, as there is
no separate "Green Room".
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Piano:
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The upright piano is not quite fitting for a solo
pianist, but is fine for accompaniment.
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Population:
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Residents are less healthy than those at some other
sites, and there are quite a few who may be
incapacitated. Residents are very appreciative,
although there are some who may singing or talking
sporadically during performances.
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SHRINERS
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Coordinator:
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Type of site:
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burns hospital for children
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| Address: |
30 Webster St.
Brookline, MA 02446 |
Getting there:
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Take the red line to MGH stop, walk down and take a left onto Cambridge Street (very important). Walk 1 approx. block E on Cambridge St. (towards what you think is downtown). Turn left on N North Grove St and walk approx. 1 block N. Turn right on Parkman St. Walk 1 approx. block E and turn left on Blosson St.. Walk North to the hospital. Total time - 25 minutes, max
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Space:
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The room on the 7th floor is large; the kids love it.
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| Piano: |
There is no piano. |
| Population: |
The children range in age from what seems like newborn to in their late teens. Many have visible scars that some may find alarming. They are generally enthusiastic. Performances should be limited to 45 minutes. Since these are kids and some are really young, we need to keep our introductions short as well.
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THE
SOMERVILLE HOME |
Coordinator:
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Type of site:
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assisted living residence
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Address:
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117 Summer Street
Somerville, MA 02143
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Phone:
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776-0260 -- contact: Emma Deese-Owens (ask for
her extension; she’s hard to get so her home phone is
296-0211, but it’s probably just better to leave a message and
wait for her call)
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Getting there:
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Usually this is a walking performance (weather permitting, if you do have a fairly large instrument please tell me and we.ll take an alternate route). It is a 20-25 min walk, and it does have one uphill section. We walk down Kirkland St. (the street behind Annenberg) then take a right down Irving Street. Eventually the street will fork into two streets, we take the left one. Keep on walking down this street (its name will change many times) until you can take a right on Somerville Ave. Walk one block (past the old video store) and take a right. Walk up this street until you reach Summer Street and then take a right. In about 2 blocks you will see Somerville Home.
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Space:
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There are two rooms: the chapel and the living room. The residents all gather in the chapel (expect from 8-15 people in the audience) and the performers stand in front of the stage. It is big enough to accommodate the Crooners. No separate "Green Room".
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Piano:
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Both rooms have pianos. The chapel piano is pretty much alright, though the living room piano is much better. Therefore most of the time, we will perform in the living room even though it is smaller.
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Population:
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There are no particularly favored instruments; they appreciate anything. Joanne and Ethylyn are our biggest fans! They.re always there and they always tell us how great we are. They are a very nice group; you will love them!
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SOUTH COVE MANOR |
Coordinator:
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Type of site:
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nursing home
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| Address: |
120 Shawmut Ave.
Boston, MA 02118 |
Getting there:
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Take the Orange Line to New England Medical Center. Take the exit to Shawmut Avenue and then head left. Walk about three blocks, and South Cove Manor is on your left. The trip takes about 45 minutes in all.
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Space:
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Performances take place in the very spacious activities room for always large and receptive audience of up to 30 residents. An especially good site for vocalists because of the provided MICROPHONE. No separate green room, but the space is so large, it hardly matters.
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| Piano: |
The residence just got a brand new upright Yamaha. Concert hall quality, take advantage of this, pianists! |
| Population: |
A very lively group of residents, although a lot of them speak only Chinese, Cantonese to be exact, although some understand Mandarin as well. A good site for Chinese-speaking performers and Chinese cultural music although they're a very receptive bunch that appreciate anything. There will be some talking during performances and if you arrive around lunchtime, there will be noise from the adjacent kitchen as well.
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SPAULDING
REHABILITATION HOSPITAL |
Coordinator:
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Rui
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Type of site:
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hospital
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| Address: |
125 Nashua Street
Boston, MA 02114
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Phone:
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573-2906 -- contact: Gail Cronin
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| Getting there: |
Take the Red Line to Park Street, then the Green line to Science
Park. There will be signs in the Science Park T station
pointing toward Spaulding, and you should be able to see it when you reach
the street. It is about a 3-4 minute walk from here. Total
transportation time is about 40 minutes. |
| Space: |
There are two main performance spaces. The first is the
Transitional Care Unit on the 5th floor; we perform in the dining
room, which can hold about 15 patients. There happens to be an
ice machine in this dining room, so don't be surprised if a nurse
comes in every few minutes to get ice. The second performance
space is a larger recreational room on the 8th floor, which can
comfortably hold about 30-35 patients. The acoustics in both
rooms are fine for all types of music, from violin solos to
saxophone duets. No separate "Green Room". |
Piano:
|
There are several upright pianos, each with a rating
of about 4.0/6.0. They are usually fine for accompaniment and
for solo performance. The action is not bad at all and the
sound is rather bright.
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Population:
|
This site has a different feel every time we perform,
mainly because it is a transitional care unit, meaning
there are always patients entering and leaving the
facility. Usually, the audience is very lively and
responsive. The patients are usually in good
health as compared with residents in most nursing
homes. With such audiences, all genres of music
are generally welcome.
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VERNON HALL |
Coordinator:
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Beatrice
|
Type of site:
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nursing home
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| Address: |
8 Dana St.
Cambridge, MA 02138 |
Getting there:
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Walk down Mass Ave and then take a left on Dana St. (10-15 min walk)
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Space:
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We usually perform on the 2nd or the 3rd floor in the respective .social room. which has a TV, large windows, and a few tables. We usually set up on the hallway outside the social room and send in one performer at a time inside.
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| Piano: |
There is no piano. |
| Population: |
This site is actually quite hard on the performers. That is why we usually advertise this performance as a .veterans performance.. Nevertheless, anyone can come as long as they are aware that there will be difficulties. The patients are usually in very serious mental and physical conditions and may interrupt performances. The key to performing here is to keep on performing no matter what is going on, because the rest of the room is enjoying your music despite the hustle and bustle. The residents of Vernon Hall truly appreciate our music. These people really need music to brighten their days and their outlooks. I recommend that you prepare happy, upbeat music for this performance.
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YOUVILLE
HOSPITAL |
Coordinator:
|
Rui
|
Type of site:
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hospital
|
| Address: |
1575 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138 |
| Phone: |
876-4344 -- contact: Joan Benjamin-Farren (x3786, beeper 560-5375) |
Getting there:
|
Bus 69 to Youville Hospital, which is right after
Cambridge Hospital. This takes about 5 minutes. Walking
along Cambridge Street, it's reachable within 15 minutes from the
Science Center.
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Space:
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Two possible performance areas (4 South or 4 West) on opposite sides of
the fourth floor. Both areas are open areas and residents and
staff alike are free to stroll in and out as they wish.
Audience can vary quite a bit between 10-25 people. Joanne
does a great job of informing people about the upcoming performances
and wheels many of them in herself. Space is very sunny and
airy, and is open to most types of music. "Green Room" is in the rehab room in between the two units.
|
| Piano: |
Upright piano in both areas are decent for accompaniment, not as
much for a soloist. The piano in 4 South is slightly better. |
| Population: |
We find many patients from the cardiac, pulmonary, and oncology areas. The audience can very from time to time since it is a hospital, but in general they really love MIHNUET and are very appreciative.
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YOUVILLE
HOUSE |
Coordinator:
|
Beatrice
|
Type of site:
|
assisted living residence
|
| Address: |
1573 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
|
Phone:
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491-1234 -- contact: Amy Roberts
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| Getting there: |
Meet at Science Center Rocks; walk down Cambridge Street and it will be on your left. Recall, it is the HOUSE not the HOSPITAL.
Total time - 15 minutes. Alternatively, take Bus 69 to Youville Hospital.
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| Space: |
Performance space is the alcove out in the front, kind of like a living room. It's an open space and easily accessible from the hallways and dining area, and is usually filled to capacity (20-25 people). Performance area is probably not as well-suited for woodwinds and brasses, as it is a pretty small area. "Green Room" is in the adjacent dining room, where we can put our things and warm up. |
Piano:
|
Great piano! Baby grand Steinway and is one of
the best pianos of all the MIHNUET sites.
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Population:
|
Residents are pretty healthy and well-functioning,
and can lead some pretty interesting conversations.
One resident favorite is "My Wild Irish Rose,"
which has been requested. :) They appreciate a whole range of styles, from popular to classical. Audience is usually already there on time and very receptive, so it is a good idea to get there on-time, set up, and begin.
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