'Make people happy': Musicians work to bring live music to retirement homes
There has been a recent push to introduce live music to seniors homes in order to make life a little brighter.
Walter Ostanek is a well known accordion player from St. Catherines who takes time to play at seniors homes while on tour.
“I try and make people happy and when they’re happy, they make me happy,” Ostanek told CTV News.
Two organizations are making it part of their mission to fund concerts for seniors, Concerts in Care and the Music Performance Trust Fund.
The seniors enjoy the music while musicians are fairly compensated for their work.
“We’ve been doing it all through the pandemic. We have masked up, we have been tested at the front door and they won’t let us in a lot of times unless we are absolutely sure that we don’t have COVID. We don’t mind that at all," said Brian Sklar.
“We want to stay healthy and we want to keep them healthy.”
Concerts in Care has provided over two thousand performances at seniors homes in Ontario and has branched out to other provinces like Saskatchewan where it has teamed up with the musicians union.
“It’s a great idea. They came here during COVID-19 and played outside and I think it did a lot for all of us,” said Patricia Popescul, who was present for the show.
By the end of each performance, it’s common for everyone to be on their feet, as the music brings joy to seniors who faced limited entertainment options during the pandemic.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
'Tactical evacuations' underway near Fort Nelson, B.C., as wildfires encroach
The BC Wildfire Service says 'tactical evacuations' began Friday near Fort Nelson, B.C., due to an out-of-control wildfire that has grown rapidly since it was discovered earlier in the afternoon.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.