It’s the music that keeps this choir humming along

‘You are My Sunshine, My only Sunshine. You make me happeey, when skies are grey!’

This is just one of the timeless tunes that the Hillside singers and their choir leader Paul Broste are playing on a bright sunny morning in the main dining area of Hillside Lodge, a licensed psychiatric residential facility in Surrey. The familiar melodies and the upbeat folksy sounds of the choir filling the room are infectious, and it’s hard not to tap a foot and join in.

'Hang down your head Tom Dooolleeey, hang down your head and cry…Hang down your head Tom Dooolleeey, --poor boy you’re bound to die.’

‘ I’ve been workin’ on the railroad, all the livelong day! I’ve been workin’ on the railroad just to pass the time of day!’

There’s no denying that if you live with a serious chronic mental illness, life is never going to be exactly normal.  But normal human pleasures like singing and performing music are things anyone can enjoy, no matter what one’s circumstances.

Thanks to the vision of Registered Psychiatric Nurse Paul Broste, the spirit of the residents of Hillside, their recreational worker Jojo, the magic of music, the satisfaction of singing one’s heart out, and the shared joy of being in a choir that performs for others—is a normal pleasure that can be taken for granted these days.

“Some days we ask the people who live here to do something like bowling or go to a movie, and they often say no, I don’t want to do that today. But when Paul comes for the choir practice, they never say that,” says Jojo, a recreational worker with nine years at Hillside Lodge. “They always want to sing with Paul.”

Clearly Broste has a strong influence and is rather revered, as a case manager, a choir leader, and a musical companion rolled into one. But from Broste’s point of view, the choir is just as therapeutic for him as for his clients.

“It’s been really enjoyable for me personally,” admits Broste, who leads the choir playing either a ukulele, violin, or trombone. “Normally my work here involves some kind of problem solving, with clients who sometimes struggle with their inner thoughts and feelings.”

“But with the choir I have found a whole new way to relate to people based on a common reality. This has been a good experience for me. I have noticed a change in our interactions and it’s been so much fun, and so positive. It’s something that we all enjoy doing together and we look forward to our Tuesday morning practice sessions.”

Broste, who has been working with mental health clients for 28 years, says the choir idea came to him when he saw how much fun residents were having singing karaoke on the porch a couple days a week. That’s when Broste started thinking about a choir. The idea seemed to resonate with the residents and staff who often join in enthusiastically to sing at practice.
“There are some people here who have difficulty speaking, and yet they do join in and sing in the choir, and can take an active part in something,” explains Broste.

Last October the 19-member choir began to work on Christmas music and after 3 months of rehearsal took the stage to perform at their local annual Legion Christmas party, in front of an audience of nearly 100. Some choir members even had the courage to perform solos successfully, and the response from the audience was wholeheartedly warm.

The Hillside Choir has the enthusiasm and heart to sustain itself, but would flourish more if the choir had access to instruments such as percussion, an electronic keyboard, ukuleles and harmonicas. Donations of these would be very welcome, says Broste.

Once the Tom Dooley refrain is over and choir practice ends for the day, the group disperses to prepare for lunch. Reg, a choir member who sits at the back, eases up to the table to share his thoughts.  He has been gifted with a pair of bongo drums that day, and is very slowly working on his technique and timing to accompany the choir. He explains that he learned to sing in a church as a very small boy.

“Mom and Dad always sang in the Baptist Church,” says Reg. “I remember that very well.”  But now Reg is reengaged to the experience in a new way, and despite some show business butterflies, is a committed part of the choir.

Choir member Arlene is busying herself setting the dining table for lunch, but stops long enough to recall that music was part of her youth as well. Her father used to play saxophone and trumpet and played all over the world. She herself performed a solo of Holy Night at the Legion Christmas Concert without difficulty.

Most of the residents here are middle-aged and older, with lifetimes struggling with mental illness and all the life complications that brings; some of which are the limitations of one’s own freedom of expression.  But music is a great equalizer. It does not discriminate. Anyone in any stage of life has equal access to the pleasure that musical expression offers—if the opportunity presents itself.

As a group, the choir is strong, and Broste’s lead is sure and solid. But Broste knows there is the potential for much more, especially when he sees the progress in his singers growing with every practice session. There are many more songs to learn, and many more ways to build up their musical capacity for future performances.

As Broste stood before the choir that morning and the singers got into the tunes full swing, he seemed invigorated by their energy.  “As long as we keep this up, there’s nothing to stop us!”

Donations of musical instruments to the Hillside Choir can be forwarded directly to paul.broste@fraserhealth.ca