FIDDLING AT AGE 95: The joy of making music
VIDEO: In this inspiring interview, a 92 yr. old fiddler talks about taking up the the instrument in her golden years.
In the past 30+ years I have taught a lot of folks how to play the fiddle. My favorite question to ask a new student is, "Why do you want to play the fiddle?"
- One older woman wanted to learn to play music for her husband who was in a nursing home and loved fiddling. She joked that his hearing wasn't very good... so she would only need a few lessons! (She did learn to play for him, as well as for the other residents, who she reported -also had poor hearing.)
- A young woman wanted to surprise her fiancé at their wedding by playing "their" song with the band they hired to perform at their reception-- none other than the celebrated bluegrass band, The Gibson Brothers. (I played fiddle at the ceremony and was able to witness her special moment. It was a fantastic surprise!)
My feature story is about my oldest student, Mrs. Eileen Sellers, currently age 95. She picked up the fiddle for the first time in her late 80's because she had always loved it and finally had the time in her life to dedicate to learning something new. I asked her if I could make a video about her story... and she did not know what made her special, but said yes. My son Sylvain, a young fiddler, interviewed as she spoke about aging with joy, curiosity, honesty and grace.
It is my hope that Eileen Sellers will inspire you to pursue your interest, at any time in your life.
I wish you much success to you in all of your musical endeavors,
~Gretchen