SPARTANBURG COUNTY WE’VE GOT THE BEAT

By Bates McKinney, Spartanburg County Parks Department

In his song “Sir Duke” Stevie Wonder sings that “Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand.” Whether or not you consider yourself or musician, or can hear the nuance in songs, music has played a major role in your life. You learned lessons as a child through music: “Alphabet Song,” “The Clean Up Song,” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” We celebrate important events with songs (i.e. graduations and weddings). Music is used to regulate moods. To energize people, use something with a faster beat. To relax oneself, find a song that starts out faster but then gradually slows the beat down. Numerous research studies have shown the strong connection between music and memory. For 2022, the education series Seniors Take Charge focused on that connection as we celebrated the Jukebox Time Machine. We kicked off the year’s festivities with music bingo—think Name That Tune meets Bingo. All one needs to play this is a playlist from their favorite music streaming service and a custom bingo card generator site like myfreebingocards.com.

The decades of music we featured were the 1920s through 2000s. Each month we sought to create an experience that allowed attendees to take a trip down memory lane. We explored how music, politics, and pop culture heavily influenced one another. Snacks provided were treats that either were released during that decade or saw a resurgence (e.g., Bazooka gum, Cracker Jacks, and Dunk-A-Roos) during that time period. Attendees also received fun decade appropriate swag (e.g., mirrored round sunglasses, disco ball keychains, Rubik’s Cubes, and Silly Putty). Finally, attendees were encouraged to dress for the decade/ party theme.

We listened to Hot Jazz (i.e., Dixieland Jazz) as we tried lingo from the roaring 1920s. For the 1930s, we created a Speakeasy, complete with signature cocktails and candy cigarettes. The 1940s brought a patriotic USO dance as we looked at the impact of WWII. Rock’n’roll was featured with the 1950s sock hop. The 1960s was a flower fest as we looked at how hippies wanted to find peace and understanding through music while fighting for civil rights. The

1970s did bring the Disco Fever, but we also saw the rise of folk music. For the 1980s we had a totally 80s skate party. The 1990s saw the rise of graffiti art and hip hop and pop music started to merge. Attendees for the 2000s did listen to Blink 182, amongst others. However, they also had the opportunity to get a freehand temporary tattoo provided by a local tattoo artist. Why? Because tattooing became legal in

South Carolina in 2004. We wrapped up the series in December by enjoying Holiday Hits. Pictures were taken each month and compiled into a keepsake 2023 calendar. Each month brought a new experience for attendees. No single genre defined a decade. Rather, they either existed separately or came together, reflecting the sentiments of the decade as a whole. Attendees were able to rediscover favorite songs or sample some genres they never had and probably wouldn’t again (especially once we reached the 1990s and 2000s). They reminisced about good and bad times associated with each decade while looking at iconic pictures posted around the room. Seniors Take Charge: Jukebox Time Machine was a hit because music is an integral part of all our lives. That’s why our hearts have beats.