By Khalida Sarwari
On a warm July afternoon at the Los Gatos Meadows, a familiar tune bounces off the quiet hallway on the third floor of the retirement home. “Don’t you know that it’s worth every treasure on earth,” croons Sean Seman, “to be young at heart.”
Phyllis Marongoni, 87, follows along, bobbing her head and clapping to the beat of the song.
“For as rich as you are, it’s much better by far, to be young at heart,” Marongoni sings.
The song comes to an end and Seman stands up and starts to set his guitar aside, but his audience–all female and all in wheelchairs–begs him for more, so he obliges and sings a snippet of the Frank Sinatra classic a cappella. He walks around the room, holds a woman’s hand and sings to her as some of the other audience members sing along.
“Bravo, bravo, bravo!” they exclaim at the conclusion of the song, and Seman beams.
“Singing always makes you happy,” he says reflectively, before saying goodbye and promising the women he would return.
Marongoni said she makes it a point to come see Seman whenever he drops by because music makes her happy.
“I used to be in a church choir and whenever I was through with it, I felt better,” she said.
What does being young at heart mean to her? “Don’t take life too seriously,” Marongoni said. “Enjoy it.”
Seman has made helping people feel “young at heart” his life’s work. He runs a Saratoga-based nonprofit organization, aptly titled the Young at Heart Project, that seeks not only to bring music to seniors, but to bring the right kind of music–the kind they can associate with their youth. Doing so, said Seman, “sets off a chemical response that is actually very healing.” The concerts last an hour, and in between each song Seman shares a story that he relates to the song. At the July 17 performance in Los Gatos, he talked about his vacations in Europe, attending Catholic school as a child and his personal musical journey. Every show closes with the signature 1953 Sinatra classic.
A lifelong professional musician, Seman, 65, said he believes that music is a low-cost alternative to expensive medication.
“We’re going to have to deal with this large growing group, and keeping them healthy and happy without breaking the bank is going to be very important,” Seman said. “You can bring in a musician who can have all of them laughing and singing. I’m not putting therapists down, but there’s a place for emotional therapy that’s being left out of the mix.”
Belinda Talley, an activities coordinator and nursing assistant at the Los Gatos Meadows, can attest to that.
“He brings in a lot of the residents, and they leave here really happy,” she said. “The rest of the evening, they’re so mellow. They just love it.”
Seman has recruited eight other professional musicians to perform as part of the Young at Heart group. Since starting the organization in Santa Cruz about 30 years ago, Seman estimates he and his fellow artists have logged 25,000 performances across the South Bay and peninsula in front of nearly 800,000 people. The venues include nursing homes, senior centers, retirement communities and assisted living facilities. Their audiences typically range in age from 85 to 105.
The organization became a nonprofit in 1990 and has since moved to Saratoga and appears to be expanding. A group in Illinois recently got wind of their mission and are now in the process of starting an independent chapter in Chicago.
“I’d like to think this type of program should be in many major cities,” said Seman. “The real challenge is finding a group of people that’s dedicated enough.”
Much of the funding that the Young at Heart Project receives is through donations and fundraisers. That money is used to subsidize the musicians and programs, according to Seman.
To learn more about the Young at Heart Project, visit young-at-heart.org.
