South Dakota Symphony Orchestra Launches MEMOIRS to Highlight Retirement Community Residents' Lives with Music

The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra (SDSO) will pilot a new segment of its Music as Medicine series called, "Memoirs" on Thursday, December 3rd. This series aims to support the mission of Music as Avera Medicine by allowing Prince of Peace Retirement Community residents to serve as the narrator of their own story, sharing their thoughts and memories which are punctuated with music from the Dakota Wind Quintet.

The first performance will focus on Floyd Beukelman, a resident of Avera Prince of Peace Retirement Community. Beukelman, 87, is originally from Leota in Rock County, Wisconsin, and is described as "...good and true as you'd find." Beukelman's memoirs will be read by Darrel Fickbohm who assisted in getting "Memoirs" established.

Fickbohm, originally from Sioux City, IA, is committed to exploring dramatic themes of the Midwest and Dakotas through the arts. "The first thing I hear from our participants is, 'I don't think anyone would be interested in what I'd have to remember-I'm not famous or unusual.' But some interesting things start to happen because everyone's experiences are unique. ... There is something that happens to a person when they've been around long enough-they start to notice patterns in life that younger people have yet to grasp, and in a way, their experience is just like good music; it has a beginning, a middle and the inkling of what it means to end with harmony."

Music as Medicine was launched in 2012. Its mission is to create a positive impact on patient care through music, develop constructive environments in which to heal, and provide consistent live music in healthcare systems of Sioux Falls. Both the Dakota Wind Quintet and Dakota String Quartet visit local hospitals, nursing homes, and behavioral health centers monthly to support the mission.

The Dakota Wind Quintet will be performing "Memoirs" at Avera Prince of Peace Retirement Community on Thursday, December 3 at 2:00 PM. This event is open to the public. For more information on Music as Medicine, please call the Director of Operations & Education Sarah Burman-Schollmeyer at (605) 335-7933 ext. 12.