The following announcement was made on October 29th on the  State of Maine Office of Governor Janet.T. Mills website:

Governor Janet Mills and AARP Maine State Director Lori Parham announced today that the State of Maine has joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, a move hailed by AARP as a major step toward making Maine more livable for people of every age. The announcement was made before a crowd of state and municipal officials and statewide aging organizations at the Wescustogo North Yarmouth Community Center.

"Creating age-friendly, livable communities with walkable streets, safe and affordable housing, transportation and access to services will ensure that Maine people of all ages contribute to our state while living with dignity and comfort in the homes and communities they love," said Governor Mills. "With this designation, Maine now has access to critical data, technical advice, best practices and organizing tools to help us plan for the future in a thoughtful way and learn from a global network of partners to better serve older Mainers."

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The Magic of Makin g Music with the Midcoast Senior College Singers

by Ellen Bennett

Do you ever wonder why it is that all of the words to an old song or, perhaps embarrassingly, an old TV ad jingle, come back to you in an instant? But then you can't remember where you put your car keys or if you made that telephone call? Well, scientists have wondered the same. We know, especially among the Midcoast Senior College Singers, there is magic in our making music!

Interestingly, while many animals have the ability to sing, we as humans are the only species that can learn to sing. Why might this be so? One hypothesis is that singing became a way of connecting individuals to groups or communities. For sure, the Senior College choir is a collegial family of sixty musical participants, and for those of us who sing together, that feeling of group and social connectedness is strong.

A recent article in Time Magazine pursues yet another interesting avenue. It begins by reminding us that when we sing, vibrations move through us, and those vibrations effect changes, both physically and emotionally. When you sing as a group and share good vibrations (like the Beach Boys!) the positive effects are even stronger. And group singing is on the rise. 32.5 million adults sing in choirs, an increase of 10 million over the past decade.

Stuart Gillespie and MSC singers

So why do we go home after the MSC Singers class in such a good mood, and why does making mu sic have both a calming, as well as an energizing effect on people? Scientists have discovered that singing releases endorphins which are associated with feelings of pleasure. It also might be from ox ytocin, another hormone released during singing, which has been found to alleviate anxiety and stress. Oxytocin also enhances feelings of trust and bonding, which may explain why still more studies have found that singing lessens feelings of depression and loneliness.

And the benefits of singing regularly seem to be cumulative. In one study, singers were found to have lower levels of cortisol, indicating lower stress. Study after study has found that singing relieves anxiety and contributes to quality of life. There are rich social benefits as well, from widening your circle of friends, to boosting confidence and enhancing communication skills.

And finally, according according to research from the
University of Frankfurt, singing strengthens the immune system. Singing is a workout and improves posture. The MSC Singers have a motto: "Hearts High!" We begin every class with 15 minutes of vocal and physical exercises to improve the voice, which also improves our mental alertness by allowing more oxygen to reach the brain.

While science has revealed a host of positive effects of
singing, and it may not be "magic", for those of us reaping the benefits in the Senior College chorus, it sure feels like it!

Ellen Bennett is a singing student in the MSC  Singers class that features choral arrangements of folk  songs from the British Isles and North America

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