Marion's suggestions about being a "strolling player" in nursing homes reminded me of something.

When I was in high school, I had a year of home tutoring because I had rheumatic fever. Once I was well again, my mom said, "Rita, do you remember how it cheered you up when other students came to visit you? Let's do something to pass that on."

So, she phoned the Red Cross to see whether musical hospital visits would be welcome. They arranged to wheel a piano from ward to ward at various hospitals in the area. Later, my sister played accordion (very well, I might add) which was more portable. We took half a dozen of our high school friends, and we led sing-alongs on the wards. We usually started with real old chestnuts like "I've Been Working on the Railroad," and I can't remember what else we played and sang, but there was almost always participation and happy smiles.

I have no idea whether this can still be done, or whether the Red Cross is an appropriate place to make inquiries. I also don't know whether we'd have been nearly so popular if we hadn't all been high school girls in our best dresses :-) but it was a very rewarding activity.

Rita