Love Music Making

We know that music heals, entertains and breaks down barriers. But what effect does music have on love?

Music-making couples like Johnny Cash and June Carter and Paul and Linda McCartney have charmed us throughout the years. Their music made us believe in their love, and their love seemed to make their music better.

Without record contracts or even formal musical training, regular couples, particularly those over 50, are finding romance in music making. The New Horizons Music Program®, a national program designed for seniors interested in revisiting an old instrument or learning a new one, has many musical couples on its membership roster.

Rochester NY-based Alice and Ken, both 74, played instruments in the high school band—the same high school band. Decades later they’re still making music together. This time they’ve added a few more instruments to their repertoire, and a far greater appreciation for the music they make and the love they have.

“Participating in any musical activity makes you a better listener, period,” Alice says. “So, it makes you more sensitive to what your partner is saying.”

Ken agrees: “Music has always been one of the things that bind us. It’s the center of our lives and our relationship.”

For Valentine’s Day, AMC promoted the stories of exceptional couples, like Alice and Ken, who believe their love of music makes them a stronger couple.

Alice and Ken, along with the Rochester New Horizons Music Program, were featured on ABC-affiliate WHAM-TV in late January. The News Tribune in Tacoma, WA, is currently working on a story about music-making couple Ruth and Nate.

Ruth, a 62-year-old tenor sax player, and her baritone sax- playing husband, Nate, 62, have been in the Tacoma New Horizons Music Program for several years. Both played, instruments as children, but took a long hiatus during the working years. They say their music making gives them a special understanding of one another. “Harmonizing on the saxophone with my husband is an almost sensuous experience,” Ruth says. “And doing that with the man you love is a wonderful thing.”

Fellow band member Vic Jowders agrees: “For many years Ruth had a real sparkle in her eye. Then the sparkle was gone. Her husband had Alzheimer’s and was in the last stages. Ruth started missing rehearsals and performances. About a year later, he died. Eventually Ruth returned to the band full-time. It wasn’t long before I noticed the sparkle again. She met Nate in another musical group, and he soon joined ours as well. Now both are playing up a storm, adding richness only low saxophones can provide.”