This is from the Young at Heart website:
Saturday, November 2, 2013 @ 8PM
Survival Center Benefit @ Academy of Music Theatre
274 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060
Tickets coming soon
Second, lets talk about the documentary. It gets me every time! And, it's a great example of a well-rounded field study. What made it so effective? What kinds of things did the filmmaker/researcher/writer do to make the presentation of this subculture so engaging? This film is a text, like The Mole People, like "Friday Night at Iowa 80." So, using your fieldworker's lenses and lingo, tell us something about what you took away from "Young @ Heart." How did it help you envision your own study & composition?
First off I'll say that I'm totally up for going to see them in Northhampton if that's a serious question! Now to the documentary.
ReplyDeleteI think the documentary was so effective because it turned the journey of the choir into a personal, human story as opposed to an impersonal study of a culture that comes from an almost alien perspective and won't take emotions into account. A simple way to say this is that it's a story of struggle and power which resonates well with us and the researcher makes that the main focus of his study rather than the things that the old people do and the intricacies of the places in which they practice. The researcher also uses a soundtrack during crucial moments to illicit certain feelings, one that comes to mind is the almost hopeful sounding background music which plays while Ilene is talking about Joe's death and how they must go on without him. I know, for myself at least, that the documentary was so effective due to its representation of a larger battle which I believe we can all respect deep down. One thing I noticed throughout the movie is that there was a focus on the idea of these Seniors in a locked struggle against their own age and the flow of time. Many of them exhibit a spirit to stay young at heart and attempt to defy nature through this. Showing that spirit doesn't have to die with age and using that concept as a backdrop to their advance towards the final performance just makes for a beautiful story charged with emotion. From "Young @ Heart" I took away the idea that struggle and focus on emotions and common human desires can make for a great story which can help others understand a subculture. While we have trouble identifying to being a Senior citizen and singing in a rock choir, we all can understand the idea of pursuing a goal no matter what setbacks might occur as the choir did for their final performance after the death of two of their members. This gives me the inspiration to focus on human aspects in my own fieldstudy much more than I planned. While Islam might seem extremely foreign to others, I'm sure I'll be able to discover some common emotions that outsiders will be able to empathize with which can help them gain a better understanding of the culture I'll be researching.
Okay, I am not reposting my response yet but I just want to tell you I want to go to the concert, I want front seats and backstage passes.
ReplyDeleteI am so down for this.
I enjoyed "young @heart"very much, it is a very touching and inspiring documentary. It brings to mind the struggles that everyone has to face sometimes, but with some enthusiasm, effort, and a strong will you can overcome it. It also depicts how the only thing guaranty in life is death. What made young at hearth so effective it’s how the researches approached it. They didn't just said "oh look, these old people are singing punk music, that's interesting. Let's show the world". They actually approached it in a more caring way, they understood the importance behind what these people were doing, and the impact it had in their lives and the lives of people that attended the shows. So the approached the audience with a story that everyone can relate to. Also, they didn't just show them only doing what they love, but they showed the struggles they were going through, and how despised that they kept going. It’s a very effective way to show the audience "see with hard work they are doing it, whatever you love to do, you can do it too. No matter how hard". It leaves the audience believing all the difficulties they are going through can indeed be overcome. Furthermore, they portray the reality of what was actually happening in their lives and not only in the rehearsals, the audience can connect with them in a more personal level. The filmmakers/ researches used many alive, enthusiastic, colorful visuals of the music videos the chorus had done. They also allow the people to be themselves, and to show their personality. One thing that they did frequently when they interview someone, was that even though the person had finish answering the questions, they would keep rolling for a bit longer. I think maybe to catch a glimpse of the facial expression after the answers, sometimes it’s a giveaway to what you a truly thinking and how sincerely you have answer. Or just to show the audience, see these are real people, it’s not just a movie. Young at heart is pretty much what I would like to accomplished in my research. I want someone to read my research and think that they can relate to refugees and immigrants, that they are not completely alienated to them. After all we are all human.
ReplyDeleteThis was possibly the cutest display of old people I have ever seen. I loved old people to begin with, but now I find myself at the mall looking at adorable old men shopping with their wives (who wear amazing Halloween sweaters) and I can’t help but to coo to whomever is nearest to me. “Oh my God! Look at how cute that elderly couple is! Look at their matching sweaters!” Watching all of these wonderfully wise people doing something that they enjoy so much was such an important aspect of “Young @ Heart”. It made watching it so enjoyable. The researchers were so lucky to get to work with such an amazing group of people. I think that is one of the reasons they chose “Young @ Heart” to do their field study on. They were outsiders, but previous observers, having been to a concert before. However, they didn’t know the men and women on a personal level, which is what I think they were shooting for in their study. It wasn’t just about singing, it was about the community that they all created: Eileen, Joe, and Lenny driving together to practice, how they supported one another through the deaths of their friends, and just being together to have fun and enjoy being alive. One of the men, (I think it was the “Sexy Beast”) Steve, said something that I think really summed up what the researchers were looking for in their study, “[The song’s] got a lot of life; that’s what we got—a lot of life.” The researchers were looking for observable life, and who would have known they would find it among some singing old folk? They shed a whole new light on this growing portion of our population. The researchers have a way of showing how silly older people are capable of being. “Young @ Heart” members take themselves seriously enough to want to do well in their performances, but they aren’t afraid to screw up and laugh at themselves for it. Positivity is in great abundance amongst them; they always look on the bright side of every situation, which is something magical, especially when you are literally falling apart and the people you know are dropping left and right. This was a wonderful field site and I am really glad that the researchers chose this group of amazing individuals to study and share with us.
ReplyDeleteAnd, “Fix You” makes me cry. If we end up going to see them and they sing that, I will be bawling; you have been forewarned.
I found "Young @ Heart" to be incredibly interesting, and also very relevant to my own fieldworking project. The elderly people in this community were so full of life and personality. They have built such a unique community and forged incredibly strong bonds based on the common grounds of the one thing they all have in common: singing. I found the entire concept to be so heartwarming and the people in the community were the kind of people that you can fall in love with immediately. You could tell that people loved attending their shows and seeing the group sing all kinds of unique music. It was amazing to see them all doing what they love, and getting the inside view of the community that they have built around that. Everyone in that community is so connected, and even when they suffered a loss, all of them suffered together. Even between individuals there is a sense of community, like Lenny, Eileen and Joe all driving to and from the practices together. And what amazed me most of all was seeing exactly how true the statement "Young @ Heart" really is. The people that make up the community really do have a lot of life left in them, as demonstrated by their antics and the hilarious sense of humor that many of the members possess. Seeing this field study makes me even more excited to study the old folks at Madonna Manor, and experience their personalities as a part of seeing what really makes up the community.
ReplyDeleteI am totally down for a field trip and I am also totally obsessed with "Young @ heart". It was a well done documentary for an awesome and deserving group of individuals. They dove into numerous layers of the group instead of just showing a bunch of elderly people singing rock and roll music. They followed the group at practice and even learning brand new songs. I thought it was great to see how much effort they actually put into these songs and how difficult learning the lyrics and rhythm can be. it was also cute to see them reading sheets with the lyrics printed in an extremely large font. Then they dove even further into the group to introduce us to specific individuals in the group. getting to know the members names, their personalities, and health problems help the viewers feel more connected to the group. all the individuals in the group were extremely adorable and hilarious. the whole tone of the documentary was hopeful and uplifting. despite the hardships they faced, "Young @ Heart" still rocked out. watching this did help me with thinking about my own fieldwork project. It made me realize how people feel connected to others and inspired me to take a multi-demential approach to my project.
ReplyDeleteI thought "Young @ Heart" was an excellent field working study and was very effective. The reason it was so effective is because the researchers went in depth and really cared about what they were studying. It's so important to pick a place, topic, subculture, etc that you are passionate about because then you can inspire others to also be passionate about it. Also by showing a genuine interest in the topic, people are more interested to read, listen, or watch your study. This study was very in depth because the researchers chose to interview many of the singers and follow the group almost on a mini journey. We were able to see their practices where they learned a brand new songs, and we almost went through their struggles and successes with them. We all felt connected to these elderly singers, not because it is so cool what they're doing but because they allowed us to see a part of their life that they care so much about. This really inspired me to put an emphasis on the people and their relationships to my field working place. Overall, whether you're watching "Young @ Heart" for fun or to learn more about field working, it is very inspiring! Watching these people succeed in learning and preforming new songs yet watching them all mourn the loss of their dear friends inspires us in our own lives. I think this is a great example of field working because it a very deep study of a huge aspect of these people's lives.
ReplyDeleteI would absolutely love to go see Young at Heart! I think the thing that made the documentary so effective is the fact that the fieldworker followed the people in the group and they talked to them about their lives. While watching this it made you feel like you were actually there and that you knew these people. With that personal touch, it made the viewer very emotional when death had occurred in the group. The fieldworker made this presentation so engaging by actually interviewing the people while they were at the practice and also by filming what they did at the practices. It was cool to see their reactions to the songs that were chosen, especially the way they reacted when they had to sing the song with the 72 “cans”. Although it was hard to hear about the deaths about the singers I believe that it gave it the personal touch that the fieldworker had with his site and it really touched the viewer. I enjoyed watching this documentary and I believe that it will really help me envision what my fieldworking site should be like. It showed how you could always venture to other sites to collect even more data like how he filmed the group at their houses and the performances. This documentary really helped me decide which questions to ask the people I interview and it showed me that it helps when you make your fieldworking project personal. This documentary really showed how recording people talking is important because that is what makes the documentary really touch the audience and it is something I can’t wait to do. Watching the filming of the group Young at Heart really helped me picture how I want my fieldworking project to end up.
ReplyDeleteThe ‘Young @ Heart’ documentary was beautiful, funny, inspiring and sad at the same time. It was a very successful as a field working project and was able to go into depth about the musical group- it was able to bring me to tears multiple times. When the documentary started, it started off with a funny clip of their performance where they sang ‘Should I stay or should I go’. This automatically put everyone in a good mood, ready to laugh along with the musical group and feel joy from watching the documentary. I have never heard of this group before, so it was really fun watching it and learning about a group of senior citizens getting together to sing punk and rock songs. I loved when each member was individually interviewed and we learned that most of their favorite music was classical and opera. By following the group to not only their rehearsals, but to and from the rehearsal, their homes, go to their performances and even going to visit members in the hospital, made the documentary more real to the viewer. Getting into the minor details, like learning their full names, going to their homes and seeing their family showed how much this field site interested the interviewer. Not only was the documentary informative and funny to watch, it left me with a sense of inspiration and hope that when I grew older I could still have fun and make other people laugh and be happy. The members of the young @ heart choir still get up and perform a knock out performance even after they learn that a former member of the coir passed away the same day. Their performance at the prison brought me to tears when they sang the song dedicated to Joe. Watching this made me think about my field project and how I would have loved to do a video presentation instead of writing since video making is so much fun to me and since I rarely get to make videos for projects. However, I am excited to start my own field project soon and get to delve into a culture that a lot of people don’t know about.
ReplyDelete“Young @ Heart” was incredibly effective, perhaps most due to the way that the writer separated the documentary from himself. The way he presented it gave away some important information revealing his subjectivities (for example, by mentioning he had just gained a few dozen new grandparents, he showed that he was young and became very comfortable around the chorus members); he did not, however, elaborate on his identity or personal life. Through comedy, sarcasm, and music videos, the filmmaker kept the audience laughing and engaged without compromising the messages and values behind the humor. The sources he used, and the interviews in particular, were very close (usually first-person accounts of the chorus life) and offered not only jokes but meaningful and reliable information that was relevant to the study. He centered around one main fieldsite (the practice room) while including other settings to show contrast in the singers’ lives and attitudes from the practice sessions. Additionally, as the filmmaker became more and more of an insider, his findings grew immensely. He was soon able to paint a much more complete picture of not solely a group of seniors who liked to sing in their free time, but rather an image of individuals with trials and errors, obstacles in their health and their daily lives, and deep, resounding emotions which the audience clearly felt. In a time where senior citizens are so often and so unfortunately overlooked, the filmmaker placed them on the main stage.
ReplyDeleteIn relation to my own field study, “Young @ Heart” showed me that, in order to write a more personal and engaging field study, the best thing I can do may be to simply write from my point of view, rather than try to write from a neutral one. In addition, it showed me that despite how small something may seem, and how often it may take a backseat in the lives of most people, it may still be incredibly interesting and valuable. If someone doesn’t think that part of my fieldsite is particularly important, that does not by any means determine its actual cultural value.
First of all this film made me feel like I need to go visit my grandparents soon!! But I think this film was so effective, because they made us feel like a member of the choir. For we were with the choir through their ups and downs, and I feel as if we became attached to the members after seeing and hearing about their story, so when something happened to them it was as if it became personal. I can not explain how I came to feel this way, but I hope I can accomplish this in my field study. This helps me envision what I need to accomplish a lot. For my field site is also a choir, and at least half of the choir is in the same age group as those in Young at Heart. So I now know that I need to find out their life stories and perhaps what kind of an impact choral music has made in their lives. What is different between this filed study and Mole People is that music is something that is heard, so its challenging to find a way to capture that on paper. That is what is going to be the most difficult thing to do about this field site, but at least I now have insight about how to start, what to look at, who to talk to, I feel like this documentary helped me get a bit of a better grasp as to what I need to accomplish.
ReplyDelete“Young @ Heart” is just the funniest, cutest thing I have ever seen. Those old people were just so precious. I would love to go to one of their shows!
ReplyDeleteWhat I really noticed about this field study is that we didn’t really know much about the researcher. We were told that the researcher saw Young @ Heart preform in London, England. And from that performance the researcher was interested in learning more about the choir. They wanted to learn more about the elderly people who made up Young @ Heart and why they joined the choir. In The Mole People and the other field studies we looked at, you could really hear the researcher’s voice in their writing. I could connect better to the researcher’s perspective on the subculture. With the video, I could see firsthand what the subculture is like. I could use my own lenses to process this subculture of rock and roll singing elderly. I wasn’t really impacted by the researcher’s voice like I was in The Mole People, “Iowa 80”, and “House For The Homeless”. I think this is what made this field study so effective. I liked how the video showed the choir as a whole only in the rehearsal setting and then talked with individual choir members at their house or in the car. It showed the contrast of the subculture of the choir as a whole and the subculture of the people who make up the subculture of the choir. Those old people are just so happy. They live their lives to the fullest and never stop doing what they love to do. It was so heartbreaking when 2 of the members of the choir died within the same week. The researcher did a good job of displaying how sad it was for the entire choir to hear of the news of their friends but they continued to lift their spirits and continue the show.
While watching “Young @ Heart”, I had to remind myself multiple times that we were watching it as an example of a fieldworking report. Since the story and characters were so entertaining, it almost felt as if we were watching a movie just for entertainment. But because it was entertaining, that just made everything about it more memorable and it really stuck with me, even know I can remember how I felt as the movie went on, going from laughing to sad to happy and so on. Now, looking back on it, it is a huge motivation to do my own paper, since this was a shining example of how fun this can be. On the surface, if I wasn't watching this as a fieldworker, it would seem to be a movie about a guy who spent a few weeks working with a chorus made of old people, and getting to know them. But under that, it was about a researcher, an outsider with nothing in common with the group, finding out more about them by interviewing, observing and trying to become an insider of their subculture. Even though he was far too young to be part of their group, over the weeks he went through a lot with them, but even then he may have seen things differently. Since he was still young, death may have had a stronger impact on him since he isn't ready for it himself, or it may have been lesser if the deaths showed the elderly their own mortality. Many things would affect him differently simply because he wasn't the same as the other people in the group. But he tried his best to learn and internalize the ideology of the group through interviews with the people that actually composed it. Over the course of the film he talked to many different people, about a wide varieties of things, ranging from fun conversation to talks about death.
ReplyDeleteYoung @ Heart was an amazing documentary which gave us insight about an elderly choir as they practiced for their up coming show. This film was so entertaining and reminded me of why old people and grandparents are awesome people. These people weren't your average grandparent either. I loved the fact that age or mobility didn't matter to them; as long as they were together and singing they enjoyed themselves. We were suppose to watch this film as a fieldworker as an example of doing fieldwork but due to the nature of the film it felt like we were watching it for the entertainment. I enjoyed the fact that they filmed the chorus as a whole then interviewed members individually as you can see their personalities and how they fit in whit the group. The researcher said it was like having 12 or 13 pairs of grandparents. They had colorful personalities which made each character lovable and come on now after that film who doesn't like the elderly. watching this film placed your emotions on a roller-coaster ride, from laughing hysterically to morning the death of a member and glad for them and their successful show. Two members died before the show so they felt like they had no choice but to continue in their memory. Also Rita, Fred, and another gentleman, I can't remember his name, ended up forming a little group they called the three musketeers which I found adorable. I rate this film a 5 stars.
ReplyDeleteWhat stuck with me most about the Young @ Heart field study was just how deep into the culture the researchers went. Without knowing too much about the researchers other than knowing they saw the Young at Heart chorus abroad and wanted to learn more about them, we were easily able to see just how passionate they were about the study. Not only did they record the rehearsals of the chorus to capture the group as a whole, but they also went so far as to film interviews in diners with individual chorus members and go for rides in Joe's tiny car to learn more about his friendship with Lenny and Eileen. I think this approach of what I want to call magnified research, zooming way in on the individual pieces to get a better understanding of the bigger picture, was so effective because it allowed for the audience to really see every member on a personal level, which in turn helped to see the chorus as a whole as more than just senior citizens singing. The quirky anecdotes and comical moments with each member reeled us in further and further. The insight of each individual's state of health forced and engagement on the viewer's part because it would be nearly impossible not to feel something watching Fred sing to the beat of his oxygen pump. The take away here is that magnifying what might seem to be a tedious or even irrelevant aspect of the study can really benefit the bigger picture of the study greatly. I hope to apply this approach to my own fieldwork to really dig deep and find a way to apply the most minute details to help shape the overall outcome of my study.
ReplyDeleteIf you’re serious about going to that show I’m definitely in if I don’t have work.
ReplyDeleteI think this was so effective because it turned personal and showed interpersonal relationships, like the three musketeers. It took something unexpected, a choir of good-humored elderly folks, and made it feel like it was our grandparents in the most natural of settings. The deaths were heartbreaking, especially since the last musketeer had nobody left to drive with. The soundtracks during emotional moments really played it all up and made it that much harder to take.
It was really obvious that they were all fighting their battle against the clock and their own bodies failing them, because it clearly wasn’t their minds or spirits. They defied age as long as they could in a very creative and heart-warming way. Their struggle is representative of so many others, and it’s a losing battle in the end. The loss was shown three times within the documentary, but they kept struggling and kept singing anyways, even though they saw how this struggle we call life ends. Senior citizens can get up, go to choir rehearsals, learn songs upon songs, and then travel the world performing them… I can’t think of many experiences that could top that one.