Aged care entertainment
Aged care entertainment in Adelaide, with songs from the 1950s on
I play live music for nursing homes and care facilities across Greater Adelaide, with sets built on the songs of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
I bring my guitar, and my keyboard when you'd like piano, in a set-up compact enough for a lounge or a courtyard.
Residents and families can request songs, and I shape each set to the room I'm playing in.
- Songs by Doris Day, The Monkees, Dolly Parton and ABBA
- A compact set-up for lounges and courtyards
- Sets of 1 to 3 hours to fit your activities calendar
- Requests from residents and families
- A voice shaped by classical vocal study at the Elder Conservatorium
For lifestyle coordinators
A concert in the lounge, with the songs residents grew up with
I bring the concert to your residents, so the lounge or the courtyard becomes the venue for the day.
The set leans on the songs of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, from Que Sera, Sera to Take Me Home, Country Roads, along with residents' own requests.
I play guitar alone, or guitar and piano, in clear, warm arrangements that keep every lyric easy to follow.
I follow the mood of the room as I go, so a quiet lounge gets a gentler set and a room that wants to sing gets the singalongs.
To learn more about who's coming, read my story and training on the about page.
The older songs I play
Songs from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s
These are the older songs on my sample covers list, across rock 'n' roll, country and pop.
Requests from later decades are welcome too, such as Cold Chisel's Flame Trees from 1984.
1950s
- Que Sera, SeraDoris Day, 1956
1960s
- Can't Help Falling in LoveElvis Presley, 1961
- Please Mr. PostmanThe Marvelettes, 1961
- You've Really Got a Hold on MeThe Miracles, 1962
- Feeling GoodNina Simone, 1965
- These Boots Are Made for Walkin'Nancy Sinatra, 1966
- I'm a BelieverThe Monkees, 1966
- Build Me Up ButtercupThe Foundations, 1968
- I Say a Little PrayerAretha Franklin, 1968
1970s
- Big Yellow TaxiJoni Mitchell, 1970
- Take Me Home, Country RoadsJohn Denver, 1971
- Me and Bobby McGeeJanis Joplin, 1971
- Stuck in the Middle with YouStealers Wheel, 1972
- You're So VainCarly Simon, 1972
- JoleneDolly Parton, 1973
- Mamma MiaABBA, 1975
- Hotel CaliforniaEagles, 1976
- Isn't She LovelyStevie Wonder, 1976
- DreamsFleetwood Mac, 1977
- The GamblerKenny Rogers, 1978
- Heart of GlassBlondie, 1978
- The RoseBette Midler, 1979
22 of the 44 songs on Solly's sample covers list
Ideas for your calendar
Sessions to suit the week you're planning
Choose a theme, or leave the set to me and your residents' requests.
A decade afternoon
Pick a decade and I'll build the set from it, such as the 1960s with The Monkees and Aretha Franklin, or the 1970s with ABBA and John Denver.
Country favourites
Jolene, The Gambler and Take Me Home, Country Roads, for residents who love a country song and a chorus to join in on.
A gentler session
Que Sera, Sera, The Rose and Dreams, played softly for a calmer room.
Birthdays and celebrations
A resident's birthday or a family visiting day, with the guest of honour's favourite songs at the top of the set.
Lounges and courtyards
A compact set-up with a big, warm sound
My set-up is compact by design, with my guitar, a keyboard when the set calls for piano, and a mic stand.
It suits a residents' lounge or a courtyard among the garden beds, and it brings a big, rich sound to both.
I wind fairy lights and vines around the keyboard and the mic stand, so the corner I play in looks like a little stage.
I dress for the occasion too, which gives a themed day the feel of a night out.
Describe the room in your enquiry, with where residents usually sit, and I'll plan around them.
Training
Classical voice training behind every ballad
My Classical Vocal Studies at the Elder Conservatorium shaped the voice I bring to your residents.
That study sits behind the long, open notes of The Rose and Feeling Good, sung with breath and control.
More than 10 years of performing and training, acting and theatre included, help me hold a room and read it.
I watch for when residents want to sing along and when they'd like to sit back and enjoy a song.
Today I write and release my own folk pop as Solly Fern, and you can hear it on my debut EP, Into Halves.
Questions
Questions from lifestyle coordinators
Do you perform at nursing homes and aged care facilities in Adelaide?
Yes, I play live music for nursing homes and care facilities across Greater Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills, with no extra charge for travel anywhere in the Greater Adelaide region.
My sets for residents centre on songs from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
Which songs do you play for residents?
The older songs on my list include Que Sera, Sera by Doris Day, Jolene by Dolly Parton, Mamma Mia by ABBA and The Gambler by Kenny Rogers.
My covers run from the 1950s to today, so the set can stretch to later decades when residents ask.
Can residents and families request songs?
Yes, I take song requests.
Collect a few favourites from residents before the day and add them to your enquiry, and I'll work them into the set.
How long is a session?
Choose anything from 1 to 3 hours.
Tell me the time slot on your activities calendar, and I'll shape the set to fit it.
Where in the facility can you set up?
A residents' lounge or a courtyard both suit my compact set-up, and the fairy lights and vines come with me either way.
I bring my own PA, unless the facility has one, and I need a power outlet and a space at least 2.3 metres wide and 1.6 metres deep.
Let me know in your enquiry which space you're thinking of.
Do you hold a police check and insurance?
Yes, I hold a police check, and I can provide it to your facility on request.
I also hold $30 million public liability insurance, and I can send the certificate of currency for your records.
Can a family book you for a resident's birthday?
Yes, families are welcome to enquire.
Include the facility's name and suburb, and talk with the lifestyle team there about a room for the party.
For a celebration in a family home, see home visits and private functions.
Keep exploring
More for your planning
Aged care bookings
Bring live music to your residents
Tell me your facility, the date you're looking at and the room you'd like the music in, and I'll let you know if I'm free.
Lifestyle coordinators, activities staff and families are all welcome to enquire.
It helps to know
- 01Your facility's name and suburb
- 02The day and the time slot you're planning
- 03The room: a lounge, a courtyard or both
- 04Residents' favourite songs, singers or decades
- 05Whether the room has its own sound system