By Mark Abromaitis
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

There was singing, swaying, and even a piano playing—they were dancing (and acting) on stage!

Brooksby Village, an Erickson community in Peabody, Mass., recently hosted its second annual Horizons Program, which partners community residents with elementary school students to create a professionally directed, one-hour musical revue.

Sponsored in part by the North Shore Music Theater’s education department, the unique program coupled Cutler Elementary School’s third grade class with 17 Brooksby residents.

Lifting each other up
“It was a great experience,” Brooksby community member and participant Tina Scimemi says. “I think both the residents and students had a blast, made friends, and learned a little something about each other along the way.”

“I like singing with the residents and talking with them about what to do in the play,” says Zoe Stock, a third grader at Cutler Elementary School. “It’s really cool doing this with them.”

Getting the creative juices flowing
At the start of the program, participants were tasked with deciding on a theme for the revue. In the end, they chose A Journey to the Past, where the adults and the students switched places—and then back again—through acting and singing.

And there was a bit of art imitating life. “Through the different musical pieces, the younger and older characters switch places, walk a mile in  each other’s shoes, and decide at the end that they love and appreciate their places in life,” Scimemi says.

Practice makes perfect
The Horizons Program creates an opportunity for retirees to interact with a younger generation, to share stories, and, above all, to be creative. For  elementary school students, the program engages them in their larger community and gives them an opportunity to share their emerging talents with the talents of an older generation.