At the Virtual Social Centre, we’re proud to host a huge variety of sessions – everything from coffee catch ups and music lessons to Tai Chi and meditation.  

One of our most popular weekly sessions is the fun-loving ‘Sing To Feel Good’, which is celebrating its 100^th week this May.

Each week, participants are provided with lyrics, ready to sing a variety of songs together with our host Julie for 30 minutes.

But while the songs are always popular – sometimes inspiration strikes to make them a little bit more… relevant.

And so – with the help of a crew of creative seniors and music teacher Julie – an idea was born.

A popular song – made more relevant

“We were singing ‘My Favourite Things in one of our Sing to Feel Good sessions, and I was thinking about how useful it is to bring the things you love to mind when your life is challenging or you're not feeling well,” says Julie, a music teacher.

“During the recent floods and COVID anxiety, some of our participants were facing more stress and uncertainty than ever before. We ended up discussing how we didn’t really relate to any of the favourite things mentioned in the song, and decided to write our own.”

The group collaborated via email to make the song more current and relatable, and give them all a lift in spirits; they then met in the following week’s session to sing their parody.

The new lyrics are below, if you’d like to try it out for yourself.

‘My Favourite Things’ by Sing to Feel Good

1. Walks in the forest, and also on beaches

Apples and pears with ice cream on peaches.

Getting together with a friend who sings

These are a few of my favourite things.

2. Koalas dozing in favourite trees

Sailing boat racing ahead of the breeze

Women respected and violence no more

These are a few of my favourite things...

3. Cockatoos calling and eagles that soar

Warm ocean water and dolphins galore

Wide open sky with sunlight all day

these are few of my favourite things…

4.When the flood strikes

When the fire sweeps

Pollies heads in the sand

I simply remember my favourite things and then I don't feel so bad

The entire experience sums up what the Virtual Social Centre is all about: meeting new people, staying connected, and having new experiences, all from the comfort of your home.

We’re so happy to bring a smile to many people in the face of difficult times, whether it’s through a clever parody of a popular song – or something else entirely.

To find out more about the Virtual Social Centre and all it offers, click here.