Conductorcise adds a classical note to exercise

By Rita Frankenberry
The Virginian-Pilot
David Dworkin was a masterful conductor before retiring from a career leading orchestras around the world.

And although playing for audiences abroad was rewarding, Dworkin said it doesn’t compare to the spectators he plays for these days.

Several years ago he created a new, music-based exercise program called Conductorcise. The national program, which combines aerobic activity with symphonic music, is geared toward all ages but has seen particular success with senior citizens, Dworkin said. In fact, the program has been especially helpful in treating stroke patients and those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, he said.

It's a very powerful music program with cognitive benefits because it affects the brain,said Dworkin, who recently visited
Virginia Beach to help launch the program at Atria, an assisted living facility on Old Donation Parkway.

Now residents at the facility will be able to get an upper-body workout while simulating conducting motions and they'll also be engaging their minds as they learn about musical history.

We know that exercise in general helps and has a positive impact on brain health, so this was a way to engage in a physical activity they enjoy, Atria Executive Director Diane Carvalho said. As we continue to work with patients with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, we're always looking for the best way to interact with them or engage with them. We know the power of music, and we’re always looking at the mind, body and spirit.

Dworkin has seen the power of music first-hand.

Most of the songs played during Conductorcise classes are classical pieces, but Dworkin said he sometimes also includes popular music from the 1940s and 50s, which also connects with seniors. Sometimes, when participants hear the strains of Ol’ Blue Eyes fill the room, they begin to get up and dance.

These are participants suffering from Alzheimer's and haven’t moved in months, he said. It creates life. You can see smiles. It lifts their spirits for that hour.
To also help engage the mind, as participants are listening to the music and conducting, Dworkin points out the different instruments they hear. It makes them aware of the different rhythms in the music, he said.

I'm directing their brains to things they haven’t heard before . That all makes connections in the brain. These are some of the reasons the program has been picked up by Atria nationally.

The Virginia Beach facility is the latest Atria assisted-living facility to add the Conductorcise class to its offerings. The company, the fourth-largest assisted-living operator in the country, has communities in 27 states. Already, many of Atria's 125 assisted-living centers have added the class to their facilities

They hope to eventually offer it at all of them, Carvalho said, adding that the exercise program has also been proven to help with arthritis and has helped some Parkinsons patients, too.

It encourages people to exercise while sharing their favorite musical experiences, Carvalho said.

If it's music they remember, they're humming along and they're connecting.

Rita Frankenberry, 222-5102,
rita.frankenberry@pilotonline.com