Helping Families Remember with Vinyl Records

Helping Families

Remember with Vinyl Records By Susan Newhof Mitch Anderson knows his way around a recording studio, and he is marrying those skills with his love of vinyl records to support families through their grief of losing someone close.

“The human voice is a physical presence,” says Mitch, president of Think of Me™, a West Michigan business that has established an exciting partnership with Harbor Hospice. “Capturing a voice on vinyl is a representation of our loved one at that moment. That is them!”

The genesis of Think of Me™ goes back to the day Mitch hosted his mother-in-law on his radio program. Her on-air name was Mama Warren.

“We were playing some of her favorite 45 RPM records from her youth,” Mitch remembers. “I would ask her to give us a rundown on one of the songs, why she chose it and what it meant to her.” Like all his shows, Mitch recorded it.

The following year, the family’s much-loved “Mama Warren” passed away unexpectedly.

“I wanted to have those moments in the studio with her again,” recalls Mitch of the fun they had doing the radio broadcast together and how much he missed her. So he retrieved the recording of the show and used his vacuum tube record lathe, circa 1949, to turn the recording into a vinyl record. Then, on a live broadcast, he played Mama Warren’s favorite 45 RPM records again, and portions of her conversation with him on his show a year earlier were skillfully faded in. There was her unmistakable voice sharing what she loved about the music and what it meant to her. She and Mitch were in the studio together once again. It was an emotional eureka moment for Mitch. He began thinking of similar ways he could help others through the grief of losing someone they love. From that inspiration grew the partnership between Think of Me™ and Harbor Hospice that will launch in the next year. Here’s how it works: Harbor Hospice patients will be offered the opportunity to talk on a field recorder about anything they choose. “They can read a bedtime story, wish happy birthday, tell a favorite family joke, recall memories, anything they want,” explains Mitch. He can take audio from other sources including voice mail and VHS tapes, too. Then he will transfer the recording to a CD and onto a vinyl record. The keepsakes will be given to family members and can be played over and over and over.

“That recording becomes an heirloom that can be shared

with others,” Mitch adds, knowing firsthand how listening to the voice of someone we’ve loved can evoke their presence and bring back tender memories. “It is a living voice to treasure, as strong as a memory in the scent of something familiar such as cookies or perfume.”

The vinyl record is designed to be held and hugged and listened to. It is also beautifully packaged and perfect for framing. The program is funded by the Harbor Hospice Foundation and provided free to all participants.

“The Think of Me™ team is so excited to be working with Harbor Hospice on this and to be able to provide a lasting physical representation of a loved one to family members at no cost,” says Mitch. “That is powerful!”

Sharing Music and Memories

Mitch wanted a way to bring meaningful music to the residents of the Leila and Cyrus Poppen Hospice Residence, so he assembled a collection of 75 records that he knew could stir memories from happy times or transport the listeners back to their youth and make them smile. Most are from the 1950s to 2010 and include instrumental, jazz, greatest hits, ballads and rock.

Then he talked with Jeff Coates, marketing manager of Pro-Ject Audio Systems, one of Black Circle Radio’s endorsers, who happily donated a beautiful new white turntable to go with the records. The turntable and records are housed at the Poppen Hospice Residence and available for patients and visitors to use anytime.

“There are reasons music has been passed down for ages,” says Mitch. “It is there to comfort and heal, create, and inspire. Music is powerful.”

About the Players

Mitch Anderson received a degree in broadcasting from Central Michigan University, but says he couldn’t sit still. In so much broadcasting, computers pick the songs, and he wanted to be more involved in music than that. As a result, he gravitated to vinyl, which is a very hands-on way of broadcasting. He has produced and directed, enjoys being on air, and is a musician. He co-founded Black Circle Radio in 2009 and loves his work.

You can listen to Mitch live on 100.9 FM Black Circle Radio on Monday evenings beginning at 7:30 pm EST. His collaborated Harbor Hospice podcast airs the third Friday of every month.

In our 2020 issue of Touching Live magazine, we introduced you to Bernie Steward, who also hosted podcasts for Harbor Hospice. Bernie and Mitch work together and engineer each other’s shows. We are grateful to both of them for sharing with us, and with West Michigan residents, their substantial skills and creativity, and for being champions for our patients and their families.

“Art therapy allows a creative outlet, providing patients and families to share their individual stories and their legacy. It can provide a safe environment to express emotions and feelings during this complex stage of life. We have fun together and they often share that this experience gives them something to ‘look forward to.’”

Amy Hamman, ATR-BC Harbor Hospice Art Therapist

Art therapy promotes comfort

The combination of the use of art materials, psychotherapy, and the creative process takes a client on a journey of self-discovery and insight. Our board-certifi ed art therapist helps to enrich the lives of patients and families through active artmaking, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship.

Individual values and beliefs are honored, and we assist with emotional, creative, and spiritual growth. Art therapists work collaboratively with social workers, nurses, aides, and physicians to create a person-centered care plan.

We are here in-person or virtually when you or a loved one need us.

To learn more about our hospice and other services, please visit HarborHospiceMI.org or call us at 231.728.3442 or 1.800.497.9559.