Paul Golden is on a mission to bring music into the lives of seniors.
A classically trained musician, Golden, 91, works as a musical director at South Florida senior living communities, teaching residents how to use singing and performing to foster a sense of pride and community.
He and his wife, Sheila Golden, work with choirs at the Devonshire at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Harbour’s Edge in Delray Beach, and Cascades at Delray Beach.
But before he entered the senior space, Golden was a pianist, a performer, a grade-school choir teacher and a famous face around the Catskill Mountains in the summertime.
His discovered music at age 7, when his mother put him in piano lessons, quickly realizing he was musically inclined. Golden credits that talent to his mother’s first cousin, the famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin.
His performing career began one summer in the Catskills — an area known for being a top vacation destination for New York City Jews — when he was asked to join a pop band. Every summer for 30 years, Golden would play at the now-closed mountain resorts, such as The Nevele Grande Resort and The Pines Resort.
Even after the all-boy band disbanded, he would return for another 26 years as a solo act. “I think many of your readers may say, ‘I know that guy from The Nevele,'” said Golden.
During the rest of the year, he taught choir for the New York City Department of Education at the junior high level.
Golden retired from teaching in 1991 and, along with his wife, moved to South Florida nine years later. Here, he went back to doing what he loved, continuing to entertain throughout the state with a one-man show of classical and popular tunes.
In 2019, after a performance at the Devonshire, a new opportunity presented itself. Golden was asked to take over the choir course at the community — and he jumped at the chance.
“Music has always been a labor of love, and I liked working with seniors who truly enjoyed the music,” he said.
Golden, who lives in Lake Worth, focuses on the residents’ enjoyment above all else. He chooses songs he knows they will enjoy and plays in any key, ensuring every singer is comfortable hitting the notes.
“It’s the highlight of my week; everyone looks forward to the choir on Saturday,” said Natalie Siegel, a resident at the Devonshire who has participated for four years. “Paul is a wonderful conductor, and it brings the whole community together.”
“I never sang a note in my entire life until my wife, Toni, and I moved into the Devonshire,” added Earl Goodman, who joined the choir three years ago. “We went to the Christmas concert and Paul said, ‘If you’d like to join us, we’d love to have you.’
“Since then, I can’t tell you how much fun I’ve had. I’ve done songs dressed up as Elvis. And it’s all because Paul gives you the confidence to do things you haven’t done before.”
Golden takes care of the music while his wife handles all the backstage tasks — invoices, scheduling, typing up arrangements. “We really work together as a team,” he said.
The choirs rehearse once a week. Each lesson starts with breathing exercises — “similar to what they do in tai chi,” said Golden — and vocalizing. It prepares members for the singing portion. Then they perform every three or four months for residents of their communities.
“I always tell them not to hold back because many of them are very timid,” Golden said. “They really look forward to coming and they always look nice and they always have a smile on their face. It is most gratifying for me when a singer tells me that being in the chorus makes them happy.”
But it’s not just the seniors who are getting something out of the choir. When asked why Golden continues to teach in his retirement, his answer is simple: to keep busy.
“I think many of your readers may say, ‘I know that guy from The Nevele.’ ” — Paul Golden
“The reason why I really like doing what I’m doing at this stage of my life is that through my piano playing and my teaching, [I find a] little bit of levity,” he said. “[The seniors] feel like they’re part of a group and it becomes a wonderful opportunity for them to do what makes them happy. It’s good to be busy. And it keeps me busy as well.”
While the choirs are not limited to Jewish members, Golden, whose father was a cantor, incorporates his Jewish upbringing into everything he does.
In a recent show, he ended the performance with the song “To Life” from “Fiddler on the Roof.” And for their annual holiday shows in December, the Goldens composed a parody of the “12 Nights of Christmas” titled “Eight Nights of Hanukkah,” in which a partridge in a pear tree becomes a big bowl of matzo ball soup.
“I grew up with Jewishness singing with my father in shul,” said Golden. “Jewish music is something that I’ve always loved and I always did many shows singing Jewish songs that people remember.”
