Tacy Foundation Founder and President Charlotte Holliday shares her reflections on the 2018 holiday concert season.
The holiday season brought fantastic moments from so many Tacy Foundation volunteers!
Beginning with Thanksgiving weekend, our young healers volunteered at area hospitals, seniors’ facilities, and with the foundation’s Piano Pals® afterschool programs.
The foundation brought joy though patriotic music at Thanksgiving and seasonal songs for Christmas, Chanukah, and winter celebrations from November through first day of the New Year, 2019. This was all thanks to the talents of our young volunteers whose skills at reading music were complemented by their talents as fast learners.
My own personal goal was to collect the favorite songs of seniors in order to prepare a large print booklet of 15-20 song so that seniors could sing along with the young musicians.
The two months of holiday preparation sparked interest in sight reading among the youth at a time when most children and teens ones find it difficult to concentrate on anything except Santa, winter lights, and decorated trees, and a vacation!
Sight reading familiar favorite songs and then mastering them is an adventure worth taking. The students improve their skills in reading notation, and rhythm, and build seasonal repertoire for years to come.
Sharing these songs with seniors who recognize and sing along with them connects children with elders in a warm, informal, and happy way. Years ago, friends used to do this in their homes and then go caroling in their neighborhoods as a personal holiday gesture of good will. In our present world, everyone turns on the TV or streams holiday movies and shows, rarely going out to experience live music in the community.
Live music brings people closer to one another through sound…the esoteric, intangible yet very real connection that empowers us to imagine, dream, think, feel, and simply be present. There is a spirit of warmth and even love that is transported through the sound waves.
Here are highlights of my Christmas/Winter season as a message bearer for all of the children and teens of Tacy Foundation:
December 1:
- 2:00 P.M. Frederick Memorial Hospital Live Music in the Main Lobby, Hadyn Ng & Nathan Pan, Chief Interns.
- 3:00 P.M. Holy Cross Germantown Hospital Live Music in the Main Lobby. George Frisbie, Chief Intern.
- 4:30 to 6:30 P.M. Live Music at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville.
Rishabh Karanth & Nastaran Moghimi, Chief Interns.
December 6:
- 3:30 Piano Pals at Fox Chapel ES. Candace Moore, Chief Intern. Children work on curriculum and learn holiday songs for the last class before the winter break
December 7:
- 3:30 Piano Pals at Brown Station ES and Gaithersburg ES. Children work on curriculum and learn holiday songs for the last class before the winter break.
- 4:00 P.M. Town Center HOC in Rockville. Cyrus Amini, Chief Intern, presided for a holiday music program for seniors. Pedersen supervised.
December 8.
- 1:30 Lakeforest Mall Live Music for the Holidays brought a full house when the music played from the Sound System. Even Santa Claus waived from his chair in the center of the Mall. There were 35 participants! All delightfully prepared, colorfully dressed, and excited to serve the shopkeepers and shoppers with the magic of Christmas spirit—JOY! I was so honored to be part of this inspiring program!
- 2:00 P.M. Frederick Memorial Hospital Live Music in the Main Lobby. Hadyn Ng & Nathan Pan, Chief Interns.
- 3:00 P.M. Holy Cross Silver Spring Hospital Live Music in the Main Lobby. Isabelle Poggy, Chief Intern.
- 3:30 P.M. Greyswood Road Larmax Home. Emily Wang, Chief Intern.
- 4:00 P.M. Brightview Great Falls, VA. Sophia and Jacqui Go, Chief Interns, organized and presented a beautiful program with ten volunteers.
- 4:30 to 6:30 P.M. Live Music at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville. Rishabh Karanth & Nastaran Moghimi, Chief Interns.
December 9:
- 3:00 P.M. Asbury Methodist Village: I witnessed magic on the 2nd Sunday of the month when 4 out of 11 volunteers showed up to play. Those four kids played their hearts out with all the songs they could remember in order to bring 45 minutes of music to the eager seniors. That is generosity, courage, and ingenuity!
- 3:30 P.M. Stoneham Road Larmax Home. Anderson and Jackson Bernal, Chief interns. Holiday Music and traditional & classical music.
- 4:00 P.M. Oakton Sunrise Senior in Virginia: Up on the 3rd floor “memory unit,” these children and teens played violin, piano, flute, double bass.
Music was for the holidays.
December 13:
- 3:30 M. Piano Pals at Fox Chapel ES. Children work on curriculum and learn holiday songs for the last class before the winter break
- 5:00 P.M. Winter Wonderland Holiday Celebration at HOC Tanglewood Apartments. Noah, Nicholas Nguyen and Isabelle Poggy performed holiday music for over an hour for this celebration. Lots of fun and great food!
December 14:
- 3:30 Piano Pals at Brown Station ES. Holly Lam and Emily Tam, Chief Interns. Children and mentors work on curriculum and learn holiday songs for the last class before the winter break.
- 3:45 Piano Pals at Gaithersburg ES. Bao-Long Nguyen & Steven Ton, Chief Interns. Children and mentors work on curriculum and holiday songs for the last class on the 21st.
December 15:
- 11 A.M. Waltonwood Senior Living in Ashburn, VA. Nikita Lal, Chief Intern led a wonderful Live Music Program at this new facility.
- 2:00 Frederick Memorial Hospital Live Music. Hadyn Ng & Nathan Pan, Chief Interns.
- 3:00 Holy Cross Hospital Germantown. George Frisbie, Chief Intern.
- 3:00 P.M. Tribute at Heritage Village in Gainesville, VA. 40 residents attended! I witnessed youth dazzle the residents with holiday arrangements that they had practiced with enthusiasm and played for the seniors. There were also several carols that had been printed for the residents’ participation. This program was hosted by Amy Tsou, Chief Intern. The Tacy Foundation has sponsored this site through the search and continued support by the Tsou family and all of the many youth who come each month to play for the growing number of seniors who look forward to hearing their music.
- 4:00 P.M. Arbor Terrace/Fairfax, VA. Allison Oh presided as Chief Intern for this lovely audience, always large and present!
- 4:30 to 6:30 P.M. Live Music at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville. Rishabh Karanth & Nastaran Moghimi, Chief Interns.
December 16:
- 3:00 Gainsborough Road Eden Home: Chief Intern, Kavya Rajaram introduced a favorite popular song, “The Greatest,” telling the seniors her own story of walking through a difficult time and how the song described hope for all of our life’s challenges. She also played “What a Wonderful World,” and “You Raise Me Up,” both favorites for seniors. What beautiful gifts of encouragement for those who can no longer leave their chairs without assistance, who are homebound, and who have time, but poor health.
- 3:00 Asbury Assisted Living Program. Children and teens came to bring their Thank You to the Seniors. They passed out Tacy Foundation CDs to the seniors as a new “Christmas memory” for them. Cookies and Juice provided moments for conversation with kids and seniors.
December 18:
- 3:30 P.M. Piano Pals at Tanglewood Apartments Housing Opportunities Commission. Each child received a Tacy Foundation 2018 Music CD.
December 19:
- 11 A.M. Montgomery Village Health Care Center. For the first time, Tacy Foundation youth were invited by Montgomery Village Healthcare to provide a music program. Two home school families prepared and performed their joyous music. The ensemble played traditional carols. Three younger children sang with the 30 seniors as seniors tapped their hands and feet to the festive songs.
December 20:
- 11 A.M. Shady Grove Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Gaithersburg. The Foundation sponsored a new Live Music for Seniors series at Shady Grove Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. Candace Moore, sophomore, and Chief Intern for Piano Pals at Fox Chapel ES, provided music the entire 11 hour. Her music transformed the entire 35 residents! She brought patriotic (for the military and first responders), Christmas carols, Christmas songs from popular repertoire, classical piano music, and sing-along traditional carols with rhythm instruments. Her mother introduced and co-narrated her program. Candace was wildly successful among the 35 residents and staff.
December 21:
- 3:30 to 4:45 P.M. Fox Chapel ES Piano Pals Holiday Celebration.
Each child received a Tacy Foundation music CD.
- 3:45 to 5:00 P.M. Gaithersburg ES Piano Pals Holiday Celebration.
Each child received a Tacy Foundation music CD.
December 22:
- 2:00 P.M. Frederick Memorial Hospital. Haydn Ng & Nathan Pan, Chief Intern
- 2:00 P.M. Asbury Methodist Village Assisted Living Traditional Annual Sing-Along.
Richard Pedersen, accompanied by Tacy Foundation Alumni George Benskin and Aiden Teter, provided a full hour of songs of all styles for the Holidays!
Standing room only. Highly coveted traditional offering by these seasonsed performers.
- 2:30 P.M. Shady Grove Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. Christmas Caroling from room to room as nine very brave, curious volunteers arrived. There were two flutists, 3 violinists, and pianists who volunteered to “Carol” throughout the 125 patient Assisted Living facility. They sang songs throughout all corridors. Singing and playing flute/violin for 90 minutes was so much fun! Most of the volunteers had never done this before. The seniors perked up and waved from their beds or wheelchairs. Staff nodded with a wink and smile as we rounded the corner of every wing in the Nursing Home. We came to each room with a holiday song or two and ended with “We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”
- 3:00 P.M. Holy Cross Hospital Silver Spring. Isabelle Poggy, Chief Intern
- 4:30 P.M. Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. Rishabh Karanth & Nastaran Moghimi, Chief Intern. 30 volunteers play holiday music, Orientations for new enrollees, Holiday Cards are being created for Pediatric patients, organized by Alexandra Thalberg.
December 23:
- 4:00 P.M. Oakton Sunrise Senior Living. I witnessed another beautiful moment as 11 gathered at Oakton in Virginia. Up on the 3rd floor “memory unit,” these children and teens played violin, piano, flute, double bass. Almost all music was for the holidays. The seniors were greeted personally at the beginning with a Sing-Along song. At the close of the program, all of the children/teens walked among the seniors, shaking their hands, and expressing appreciation for all that the seniors’ lives meant to them. For one hour before Christmas Day, a full room of elders in their wheelchairs felt the power, warmth, joy, and boundless energy of the brave youth who came to say “Thank you for making our world a wonderful place. We appreciate you. And we will remember you!”
December 24:
- 2:00 P.M. Asbury Assisted Living Christmas Eve Program. Children and teens came to bring their Holiday/Winter music to the Seniors. There were 15 participants who played, including a flutist. After each song was played, the seniors were invited to sing all of the verses that were provided in large print. They sang like angels!
At the close of the program, we invited each child/teen to select a senior to ask what Christmas memory he or she could tell to pass down to the next generation.
Here is the account written by one senior at Asbury on Christmas Even, 2018:
“Thank you so much for attending this piano program. I have enjoyed it so much!
It reminded me when I was young. I tried to steal any piano available to play because my father was not rich enough to buy me a piano. When I started working, the first thing of my salary was to buy a piano because it is a valuable thing in my life.
And here I am listening to all of your wonderful playing!
Thank you so much. I have enjoyed it so much!”
December 29:
- 2:00 Frederick Memorial Hospital. Haydn Ng, Chief Intern.(students played duets with me, sight reading the melodies in the high register of the piano.)
- 3:00 Holy Cross Germantown. George Firby, Chief Intern. Pedersen supervises the events with many volunteers playing their most fun holiday music as well as classical
- 4:30 to 6:30 Shady Grove Hospital. The usual two hours full of delightful sounds of all kinds of music. Newcomers auditioned and enrolled for Seniors and hospital programs.
December 30:
- 2:30 P.M. Larmax Homes at Lewinsville Road, McLean, VA. Andrew Zhang, Chief Intern
December 31:
- 11:00 A.M. Montgomery Village Health Care Center. Homeschool families provided Live Music on flute, clarinet, trumpet, and sang carols with seniors.
Afterwards, each child went among the 30 seniors to shake hands and introduce him/herself and to say “Happy New Year!” The tiny ones reached out a precious hand to touch the seniors’ outstretched hands.
Suddenly, after all our efforts this holiday season it was already New Year’s Eve! And so the love, appreciation, and remembrance continues from generation to generation.
From all of these amazing events, we will harvest holiday music for next year’s CDs to go to Fisher Houses and hospitals. We will record on January 13th at Rolling Hills Recording Studio. Every 15 minutes, a young artist will take the microphones and send a bright, encouraging musical message to someone he or she will never meet. Yet through the sound waves, the message will be received. The two parties, musician and listener will be empowered for the challenges that life brings us.
Thank you for the most wonderful privilege of serving our youth as they make such a tremendous difference in the world!
