November 2021 Newsletter

We received a lovely thank you note from a family in Alaska [below]. As soon as we heard from them, Mike Engel, recording engineer for the Foundation since its beginning, made 3 copies of the 2014 Tacy’s Gift CD [see box below] that lifted their spirits. The CDs have arrived safely in Alaska at this writing. It is now in USB format.   
Tacy's Gift was an album of original songs by Michael Tacy, Brendan Bui, Julia Baker, George Benskin, Belle Do, and Chris Zerhusen. Michael, Chris, Julia, and Brendan were in high school, George and Belle were in middle school. They all donated copyright permission for their songs. Aleli Rumbaugh (8th grade at that time) designed the front graphic for the insert with her uncle from Philadelphia. Matthew Scott (currently the graphic designer of this newsletter) designed the insert for the 2014 shipments. Cynthia McCormack, Co-founder, edited the inserts. Mcpadnet printed them and arranged for everything to be shipped to Fisher Houses. To this day, they ship for us to a growing number of Fisher Houses nationwide for Memorial Day/4th of July and Veterans Day. We have included Tacy’s Gift in almost every shipment through the years because it touches the hearts and souls of so many people of all ages who have tremendous challenges.  

One of my bucket-list dreams is to continue a legacy of original songs from our kids to beam hope, as these first composers did and continue to do. Composer's Circle is now in full swing with young ones finding ways in their own music to express their hope, their love for others, and hope for the world.  Both Michael and George are giving their own concerted effort to help others find their musical messages. One of these days, you will see another USB program with original songs, with the inspiration from their predecessors.

I am in awe of all of you who continue to support and create and love the community whom we serve. Thank you and the Board for supporting the Foundation's long-term investment in shipments of CDs and USBs to Fisher Houses. As we prepare to upload and send this holiday season’s USBs, we invite you to donate towards the cost of these unique music gifts and handmade cards to 92 Fisher Houses, Quantico Marine Base, and Joint Base Andrews Air Force families. We will also ship to First Responders Children's Foundation.  Your donation will bring music from our youth to those who serve and protect us.  Thank you!

Prior to the pandemic, I participated in many of the Foundation’s events, playing at Asbury and Shady Grove Hospital and serving as a member of the Tacy Foundation Technology Team among other activities. One of my favorite events was Piano Pals, which aims to teach underprivileged students how to play the piano. Through Piano Pals, I served as a chief intern at Brown Station and, most memorably, I spearheaded a Piano Pals trip to India alongside my sister. 

The rising number of COVID-19 cases and school closings inevitably led to the end of Piano Pals for that term. For the initial chunk of the pandemic, I didn’t do too many piano-related activities, as I didn’t believe there was much to do during that time. However, last September, I was asked to serve as a Chief Intern for a new Online Piano Pals Training Session for future mentors. I agreed, hesitantly at first, as I didn’t understand the ins and outs and the goals of the sessions. 

Later on, I realized the direct impact that it made. Each meeting went through aspects of the Faber Books, helping the students get a preview of what they would teach in the future. Also, in the sessions, my Co-Chief Intern and I would impart the experiences that we had in Piano Pals and different ways to teach these students. From that, the mentors would also share the experiences that they had teaching and what worked best for them for us, which provided me with a new perspective on teaching. Though I joined as a Chief Intern to help other students prepare for Piano Pals, it was also a learning opportunity for me. 

Due to my enjoyment of the Piano Pals Online Session last year, I joined as a Chief Intern once again last month for a similar online session. My experiences were more of the same: though I passed on knowledge that I learned from years past, I also gained many tips and teaching points that I can use in the future. Although many activities like Piano Pals were suspended in the past year, this time has also helped me to become a better leader and mentor for now and in the future.   -- Siddharth Kondam 

Michael Tacy, Composer’s Circle Teacher, has just released his own album called Simpler Times. 

He writes: Simpler Times is an album written, produced, and performed by me, Michael Tacy, in my home-grown studio in a small basement in Cincinnati, OH. I wrote this music to be about overcoming the struggles that humans have had for our entire existence. Struggles of the mind. The title "Simpler Times" comes from a desire to return to a time when things appeared "simpler" and "easier". It is a mixture of many genres of music from rock to hip-hp, fusion to folk.  

My music comes from the heart, and I hope that comes across to listeners. If you want more information about the songs, as there is a story behind each one, you can follow me on bandcamp or Instagram. I will post more information about the songs in time. See https://linktr.ee/tacym. (The link will take you to a sample and a connection to Spotify, for you to purchase. The content is for mature audiences.)

Charlotte Holliday, Founder and Executive Director

Matthew D. Scott, Graphic Editor

Michael Favin, Chief Editor

Siddharth Kondam, Teen Editor

Ethan Schenker, Teen Editor