My Journey with the Tacy Foundation
By Rebecca Fan

My journey with Tacy Foundation began in my 7th grade (2018), when I started performing music in the main lobby of Frederick Health Hospital. In the beginning, I followed the footsteps of my older and more experienced peers: I was a participant. I dipped my toes in the water as this was my first volunteer experience ever, and I didn’t yet have a clear appreciation of giving back to the community. But as time went on, I became more involved. In the 8th grade (2019), I became a Chief Intern in Frederick for the Tacy Foundation, leading and helping others start performing at Frederick Health Hospital and various senior centers.

I couldn’t have done this without the guidance of Ms. Charlotte Holliday. When I first met her, she warmly introduced me to the Foundation, and she has guided me throughout the years with her inspiring leadership. I’m forever grateful to Ms. Holliday, who taught me to open my heart and appreciate the beauty of healing others through music, which changed my perspective on both music and life.

In 2020, however, most hospitals and senior centers shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, I looked for other ways to make an impact in my community. In November 2020, amidst the COVID pandemic, I started a music club at my high school in Frederick to carry on the Tacy Foundation’s activities such as making and sharing cards for patients, recorded music performances, and puzzle books for seniors. In 2020 and 2021 we prepared more than 500 Christmas cards, which were delivered to various hospitals, senior centers, and Fisher Houses across the nation. We created a short playlist consisting of musical performances and Reading-Express videos that we sent to the Tacy Foundation for dissemination. In the midst of COVID, I also wanted to help out senior centers. I and other students from Urbana High School donated more than 400 items, ranging from canned foods to toiletries, to the Shady Grove Senior Center.

Carrying out this task was extremely difficult, as virtual communication and organization were challenging. However, more than a year later (2021), students from Urbana High School are willing to travel 30-40 minutes to perform music at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital for patients, staff members, and visitors. This type of commitment to perform heartwarming music stems from the students’ passion, not just for music but also for inspiring others through music.

Last school year (2021), I started tutoring local middle school students on music theories and their instruments. This summer, I wanted to bring back more elements from pre-COVID, so after numerous phone calls, emails, and communicating with volunteers, and with the help of Ms. Holliday, we started an instrument performance site at Citizens Nursing Home in Frederick. Despite strict COVID restrictions to this day, we started connecting with the seniors on a more personal level. In our future monthly visits to the center, I hope to bring more supportive elements, including letters and cards to seniors.

Approximately a year ago, I also shared how I started a club at my high school during a conference with the Community Service Organization at Cornell University and the Tacy Foundation. I wrote several newsletter articles about how I’ve made an impact in the community by starting a club. Many fellow Tacy volunteers and young leaders learned about this and reached out to both me and Ms. Holliday about starting clubs at their own high schools. I wrote back to Matthew from Massachusetts, Danielle from Walter Johnson HS, Matthew Kim from Thomas Jefferson HS in Virginia, and others, giving them advice and sharing with them my experience of starting a club.

Today, I’m looking for more ways to continue making an impact and inspire others. I plan to continue carrying out the activity at Citizens Nursing Home. I also hope to restart music performances at Frederick Health Hospital, if possible, although the COVID guidelines remain extremely strict there. As the school year is starting, I plan to continue COVID activities at my high school, including card writing, senior letter writing, Reading Express, recording instrumental videos. Throughout more than five years of volunteering under the Tacy Foundation, I have not only gained much confidence and communication skills as a leader, but also piano playing began to take on a whole different meaning. Instead of playing pieces to perform perfectly on stage, I began playing to connect and reach people’s hearts. I began to play to heal others, to inspire others. I grew so much as a student, musician, and leader, with Ms. Holliday’s encouragement and guidance and the Foundation’s unconditional support.

The Neuroscience of Music
By Susan Lin

Music on the Street
By Charlotte Holliday

Two weeks ago, we were invited by the Volunteer Chief of the Germantown Volunteer Fire Station 29 to participate in an Open House. (I want to learn the story of how they knew to invite us...perhaps because of the handmade cards that we dropped off to say thank you to first responders.)
 
On the day of the event (September 17), traffic was blocked off, and tables set up in the street by various nonprofit organizations to raise awareness. Tacy Foundation volunteers played music in the street. We provided a table with information about the Foundation, offered QR Code cards, a children's book and wrist bands that said "Piano Pals," and other sundries. Audrey Benford, a senior at Winston Churchill HS, offered to manage the entire event, including setting up, table-managing, and packing up. We were so happy to find a full 88-key electric instrument last week at Music & Arts that would run on batteries! Several pianists of all levels, beginner, intermediate, and advanced, emerged to play. So did a cellist and a violinist play right in the street facing the passersby. 
 
Those stopping by were very interested in what we are doing in the community. One very interested businessman, a pop musician on the side all his life, wants to help kids learn how to improvise and how to play pop. He spoke from his heart about the presence of music throughout his life. He offered to meet with our kids to show them how to play pop and to remind them of the importance of what they are doing. He wants to share with seniors also.
 
A very affirming day for all of us! Parents of our kids are so supportive and helpful in every way. We are so fortunate (and a little sunburned.)

I Did It, In the End
By Khoi Phuong Anh

When I was three, my musical journey started when I was exposed to the ABCs of music (pun intended), and I hit my first note. Since then, music has taken me through an emotional rollercoaster that continues to rumble on.

I remember when I had to play my first C major scale on the piano. The thumb had to go under the middle finger, and a few notes after that, the ring finger. It took me so much time to be able to reach that note. But I did it, in the end. 

I remember when I started using my left hand. Even though it was to play only one note, it took me so much time to be able to do it. I did it, in the end.

The first composition I played was a jazz piece. The rhythm was fun and irregular, so I was drawn to it. I played it and danced to the beat of the song. It wasn’t as much dancing as just twitching in place, but I was enjoying myself. 

For the next few years, I simply me played pieces and enjoyed my time. That wasn’t always true, however. The etudes were very annoying, and I kept tripping in the same place. I was surely mad -- slamming the keyboard, kicking underneath the piano, and throwing tantrums. But I did it, in the end. 

The piano brought me a lot of friendships. “Oh, you play the piano?” is a surefire conversation starter. The best thing is that it works with everyone, from someone my age to a senior. Music is the string connecting me with everyone else. 

I’ve grown a lot thanks to music. It taught me to think about what’s on the inside. After all, that’s what makes the sound as pristine as it can be. It taught me to keep persevering. That’s what refines the delicate techniques. The best part of all, it taught me to be creative. Each piece has its own story. It may be a bright, playful story, like Chopin’s “Butterfly” Etude, or as dark and tragic as “Erlkönig” by Schubert. It’s up to the pianist to interpret its story and weave it into a brilliant flow. Music really has taught me to be a better person.