The holiday season is my favorite time with the Tacy Foundation.
I am Richard Pedersen, a longtime site supervisor and active member of the Tacy Foundation. I keep busy by helping the foundation meet its mission of sharing music with people in hospitals and senior residences. Our music also benefits those who care for them. If fact, everyone involved gains from the experience of live performance music. I’m reminded of that especially during our holiday concerts.
When our volunteers perform at residences around the county, the seniors flock to the social halls to enjoy the music. I know that patients at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, or the National Institute of Health can hear our volunteers’ performing, too. Just think of how many are comforted by these students who volunteer their time to practice, perform, greet residents, and then sign up to do it again.
But remember that I said everyone benefits. The student performers who play at Tacy Foundation events receive something, too. They gain performance skills, management skills, and take on the responsibility to be prepared to perform, which they do so well.
While this mutual benefit happens all year, the holiday season adds much to the joy of music. I think it is because of the familiarity of the many holiday carols and popular songs. Our audiences know the words to holiday songs, and how! Another plus during the holidays are the performers themselves, who find the time to learn holiday music. There’s nothing like providing what our audiences ask for.
A good example of music during the holidays is the sing-along. As part of The Tacy Foundation’s long relationship with the Kindley Assisted Living Residence at Asbury Methodist Village, we have hosted a Holiday Sing-Along for eight years. love it, because everyone else is doing all the work. A duo of pianists provides the music, the residents sing and some play the bells they bring, and everyone has a great time.
In fact, this year we expanded singing with residents during December. Just before Christmas, Mrs. Charlotte Holliday led a group of performers at Shady Grove Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. Everyone sang, including the kids and their audience!
Holiday events during December are just one example of the Tacy Foundation’s volunteer opportunities for young performers, young leaders, and adults. Thank you to the hundreds who participated in 2018. And thank you to the many who will continue to bring live music to so many in the community.