Lauren Doherty, Editor-in-Chief
@LDohertyCourant
When the pandemic hit, life was put on pause. Athletes stopped playing, actors stopped performing, and teams stopped competing. But for the Musical Moments club, work was resumed quickly. Their efforts were directed towards switching the club from in-person to virtual performances and meetings.
This upcoming December, the club will perform a virtual Nutcracker concert and a holiday concert. The concert will include holiday classics, such as Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song. Each student records a video or audio clip of them playing their pieces at home, which are then combined into one continuous video sent out to senior centers.
The club typically visits local senior centers and performs concerts for them. Instruments range from the piano to the trumpet and everything in between. The club also has singers and dancers who add to the performance element of the concerts. Currently at 11 official members, the club is not technically affiliated with NCHS, meaning that it is open to anyone, regardless of age or school, to join.
Junior Catherine Burges and sophomore Serena Platt created the Musical Moments club, which aims to bring music to local senior centers, in early 2019. “Music is something we all have in common,” Serena said. “People don’t always think of that as what binds us to our older residents.”
For Catherine, inspiration to start the club came from her grandmother, who used to listen to her practice piano over the phone. “She always talked about how it was so hard for her to find joy in things,” Catherine said. “I just thought there should be more ways for people to get involved with music in not only assisted living homes, but throughout any organization.”
Both Catherine and Serena play the piano, but Junior Matthew Kim also added his talents of the bass clarinet to the club. “It’s nice seeing the residents at the senior centers and witnessing how they react and really love how we can bring music and joy to them,” Matthew said.
Serena said that the seniors are always incredibly grateful and excited to hear the music. “Most of the time they clap in between every song,” Serena said. “They are so happy just to get out, be with each other, and listen to some music.”
Music not only provides a source of entertainment to the seniors, but it can also help to improve both their mental and physical health. “Music can help with your memory and senses,” Serena said. “Listening to sounds can help reinforce what’s familiar to you, so in fact, it has medical benefits along with emotional ones.”
At the Musical Moments club, the cliche phrase “music is the universal language” is well accepted. Catherine said she has a fond memory of one particular resident at Waveny Care Center who had lost the ability to speak. As she would listen to Catherine play, she would begin to bob her head in efforts to express her thoughts through motion. “You can just watch their eyes light up. It’s really incredible,” Catherine said.
When COVID-19 hit, senior centers were particularly high risk areas. Consequently, students were not allowed into centers to perform their music. Drawing inspiration from their own digital music platforms, Serena and Catherine turned the club virtual. So far, they have created a Fall concert and a Veteran’s Day concert.
The virtualization of the club brought an unexpected opportunity for Catherine and Serena. “By making these videos virtual, not only are we able to mass produce them, but it has also allowed us to have a more diverse group of members,” Catherine said.
The club has begun to build up its membership and even includes participants from Saxe Middle School and surrounding Fairfield County schools. “I don’t even know some of the kids, my piano teacher connected me to them,” Catherine said. “But just because of our shared talent and goal to spread music to the community, we were able to connect.”
Musical Moments has also brought its presence to social media by creating an Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube account. Their social media platforms have allowed them to expand their influence to reach a larger audience. In fact, their Instagram has amassed over 80 followers in just a month.
Despite the opportunities brought by digitalization, the club said it’s not quite the same as when members would visit the seniors in person. “For the elderly, part of the experience is seeing people,” Matthew said. “I doubt it’s quite the same for them seeing a video.”
As vaccinations are found and the COVID-19 pandemic slows its spread, senior centers plan to open their doors back up to students. But whether or not that time comes soon, the Musical Moments club said they will continue to produce music and put a smile on the faces of many seniors. “Music has been really important in my life, and I’m super grateful that I’m able to do something to give back to the community,” Catherine said.
