Music in the time of Covoid-19

Hello everyone! As you may imagine, my work providing live therapeutic music has come to a halt indefinitely. However, I am fortunate that I am on staff at a local nursing home (limited hours) and so I have been able to continue providing the comforts of music to the residents there going room to room.

Yesterday, we thought out of the box and I led a sing along over the intercom.   We sang some of our favorite gospel songs, "This Little Light of Mine," "I'll Fly Away," "Do Lord," "Down By the Riverside," "Amazing Grace." Our last song, "Stand by Me," we video taped the residents singing outside their rooms in the hallway and we shared it on Facebook to bring cheer to our community and all around the world.

I've worked here now for 3 years and these people are so inspirational to me.  What we are now having to go through (self isolation) is something they live with every day. Lockdown is nothing new to them every flu season. Many of them do not have family or friends nearby to visit them. Yet they make do and they find little joys in simple things.

I plan to keep our intercom music flowing as well as room to room visits. I am very thankful for the opportunity to continue to share music and bring hope and comfort to others. This work is what also brings me hope and comfort.

May you all find hope and comfort in this time of uncertainty.

Soundscapes come alive

Those of you who know me, know that I have a  Cochear implant (CI) and that has given me some unique experiences.  Awhile ago, Cochlear Americas (manufacturer of my CI) had a contest among CI recipients called, "Inspire Us."  They invited us to submit a work of visual art that would represent our hearing journey.

I immediately thought of this painting/collage pictured above that I did. Though I was not thinking of this theme when I did this work, it clearly does depict an image showing all of my favorite sounds.

I once lived in a teepee in rural California and went to sleep hearing the sounds of an owl hooting. I loved that sound more than anything!

Also, I love the sounds of the oceans' waves, the wind blowing in the trees, (the kites represent the wind), sounds of animal growls and expressions of joy. The stars represent outer space and technology.  The colorful, squiggly banners represent music and rhythm.

It turns out that this piece was selected to be part of a special art show at the Cochlear Americas headquarters in CO. I love the idea that others will see this work and maybe get a smile out of it.

One thing CI recipients know is that we do not take the simplest sound for granted.