A Weekend of Music, Food, Sun, and More Music, Part 2

My weekend post is in two parts, because I felt that this next section deserved it's own post.

Sunday was the spring concert for Daniel's Music Foundation.  Through New York Cares, this organization has been my favorite to volunteer for this past month.  DMF is a music program for children and adults with disabilities.  If you have some time, look over the story behind how it all got started....amazing! 

Over the past few weeks, I have been able to meet so many great people, and students who have touched my heart.  My job during the courses was to sit with a student and engage them to participate in the class.  Sometimes there were challenges, especially with the younger ones, but in four weeks I did notice a lot of improvements within each individual.  In the adult/high school keyboard class, I just so happened to work with the same student each week, so the instructor asked me to aid him on stage during the performance.  Fortunately, I didn't have to do much, as long as I got him on the right note at the start of a phrase, he was able to figure out the rest on his own. 

I sat with the students in the auditorium during the first recital of the day.  There was a "Rock 'n Roll" theme, which really produced some great acts, that I didn't even get to see during the classes.  Even when the kids were not performing and just watching the others, I saw so much excitement in their eyes, and they were clearly vocal about it at the end of each song.  Made me really miss performing back when I was a kid.

Music really does heal!!!