On June 8, 2018, the East Cobb Young Musicians started summer performance series, they visited Atria Senior Livings, Elmcroft Senior Livings, and Sunrise Senior Livings. In the total of THREE hours of performance, the team had a trumpet solo, a cello solo, a clarinet solo, piano, and violin solos and duos playing both classical and modern music such as Pachabel’s Canon in D, Vivaldi, Corelli, Super Mario Theme, and My Country Tis of Thee. Young musicians also introduced themselves and their experience with instrument when they arrived at senior center.
Cynthia Ruan and Isabel Zhou scheduled and coordinated performances by calling senior centers. Our young musicians met up and scheduled times to rehearse the music together to ensure a great performance. They rehearsed for more than 3 hours for these performances. Soloists were also mentored by their teachers on the pieces they performed. Students prepared various pieces to perform for the senior centers.
Playing music for our friends at the senior centers makes them happy. Often, they do not see many young faces while living in the center, so when students perform, our young musicians connect them to the younger generations. The performances gave the residents entertainment and joy. A lady at one of the senior centers who is around 101 years old knits scarves every day. She mentioned that every time volunteers came and performed, she would give them scarves, which were beautifully made. It was very fascinating how great her health was for her age. Our young musicians talked to several seniors. Other seniors also told us how the music reminded them of when they used to play an instrument.
Attendance: Maxwell Jiang (Piano), Jay Pan (Trumpet), Katherine Sha (Clarinet), Alex Lunn (Cello), Cynthia Ruan (Violin), Rachel Li (Violin), Diane Chen (Violin), Isabel Zhou (Violin).
Reported by Katherine Sha, Cynthia Ruan
