In January, the Greater Princeton branch of AYLUS (GPA) volunteers, who are primarily middle and high school students, gathered at Brandywine Serenade Senior Living in Princeton, New Jersey (775 Mt Lucas Road, Princeton, NJ 08540), to put on a two hours long concert for a senior audience, bringing talent, charisma, and joy to people.
During such concerts, AYLUS invites around 11 or 12 of its members to put on a show, whether it be singing, dancing, or playing a musical instrument. During these performances, people have shown off their skills at the piano, violin, cello, and even traditional Chinese instruments such as the Chinese zither. Not only is performing at these shows a great volunteering opportunity, but it’s also a chance for teens to showcase their musical ability to a wider audience.
However, the concerts are not simply the work of the performers; there is much more additional work that goes on behind the scenes. This is the job of the concert hosts: to do the organizational tasks to make sure that the event runs smoothly.
For instance, as early as a month before the next concert, they make announcements to ask AYLUS members to sign up to perform. The spots fill up extremely quickly, and there are often even a few people on the waiting list. After they finalize the list, a program list of each month’s concert must be designed and printed so it can be handed out to the audience during the performance.
That’s the work of the hosts before the concert begins, but during the concert, the hosts are also responsible for introducing and welcoming every performer, opening and closing the entire concert, as well as cultivating a friendly and enjoyable environment.
Everyone’s hard work eventually pays off during the performance, where both the performers and hosts can watch the seniors smile, clap, and experience the excitement of everyone’s musical talent.
Hosts Sophia Feng (1/1, 3 hrs) and Catherine Jiang (1/1, 3 hrs) contacted the senior center and called for performers, assembled the music, designed a program flier, and brought in music stands and speakers.
Performers & Volunteers (1/6, 3 hrs for all): Sophia Feng, Catherine Jiang, Grace Xia, Cujin Yu, Sarah Yue, Cindy Chen, Judy Chen, Michael Feng, Aleena Zhang, Alice Yu, Eric Li, Yitong Huang, Gloria Wang, Evelyn Shi, Sarah Xian, Chelsey Li, Leyan Zhang, William Zhou, Xia Li, and more.
