Rice University
Founder: Symphonies for Seniors Music Program

As Orchestra President, I founded Symphonies for Seniors, a program that shares the gift of music with nursing home residents. My father spent a lot of time in nursing homes, recovering from the effects of a brain injury, and whenever the harpist came to play, he would call my mother and me so we could listen with him. I knew how much the music meant to him, so after his passing, I wanted to start a program that would give our orchestra members the opportunity to provide that same kind of joy.

During the pandemic, I have expanded Symphonies for Seniors and made it a virtual volunteering opportunity for orchestra students district wide. The seniors are not allowed family visits, so our videos bring comfort and joy to them during difficult times. In our videos, we greet the seniors and tell them we are thinking about them. Our performances are now enjoyed by tens of thousands of nursing home residents in 25 states and Canada. It is wonderful to be able to give back to my community by sharing the things I love.

I am grateful that through music, I have been able to add moments of light into the seniors’ days. Symphonies for Seniors seeks to uplift the emotional health and well-being of seniors in nursing homes who may feel depressed or isolated. The activity director at one of the nursing homes that we play for explained that she has personally seen the healing power of music over her many years of working with seniors with dementia and depression. Another nursing home told me, “Times are tough for our seniors definitely, but with groups like yours, they get to experience some joy in their day.”

The most rewarding part of being a musician is being able to share my art with my community. I am now a student at Rice University, and I am a member of the Campanile Orchestra. As External Vice President of Rice Music MDs, I have introduced Symphonies for Seniors to Rice musicians to give them the opportunity to share their love of music with patients in hospitals and nursing homes near campus. I am so grateful to be able to connect with seniors in person again.

I am also a research assistant at the Biobehavioral Mechanisms in Disparities Lab, which studies the effects of music creativity on brain health in older adults and individuals with mild cognitive impairment. In the future, as a clinical psychologist, I hope to work with patients with dementia and to pursue research on music therapy. I will use my passions for psychology and music to make meaningful change to my community, local and global. There is something really special about music that I can’t quite put my finger on, but I know that it is something that I want to do for the rest of my life.