When I first heard about the COVID-19 Virus, I immediately thought our project "Send in the Music," was dead in the water. Who wants to be a visiting musician at medical facilities when there is a medical threat. Not only that, but both of my volunteer sites - Halifax Hospice and South Seminole Hospital - called and asked that volunteers not come in until further notice for their own safety.
I was lamenting to a friend that I did not know what would happen with Send in the Music. My friend said he could not wait to see what kind of creativity came out of this challenge.
Still feeling glum, an article showed up on my Facebook feed. It was a story about a family living near an 85 year old woman who was self-isolating. Afraid of contracting the dangerous virus, the woman refused all contact, even assistance shopping. In order to let their neighbor know she was not alone, two young neighborhood children went over to their neighbor's front porch with their cellos. They played a mini-concert for the elderly woman who sat inside and watched the children through the window. The woman was delighted and said the music was the highlight of her day.
Suddenly, a light bulb went on and I was inspired. I realized that even though we could not visit people who are sick in medical facilities, there were many people who are living alone, and are isolated by the current virus threat. We could visit them in their homes via the internet. Using a digital platform like Zoom, we can offer mini-serenades to comfort and cheer those who are isolated. We can gather isolated musicians into our community and meet regularly for an on-line digital jam. We can keep our social relationships with our musician friends, by learning to interact on-line.
Check out our web site for descriptions of our new services and a link to our Digital Jam.
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