Our fine, talented group of young musician volunteers have been busy this summer. Here is a summary of recent Bridging thru Music events from our youth volunteers:

Branson School student Jaden Sher has played piano at Bello Gardens multiple times, and will be playing at Atria Tamalpais August 13. 16 year old singer/ guitarist Sienna Alexandra really wowed them at Aegis Living in Corte Madera in June. Always a favorite, violinist Dheyan Lim along with pianist Jane Broderick performed at South Marin Health and Wellness. New volunteers William Chu (violin), and sisters Keilana (violin)  and Caelyn Eng (piano and violin) performed at Bello Gardens (see comments from Shelley at Bello, raving about their performances). New volunteer (and singer with a beautiful voice) Lyla Stanger performed jazz and pop songs at South Marin Health and Wellness. Opening the hour were sisters Rithisaa (violin) and Tanishkaa Nambi (piano and flute), who came all the way from Tracy, a distance of over 70 miles one way! Finally Arthur Musson sang a capella for the residents of South Marin Health and Wellness. 

On behalf of LITA and the Bridging thru Music program, we thank you! Music has so much power to inspire and uplift, and these young performers gave their time to make the joy happen.

“I keep hearing rave reviews about Sienna!”

— Jordana Berliner, Life Enrichment Director, Aegis Living

“We were astounded!!! Each of them are superb. And young! Very impressive! It’s not easy to come in and play for a group of strangers, let alone those who are more challenged. The group bowed and thanked us after their last song while we clapped away.
I have never!!
”

— Shelley Katz, Activity Director, Bello Gardens

Our talented music volunteers have been busy through December 2022 and early January 2023 with four more Bridging thru Music events. On 12/21 Dheyan Lim, Catalina Wood, and Boyi Hu brought their violins to Atria Tam in Novato to play a setlist of traditional Christmas music. The residents sang along to the entire set of holiday music! All 3 volunteers said what they liked best about their performance was being able to provide holiday cheer along with the singalong. Dheyan and Boyi are in the Marin Youth Orchestra, and Catalina is in Crescendo (another branch of the Youth Program).

On 12/13 our popular “house” band Where’s Ringo performed at Elegance Hamilton Hill in Novato. The Ringos are a 5 piece acoustic band that plays Americana and classic rock.

On 12/10 one of our newer volunteers Dani Adams, who’s day job is at Skywalker Sound, dropped in at Bello Gardens to play piano tunes, which included background music as well as Holiday songs to sing along to.

Finally on Jan 3 high-schooler Arthur Maisson sang songs for the residents of Bello Gardens in San Anselmo. Warm thanks to all of our Bridging thru Music volunteers for donating their time and musical talent!

“The kids were touched and humbled by the response from the residents. Of all the volunteering they did, this opportunity to give back ranked high up for the kids.”

— PC Chiang, parent of Dheyan Lim

As one of our newest Bridging thru Music volunteers, Sienna Alexandra believes that through music she is able to connect with the world and make it a happier place. And that is exactly what she did for the enraptured residents at Aegis Living in Corte Madera on November 19th. Fresh after singing the National Anthem at a boxing event, Sienna - a supremely  talented 16 year old student at Sacred Heart in San Francisco - performed At Last by Etta James, Valerie by Amy Winehouse, Come Together by The Beatles, If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys, and the National Anthem, as well as other songs. Music is her passion, and she plays guitar and piano as well as sings. She even has a couple of songs on Spotify! On behalf of all of us at LITA, thank you Sienna for spreading the joy of music!

Hear Sienna sing Come Together by The Beatles at Aegis

Listen to her songs on Spotify here

“Wow! Sienna was so amazing. The residents and staff were spellbound. Please thank her profusely for us, and she can come back anytime.”

— Jordana Berliner, Life Enrichment Director, Aegis Living

May and June 2022 have been busy for the Bridging thru Music program, with the Where’s Ringo band, singer Jeff Cleary, and violinist Dheyan Lim spreading the joy of music at Aegis Living in Corte Madera and South Marin Health and Wellness in San Rafael. In addition, Ned Ripple and Mark Higuera sang and played songs on guitar and ukulele at one of our recent Seniors in the Park events in May. The Ringos are a 5 piece acoustic band that plays Americana and classic rock: well-loved tunes such as Jambalaya, Folsom Prison Blues, Under the Boardwalk, Bye Bye Love, That’ll Be the Day, Return to Sender, and Kansas City. Jeff Cleary does a Sinatra/crooner act and draws from the Great American Songbook, singing classic swing tunes with some Elvis and Beatles thrown in. Dheyan Lim is a talented high school student who plays a variety of classical pieces on his violin, including Tchaikovsky’s Concerto in D Major- Canzonetta, and Corelli’s Sonata in D Major, as well as many others.

Thank you to all these musicians for donating their time and creative energy to help further LITA’s mission of enriching the lives of seniors!

“Thank you for the great show! Your band has won the hearts of the residents. They were talking about the music all evening.”

— Jordana Berliner, Life Enrichment Director, Aegis Living

“… he was AMAZING!! The residents loved him and his mom. ”

— Jordana, about violinist Dheyan Lim

14 year-old violinist Dheyan Lim, a freshman at Redwood High School and a member of the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra, returned to South Marin Health and Wellness for a Holiday season performance in December, and this time he brought along some friends: fellow Redwood High students Tugdual Ricordel (violin), Boyi Hu (violin), and Jesse Deuel (viola) joined him for a repertoire of classical pieces and holiday songs. They performed quite a range of pieces: “Daisy, Daisy”, “Good King Wenceslas”, “Gavotte”, “Irish Faire'', “Silver Wood”, “L'Arlesienne”, “Jolly Old St. Nicholas”, the 1st movement of a viola concerto by Telemann, “Sarabande” by Carl Bohm, “Lalo-Symphonie Espagnole” mvmt 3, “Jupiter” (Holst), “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”, and “O Christmas Tree”.

 Residents sang along, others moved their feet, and one resident even moved her arms like she was conducting an orchestra! Thanks again to Dheyan, Tugdual, Boyi, and Jesse for sharing all their musical gifts with confined seniors and spreading some much-needed holiday cheer.

“I thought that it was great that the residents sang along”

— Dheyan Lim

14 year-old violinist Dheyan Lim, a freshman at Redwood High School and a member of the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra, wowed residents of South Marin Health and Wellness in Greenbrae CA with his wonderfully adept solo violin performance on Nov 6.  To the audience’s delight he played pieces by Kodaly, Thais, Bach, Tchaikovsky and, to top it off,  Gershwin’s “It Ain't Necessarily So” from Porgy and Bess and the Lalo Symphonie Espagnole Movement 3 (intermezzo). This was Dheyan’s first time volunteering for our Bridging thru Music program, and he said that the experience of volunteering was satisfying and it made him feel like he was able to spread joy and happiness. The residents loved his performance and definitely want him back. We can't thank him enough as he is a rare find! 

“My residents LOVED him and his performance. We were just in a manager meeting and they were saying how amazing he was and how much everyone loved him and his beautiful playing. If he ever wants to come back he is always welcome. He has a fan base here now.”

— Jeremy Carson, Activities Director, So. Marin Health and Wellness Center

Musician and singer volunteer Mary Keydash, in her incarnation as the Fall Fairy, led a sing along at Marin Post Acute in San Rafael on Oct 11. Playing her ukulele and wearing a fabulous costume on a breezy, beautiful, sunny afternoon in the courtyard, Mary led 12 residents plus staff through renditions of “Ain’t She Sweet”, “Red River Valley”, “You Are My Sunshine” and many other old favorites. After going through her setlist, she took audience suggestions and everyone sang an a capella version of “Amazing Grace”. Thank you, Fall Fairy!

“One of the residents entertained us with a solo rendition of “Danny Boy.” It was fabulous!”

— Mary Keydash, aka "The Fall Fairy"

(Updated Nov. 2) To keep our friends connected to Marin’s natural beauty and history during this pandemic, we had to do our Seniors in the Park program online. While this keeps everyone safe from Covid, it doesn’t compare to actually being out in the great outdoors. Now that our seniors are fully vaccinated, Seniors in the Park is back! For Novato’s Creekwood Senior Home residents, July 23rd was a cause for celebration as they were able to join us at San Rafael’s Lagoon Park for the first Seniors in the Park event in almost 2 years. There were lots of smiling faces, tapping toes and snapping fingers to the heartfelt singing and playing by ukulele player Nawelo Shapiro. Generously sharing Hawaiian culture and history, she also educated us on the ukulele's origins. We love you Nawelo! (pronounced, ‘NaVelo’)

The following week, San Rafael’s Pineridge residents were reunited with another friendly uke-playing character, Ned Ripple, who this time played guitar and brought along his kindly music playing friend Mark. They played a session of vintage, upbeat music that completely changed the demeanor of a particular resident from a very serious look on her face to a lighthearted beam. Happiness among the group was in abundance! And to top it off on Sept. 15th, Mary Keydash brought her ukulele and percussion instruments and led a sing along with residents of Three Home Village.

Complementing the picnics were several of our dedicated volunteers, as well as some friendly furry ones. An afternoon “out of the house” is exactly what was needed and we look forward to taking our friends to many more of them!

(Many thanks to LITA’s Tanya Mendoza for coordinating these events and for this article)

“Relief from the long lockdown was apparent through the smiling faces of our resident friends. We even received a thank you card of gratitude from one of the facilities for this mood lifting summertime outing.”

— Tanya Mendoza, LITA Volunteer Coordinator

We are so proud to announce that LITA’s Bridging thru Music musician Natalia Betzler was one of five recipients of the 2020 CVNL (Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership) Heart of Marin Youth Volunteer of the Year award! She won for her extraordinary and heartfelt contributions on behalf of Marin’s seniors through LITA’s Bridging thru Music program, as well as her Letters of Comfort outreach campaign. During the 2020 pandemic lockdown, she really came through for confined senior residents of long term care facilities by producing and performing many virtual video concerts, which you can view on our YouTube channel. On behalf of all of us at LITA, congratulations and thank you for all your fine work in bringing some welcome positivity to a very difficult year! See Natalia the moment she won and hear her acceptance speech in the video below.

Aegis of Corte Madera generously provided their residents' spacious dining room, savory & sweet appetizers, and warm hospitality to 90+ LITA volunteers, guests and staff. While our longtime board member, Bill Strawbridge played piano, guests noshed and chatted. The program brought about smiles, laughs, heartfelt stories of real-life friendships between LITA volunteers and the friends they visit. All LITA programs were highlighted in equal measure, proving the importance of connecting through a variety of ways. We even had a handful of LITA dogs attend too, making it extra warm and special. We thank Aegis for hosting one of our most important events of the year and all the facilities who donated one or more thank you raffle gifts specifically for our volunteers to take home and enjoy!

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This beautiful woman was honored at our Volunteer Celebration last January. Virginia received a certificate in recognition of 15 years as a dedicated LITA volunteer, received a shout-out as part of a “Dynamic Duo” volunteer team with her husband, Don, who also volunteer visits a resident friend.

Virginia also received the Pete Croughan Award for having exemplified the unconditional love and compassion that guided esteemed LITA volunteer Pete Croughan’s life since 1993.

We love you Virginia and thank you for your commitment and caring to helping LITA take the lonely out of Aging!

A great time was had by all on Saturday Jan 26th. Volunteers, staff and other community members enjoyed hearing stories of friendships and connections. AlmaVia was a wonderful host, providing a beautiful space and delicious sweet treats. Other facilities who have LITA volunteers also showed their appreciation for the volunteers’ time and energy with generous gift baskets that were raffled off.

THANK YOU to all the wonderful supporters who attended, and to those of you who could not but sent well wishes and support! There were fun, local business items auctioned and raffled off and we were wowed by the mellifluous voice of Noah Griffin and Ross Gualco’s stylish handling of the keyboard as they shared Cole Porter classics. And of course we raised much needed funds to ensure staff continues to connect our community, young and old, with older adults who are confined to long term care facilities. Thank you!