Personal Narrative: In Christ Alone
“They're right over there. I've told them all about you!”
I walked, violin in hand, with my sister and friend Reese. I smiled as my sister and I assumed our position at the front of the room. My smile quickly faded as I scanned the room. No one paid us any attention. There was no chatter, no laughter, no acknowledgement that I was even in the room. Some people remained hunched over, others had their backs turned to us, and one lady roamed aimlessly around the room.
This was the memory room, full of dementia and Alzheimer residents inside a local retirement home.
I nodded towards my sister as I began the introduction to In Christ Alone, my favorite hymn. Even when my sister joined in with her clarinet as verse one began, the mood remained …show more content…
the same - desolate. We finished the piece, but no one clapped. Reese played a piano piece and had the same response.
We packed up our instruments and headed towards the door when the director stopped us.
As she did, the same resident who had previously been wandering around the room approached us and said a few random words with a huge smile on her face. I glanced at the director with a puzzled look on my face, but she looked back elated.
“You may not realize it, but that lady hasn't been verbally responsive for a very long time. Another lady started moving her arm back and forth when you played your violin! That was great!”
This experience started out as a community service project but ended as one of the greatest learning experiences I’ve ever had. A local retirement home sat just a few minutes away from my home, yet I had not realized the impact I could have on a group of residents by playing my violin.
After this day I started thinking differently about the arts - its importance and why I play the violin everyday. I grew in my appreciation for any form of music and the effect it can have on others. I revisited this retirement home along with a few others with a different mindset. I was not there to receive any recognition in the form of applause or a number on a community service sheet. I was just hoping that I could affect someone in a positive way, whether I was entertainment, a new friend, or a therapeutic
musician.
I walked, violin in hand, with my sister and friend Reese. I smiled as my sister and I assumed our position at the front of the room. My smile quickly faded as I scanned the room. No one paid us any attention. There was no chatter, no laughter, no acknowledgement that I was even in the room. Some people remained hunched over, others had their backs turned to us, and one lady roamed aimlessly around the room.
This was the memory room, full of dementia and Alzheimer residents inside a local retirement home.
I nodded towards my sister as I began the introduction to In Christ Alone, my favorite hymn. Even when my sister joined in with her clarinet as verse one began, the mood remained …show more content…
the same - desolate. We finished the piece, but no one clapped. Reese played a piano piece and had the same response.
We packed up our instruments and headed towards the door when the director stopped us.
As she did, the same resident who had previously been wandering around the room approached us and said a few random words with a huge smile on her face. I glanced at the director with a puzzled look on my face, but she looked back elated.
“You may not realize it, but that lady hasn't been verbally responsive for a very long time. Another lady started moving her arm back and forth when you played your violin! That was great!”
This experience started out as a community service project but ended as one of the greatest learning experiences I’ve ever had. A local retirement home sat just a few minutes away from my home, yet I had not realized the impact I could have on a group of residents by playing my violin.
After this day I started thinking differently about the arts - its importance and why I play the violin everyday. I grew in my appreciation for any form of music and the effect it can have on others. I revisited this retirement home along with a few others with a different mindset. I was not there to receive any recognition in the form of applause or a number on a community service sheet. I was just hoping that I could affect someone in a positive way, whether I was entertainment, a new friend, or a therapeutic
musician.