Want to connect across generations? Join us:

Music can bring generations together for connection and collaboration, inspiration and celebration.

Join us to learn more about three nonprofits bringing generations together through music and, as a special bonus, listen in on three intergenerational musical performances. This free, hour-long webinar features:

• Dancing With The Spirit, a program in Alaska that connects youth and elders through school programs and music camps
• Mind&Melody, a Miami-based program that brings musicians to elders living with dementia
• Concerts in Motion, a program that brings musical performances to senior living centers in New York City, New York state, and beyond.

Learn more about CoGenerate’s work to elevate the power of music to bring generations together.

Transcript (machine generated):

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Eunice Lin Nichols 

Hello everyone. I’m Eunice Lin Nichols. I’m co CEO of CoGenerate, a national nonprofit dedicated to bridging generational divides. Listening to that Grammy’s duet between Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs is really the perfect way to welcome you to the second event in the series we’re hosting in conjunction with the Eisner foundation that explores and celebrates the power of music to bring generations together. In fact, we believe sparking music across generations is the secret weapon to fighting isolation and loneliness, improving mental health, bridging differences, sustaining and revitalizing cultural legacy and so much more. So this webinar is going to be a particularly special treat, because we’ll be showcasing not one but three intergenerational music programs and some live performances. We’ll be emailing out a link to a recording of this event afterwards so you can share it with others. We’re gonna get things kicked off right away, because we have so much to cover and encourage you in the chat box to share a little bit about where you’re coming from and maybe what your connection to music is. So we can kind of see that in the chat box. And as you do that, I’m gonna get us kicked off by introducing us to our first guest. Henrietta Pertuz. She’s the Program Director of Concerts In Motion, New York City based nonprofit that brings music and conversation to older adults experiencing loneliness and isolation. Since 2009 Concerts In Motion has hosted over 22,000 concerts for more than 500,000 people, so that’s a lot of people touched and Henrietta, I’m so eager to bring you into this conversation. So you’ve worked with professional musicians, students in a diverse range of partners with access to older adults who are experiencing isolation. Can you tell us a little bit about how you design each session so there’s a good match that encourages both groups to really connect in meaningful ways. Yeah,

Henrietta Pertuz 

sure, and thank you so much for having me here. I’m excited to join this webinar, so as the program director at Concerts In Motion, I’m also a licensed social worker, and I train our staff, as well as all of our professional and student musicians, and an approach called person centered, trauma informed care this and this approach really informs all of our work and how we design our concerts. The core set of values that are really integral to it are empathy, respect and integrity. So after we train our musicians, we design concerts that are really thoughtfully developed to include music, obviously, and we always provide music that our partners tell us they want to hear. We always want to be as culturally responsive as possible. And when we send musicians into these spaces, we have an hour long concert that is part music and part conversation. And because our musicians are trained in this approach, they’re very well equipped to create a space that’s very safe, it’s accessible and welcoming, and we really encourage engagement from audience members. So for instance, you know, at the beginning of each concert, everyone can say hello, and in between songs, during the hour, the musicians will allow space for people in the audience to share thoughts about. You know, maybe if a song brought up a memory or resonated with them, for some reason, they can also ask questions. You know, I know Connor has been in some some of our youth concerts, where audience members have asked him, you know, about why he chose certain songs, or, you know, when he started playing his instrument. So we really use the music to foster engagement, and I think because we’re always so focused on making sure that the people that we’re reaching really feel recognized and seen, and that we’re really celebrating their lived experience, the outcome is very meaningful.

Eunice Lin Nichols 

I love that, Henrietta. Some of the themes I’m taking away from what you said is the importance of actually making sure that all sides are trained in trauma, informed care, being culturally responsive because of the populations you’re working with. And I love the part about breaking through the formality of audience versus performer, and saying it’s really a community experience that’s not always entered in the spaces where we where we hear music created. So I love that. I’m going to ask you to introduce us to the pair of musicians you’ve invited to perform for us today. Sure,

so Connor and Blair McMillan will be performing today. Connor is one of our youth leaders. He’s been a member of our youth roster for, I think, over five years, and Blair is a very accomplished musician, and we’re so thrilled. They’re very important members of our community, and Connor has touched the lives of so many of our community members, and we’re just thrilled for them to share their talent with you today.

Eunice Lin Nichols 

Great. Over to you, Connor and Blair,

Connor 

So today, me and my dad are zooming in from New York City, and we will be playing summertime by George Gershwin, and I will be playing a classical Heifetz interpretation of summertime. And then I mostly, as you can see from my shirt, I mostly do jazz, and I will be improvising on summertime. And I’ll kind of, you know, from one great violinist to another. You know, not as great violinist, compare and contrast and hopefully give you time to reflect on the summer that’s quickly fading. So Yeah, The

Eunice Lin Nichols 

Wow. Connor and Blair, thank you for that gift. My only sadness is we’re on Zoom, and you can’t hear the applause that I’m sure virtually is coming your way. Thank you. Thank you so much for that. I saw some comments in the chat about how much people love this song, especially as we’re in fall and it’s getting chilly, hearkening back to the summer that we miss So Connor, I actually grew up playing the violin classical, and always regretted that I never learned how to play other forms of music, and you just made me seriously jealous. So maybe in my encore, I’ll try and pick up jazz violin. Can you tell us a little bit Connor about what made you want to get involved in Concerts In Motion, like what was your journey to the program, and How has being involved changed your perspective on people of other generations?

Connor 

Oh, yeah, sure, I initially started, I think I was propelled by one core memory from my childhood, which was playing violin through my great grandma. I was fortunate enough to be able to do that. You know, she lived out in California. We were in New York, but, you know, I started at a young enough age where I was able to play violin for her once. And it was just a very poignant memory. And I remember I hadn’t seen a smile on her face like that, you know, really ever, and it really brought out the light. And, you know, a couple a couple months later, she passed on, but I was so happy I was able to, you know, kind of give her that last memory. And you know, when COVID hit, performance opportunities were very scarce. And I started looking around for organizations that, you know, were kind of daring and were brave enough to transition to this new zoom format, and I found Concerts In Motion, and I thought it was a great opportunity to kind of build on what I started with my great grandma. And so that’s, that’s how I started, and it’s been great. You know, transitioning into in person concerts has been even better. You know, seeing, actually seeing the people you know that you’re reaching has been a great experience, and one that I haven’t been able, that I wasn’t able to have for almost three years. And I think just, you know, answering your second part of the question is just seeing the everyday, the reactions to your performances and the joy that’s on everybody’s faces

Eunice Lin Nichols 

when when you’re playing. I love that. I’m curious, just when you think about the older generations that you work with, just do you have, like, a particular, special memory or a just a moment that really stands out in terms of its impact on you?

Oh, sure. I

Connor 

think it’s it was a series of concerts that I played for a lady on the Upper West Side, and then still playing for a lady on the Upper West Side, Ronnie, who came to some of my earliest zoom concerts. And then I didn’t see her for about two years. And then finally, last year, I was able to have an in person series. And I was thrilled to find that that it was at her house. And so I went in, you know, not really expecting much, but, you know, almost immediately she remembered who I was, and that was a that was a great relief. And of course, I remember who she was because she was, you know, one of my. First, you know, one of the people that came to the concerts the most and was the most vocal, and I played, gosh, last year must have been seven or eight concerts at her house. And so I have, I’m going to forever have really great memories of that.

Eunice Lin Nichols 

That’s amazing. I love this. Also connection between music and memory. Sometimes we remember things more profoundly because it’s embedded in the the soundtrack of a song. So Connor, I’m going to say goodbye to you and your father. Thank you, Blair, for joining us. Obviously, talent runs in the family, but stick around, because we’re going to get to Q and A at the end, and we may have folks have questions for you. So thank you so much. All right, I’m gonna transition us to our next organization and music. I’d like to welcome Orianna Gutierrez, the Program Director of Mind&Melody, Miami based social venture, which began with a focus on connecting young professional musicians to older adults with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease through music, and it has since expanded to include young people with neurological impairments, caregivers and their families. It’s also extended beyond Miami to New Mexico and New York. This is a program near and dear to our heart, because the founder of Mind&Melody is now on staff at CoGenerate and is our Director of the cogen challenge. So we feel very like, almost like sister organizations to you, in some ways. So Oriana, you studied music in college and have talked about how hustle culture can create burnout for musicians. Can you give us an example of how your program positively impacts both professional musicians and the people they serve,

Orianna Gutierrez 

yeah, for sure. So thank you so much for having me. I’m so excited to get to speak with you all. So from my own experience, I get how tough it can be to gig. A lot of times it’s just a one off kind of thing, and you show up, sing for people you don’t really even know, and then you just leave. And this can feel very disconnected, not just from the audience, but even from the music itself. But Mind&Melody isn’t your typical gig. It’s something that’s really special, and I’ve seen it firsthand through the bond that formed between Adriana, one of our musicians, and Judith one of our participants. Adriana, who’s in her 50s, joined us in 2021 she had recently moved here from Venezuela, where she had a career as a professional opera singer. And Judith, who’s in her 80s, came to one of Adriana sessions for the very first time, and that day, she did not want to be there. She sat off in a corner. Was very confused, very distant, saying she didn’t want to hear any music whatsoever. Was just not having it. And this was obviously a challenge for Adriana, but it wasn’t one that she backed down from. Now, every time Adriana arrives for a session, Judith is the first to greet her, all smiles, singing along, playing instruments, and sometimes she even closes her eyes. Begins this way with the music, and it is so beautiful to see how the power of music brought Judith out of her shell. And for Adriana, these moments with the participants, they’re absolutely everything like she’s so grateful to feel this deep connection with the participants, and she’s even told me herself, you know, the participants are like my life long friends, and when they look at her with so much warmth in their eyes, she feels truly blessed to be able to bring that kind of joy and happiness to others. And it’s moments like these that show how unique the connections that we make with the participants really are. You know, we connect with them through music, and you can really see it in their eyes. It’s almost like it’s a reflection of the love and tenderness and joy that they see in our own and that mutual exchange of emotion is really what makes this work so powerful.

Eunice Lin Nichols 

That’s so beautiful. I feel like this is a recurring theme about the power of music to really create belonging and connection so important during a time when olders and youngers are experiencing unprecedented levels of social isolation and loneliness. It’s work we care deeply about and love that you’re finding ways to meld that also love that you talked about the unique depth of relationships that’s formed. So that’s fantastic. I’m really eager to hear the musicians you’ve invited to perform for us today. So why don’t you introduce them and tell us what we could expect to hear?

Orianna Gutierrez 

Sure. So we have masa and Eric, who will be performing for you all. And masa, who’s in his 90s, is originally from Japan, and he met Eric our minor melody team member, who’s Cuban American in 2019 at a free Japanese language class, completely unrelated to minor melody. Then the pandemic happened, and they completely lost touch. And then in 2023 something really cool happened. They ran into each other, but this time at a minor melody session taking place in Miami Beach, it was definitely Kismat. And so now, despite fighting cancer and traveling to New York for treatments every other weekend, masa reaches out. Eric regular leads so they could play together at the sessions, and their bump through music is so strong, and it really brings a sense of joy and purpose that drives both of them. And you’ll see their connection in this video. It’s so special. I really hope that you can all enjoy it. They’ll be performing. You are my sunshine.

Eunice Lin Nichols 

A amazing let’s see if we can get Eric on video. Eric, welcome. Oh my goodness. I love that. I love that I know because mass is going through treatment right now, you had to pre record that instead of doing that here live. But I love that you started the recording in the like pre setup of where you’re kind of deciding what to do. We don’t often get to see the prep for something,

Eric Guitian 

like someone would trim that or something. But I like that it was there because it does show up. You know, we kind of talk it out sometimes, yeah,

Eunice Lin Nichols 

no, it’s the gold. It’s the gold. And kind of think about what Henrietta was saying about how, when they perform with Concerts In Motion, that they try and break the wall between the audience and the performers. I feel like we got a little example of that through Mind&Melody. Well, Eric, it’s so clear that you and Massa have developed a really special bond. Tell us how that evolved over time. In particular, if there’s anything programmatically that my name melody did, or that you did, or that he did, to make that more feasible. Sometimes we think you just throw people together and it’s magic, but sometimes it actually requires some, I don’t know, some scaffolding. Let’s

Eric Guitian 

start with that question. Yeah, yeah, sure. It’s interesting, because when Master doesn’t remember our initial meeting back in 2019 when he when I met him again, I was like, what’s up? Who are you? But we, it was cool, because I remember the connection we had and, like, kind of, like his welcoming nature, and so it was like I was picking up where we left off, and just like dragging him along with me, kind of, you know, like we’re friends. We got so, um, but, yeah, I quickly started to see how our music sessions and him performing with me became this like thing that he would really look forward to, like he would call me from New York, you know, like, what’s the songs were doing, you know, he so he would be going through his head even while he was over there during treatment, you know. So I think really, it’s just about remembering why I’m there, you know, like that is the type of connection that I’m there for. That’s what I’m there to nourish. So when I get hints of that, it’s my job to be like, Yes, this is exactly what we’re trying to do. Like, this is the purpose of this. This is everything, you know. So it’s just kind of like diving into that. And, you know, with with masa, I feel really comfortable, and it’s just like one of my friends that I get to see, you know, it’s like a very subtle connection, and there’s this mutual kind of understanding and energy between us that I see you. You know, I got we’re in the same realm of existence. We. Yeah,

Eunice Lin Nichols 

yeah, I love that. This is not a pre planned question, but it’s just a curiosity. As I heard you playing, as you both come from both different generations and different cultures. How do you decide what to play?

Eric Guitian 

I mean, I played those, you know, with Mind&Melody. We play songs from the 30s to the 70s. My You Are My Sunshine. I played probably at least two to three times a day, like that was a song that I know, it’s simple, and he showed me this, like, sprawled out list, like, half written in Japanese, half in English. And it said, like, you know, a couple songs, and some of them I recognize. But that one, I was like, we can do that. I know that one. Let’s do it. He has a binder with handwritten chords and songs and notes and all this stuff. Yeah,

Eunice Lin Nichols 

that’s great. Some songs transcend culture and generation. I think that one is pretty legit. All right, my last question for you is, what advice do you have for young people who might feel shy or nervous about connecting with an older person? We did a study a while ago with University of Chicago that showed young people really want to connect with older adults, but they have two times more anxiety about entering into that relationship than other generations. So

Eric Guitian 

I think, like, some of that comes from, like, this person is so different from me, like they don’t understand, you know, 50 years ago, when they were a kid, or whatever, when they were in their 20s, they don’t, they don’t know. But actually, like, the the more and more I go through this and, you know, like, I it’s more clear that everybody is connected through these experiences of facing your passions. You know, just like us, all those people we work with, the older adults at Alzheimer’s, the active overall site, they’ve all been through what I’m going through now. You know, they weren’t on webinars, but they met with people, you know. They talked about subjects that they’re passionate about. They chase careers, they fell in love, they experienced grief. That’s like something that connects all of us, all of us here in this room understand, you know, when you’re heartbroken, when you’re when you’re sad because you lost something, or when you get the promotion, or whatever it is, you know. So I think if we can just remember that like we’re really not that different. And actually they have, there’s a lot that we can learn from their experiences, and a lot of things that they’re curious to learn about our perspective as well. So the all the same, we’re all we’re all the same.

Eunice Lin Nichols 

Yeah, thank you, Eric, you remind me of the importance of music and connection in these in these really formative life moments, whether they be joyful moments of celebration or grief, and the through line of music and the through line of bringing people across generations. So thank you. Thank you for that and for your relationship with masa. Really special. I’ve seen some comments in the chat thread about how clear it is that the love is there, and now we get to share in that. So I’ll have you go off a video and come back at the end for Q and A folks, if you are listening to this and have questions for any of our performers and or leaders of organizations. Please put them in the chat, and we’ll get around to as many of them as we can at the end. All right, so now I have a special privilege to bring on Belle Mickelson, the founder of Dancing with the Spirit. And I’m not sure if we’re going to get Belle on video or not, but you’ll understand shortly, if we don’t get her on video, it might just be by phone, because Belle runs a program that is up in Alaska. She’s the founder of Dancing with the Spirit. They run school programs and music camps that connect youth and elders in rural and remote communities across Alaska. This is a personal one for me, because I first met Belle back in 2015 when I was running our signature program, the purpose prize, which is now a part of AARP, and we selected Belle to receive the Eisner Foundation sponsored prize for intergenerational impact. As part of that program, I grilled a for UConn school principal when I was vetting this program and asked her to tell me a story about the impact that Belle and Dancing With The Spirit had had. And I still remember her answer like it was yesterday. She said, It’s a one word story joy. I reflected on that because some of these villages are so remote, and Belle comes on planes with instruments and connects with the negative Alaskan elders, and then the music creates this platform for joy to happen in all these different corners of Alaska. So Belle, I’m hoping we have you by voice, if not by video. It’s wonderful to reconnect with you today. Your program has been going strong since 2006 I’d love to hear what the real impact you think you’ve had on kids elders in the communities you’ve served over this two decade. Arc,

Eunice Lin Nichols 

Belle, do we have you with us? You might be on mute, but I’m not surenow. Belle, hello,

Belle Mickelson 

okay, I’m on yay.

Eunice Lin Nichols 

Belle, you’re here. Okay, so much joy. I can hear you. Great.

Belle Mickelson 

Oh, good, yes, we’ve been doing this Dancing With The Spirit for 18 years. And I think anytime anyone goes out to help other people, it’s always more of a blessing for them. And I know these connections to the these native people and their land and their beauty, the beauty of their place, and most important, the wisdom that they have to pass on, has been such a blessing for me and for my son, who’s gotten to go with me. And when we go to these villages, we spend a week with them, and we usually are teaching the Elementary in the morning and the Junior High High School in the afternoon, and we have color coded dots on our instruments and marks on the fiddle and bridge, so that we by the end of the week, the kids can play a concert and a dance for their community. And it just brings so much joy to the elders. And the music is amazing. They have in Alaska, everywhere there’s people that play music. There’s a great Athabaskan fiddle and dance tradition, the Gwen fiddle and dance tradition, which is you’re going to hear in a minute, and it’s a way to protect and keep the culture going. We always bring elders in to our community. We have people in their early 90s and late 80s that are still traveling with us and sharing their language and culture, and it’s so powerful. And I really feel like the connection to these elders is the most important thing, more important than music, but the music is just a fun way to keep them connected.

That’s so

Eunice Lin Nichols 

powerful, Bell. And I’ll admit, I saw the class of kids pop up, and I almost couldn’t pay attention to you, because I was so drawn to this room full of children that you have managed to miraculously bring to us by video. And I would love you to introduce us to the musicians you’ve invited to perform with us today. I believe, from Arctic Circle, is that right? And if, if you need to look it up,it’s really far away.

Belle Mickelson 

Actually, it’s above the Arctic Circle. It’s an Arctic Village. It’s on the southern edge of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. And it’s, it’s a movie set. It’s so beautiful, and they depend on the caribou for their food, main food source. But anyway, Wilbur Kenney is the music teacher. He is Gwen Chin from Canada and moved to Arctic Village, and the Reverend Dr tremble Gilbert, and then all These amazing kids from Arctic Village. So anyway, Enjoy.

Eunice Lin Nichols 

Okay, we hear you. Great. Stay close to the mic, and I’m going to ask you a question, and we are so privileged to have you here. Reverend Trimble, I don’t know if you remember I met you at the purpose prize event when you flew out to be with us, and I was in awe of both the spirit that you brought to the music and the performance and to the kids. You’re a witch and Athabaskan elder. You’ve been described as a culture bearer. You’re a traditional chief. You’re an Episcopal priest. And now I hear as of last month, an honored National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage fellow, with all those different strands of your life, I’d love to know what your view is on why making music Across Generations isn’t just a nice thing, but necessary?

Eunice Lin Nichols 

Hi, Reverend Trimble, did you hear my question?

Can you say it again?

Eunice Lin Nichols 

Yeah, I was curious as a culture bear and traditional chief and priest and so many things, if you could share with us why making music across generations isn’t just a nice thing, but is really necessary.

Chief Rev. Dr. Trimble Gilbert 

Fiddling is kind of very important things in Alaska long time ago, because people live different locations, in the far north and northeast and Yukon flat. That’s there’s no plane or anything, just people live out in the woods during the trapping and hunting and fishing, they don’t have any modern stuff just probably just skin 10 and so maybe a very few things they got, but they they survive 1000s of years in this country without nothing but the only thing they can use, important thing for that community they move around and look after each other. 1000s of years, it’s still going down that and our country here, we share one another with whatever we get and subsistence and during that cold weather, during the times and people move around and look after each other for 1000s of years, and then after, when the people arrived from European from Canada, and like a person. And through that, you count flat. So when they arrive in Yukon for Yukon, and they bring the fiddle with them, and the French Canadian music and like spirit is and a lot of other different kind of dance, duck dance and Randy and duck dance and rapid dance open during This time they hear people trapping out in the witch as before Christmas. They’re all getting ready to move back to Yukon flat or either up this way and come together and celebration. So when they come in, they bring in a lot of loose meat or terrible meat, and whatever they got, it’s a best food they bring to the community, and they offer and they celebrate for one or more than one week at a time, and then they all dance every night, the film music. So I remember when I was about 10 years old, before that maybe said five years old, I remember people come in with dog team, and they put up their camp, no housing, and so the lot of dog team coming in one place, and they celebrate over two weeks, and then people enjoy it. So now is kind of modern time, and we do have problem with alcohol and drug come into our country. We have problem with it, and we lost a lot of people everywhere. Dance with the Spirit. Come in. Belle Mickelson, come in, into the community. You come flood the Father. River, even Canada. So when there was shifts birthday music, they’re all happy. They know that Christmas and major holiday they want to celebrate. That fiddle makes everybody’s happy. They bring in people together as one community and unity and work together again. That’s one of the most important program we we need to have it for that our people in Alaska, there’s our native people love the music, and even lot of non native people join us and celebrate with us. So we are very lucky to have this program Dancing With The Spirit, so makes people happy. And so next, we just can’t wait till next, winter holiday, our birthday, our somebody birthday, and we celebrate. And we always come together and dance with the Spirit. And we have our own dance too. So I never seen that kind of dance for many, many years, but now it’s come right back. So we try hard to keep that sense in Arctic. So not just for Arctic, but we can share with other community, travel around and make them happy. So when we do this, I don’t know how many days, and then when it’s over, we do the gospel music and dancing. And when we talk to the kids, we talk about the light, our capacity way of life many years ago, how much they love each other. Until today, we want to keep this program for the future generation to come. We all we need is, I know some of the boys are here, and a lot of musician here, and they keep working with the kids like the Woodward and others. So we, we do need that. And when Bill called me and the other people, and then he we know he’s coming in, so we’re gonna have fun and give us a lot of strength to do what we need to do. And unity, like one people, 1000 of your sharing as we’re there too. So we, we do, try hard to keep our the way of life. We thank everybody who worked with us and the children. And we got a lot of nice children here. We got nice school every year before the school start, I really want to have more kids. Well, that’s an important thing for the future, but sometimes people move away, then we’re losing kids. So some other school is really down because they don’t have that many kids. They move away. That’s the only thing I really want people stay in your country, stay in your village, and go forward. How to Develop your own, your own community. We live. It’s really good life nowadays, not like many years ago, hard time, but people never move away. We want to have more kids next year. 100% percent. They learned a lot. We got good teachers. They said, sometimes people said that school is not good. I do not understand that. I know a lot of them graduate every community, a lot of kids community, what’s a different those people go to school here, they can live better life without alcohol and drugs, and I hope greater help us to keep that alcohol away from this village. Then. And we might help other villages too, but I am the traditional chief for the youth contract. So thank you very much for helping us review this program. Thank kou very much.

Eunice Lin Nichols 

Thank you, Reverend Trimble, really powerful. Very humbling to think about the role that culture and music has played over, you know, 1000 years of tradition, and just to see the work you’re doing today, you and Wilbur and others with the children. I still remember when initially talked to Bell about the impetus for this, and that it really was this music program was a response to the alcohol and drug problem amongst youth, and that this was something one way you could give hope and joy to people and children across the state. So thank you for that. I’m going to ask all of our musicians and program folks to come back on video, and we’ll do just a couple of final questions open to anybody. And if you have questions, this is the last call, put them in the chat box, and I’m happy to knock some of those out. In the meantime, you all now have heard each other perform, heard a little bit about each other’s programs. I’m curious if anybody wants to weigh in on Reverend Trimble talked at the end about just the importance of supporting these programs. What does support look like for you and what needs to happen in order for you to continue doing this important work, and or what are the challenges? You might not have the solutions, but you know, we have an audience of folks who, I think really believe in music, but may not be as familiar with what’s required to keep these programs happening. Anybody want to weigh in Henrietta? Henrietta and then Oriana? Yeah, yeah.

Henrietta Pertuz 

I think, um, just what, what you’re actually doing today, like building awareness, um, you know, these wonderful programs I didn’t know about until today, so just learning about what other organizations are doing out there, and, um, the impact that it’s having on all generations is really just wonderful to learn about. So, yeah, I think just anything that we can do collectively to continue to raise awareness also, and I think all of us touched on this, of the importance of it, you know, as our society and members of our communities are getting older, just connecting people younger and older people, and really focusing on how important that is.

Eunice Lin Nichols 

Thank you. Henrietta Oriana, you want to weigh in

Orianna Gutierrez 

Sure, just to add on to what Henrietta mentioned, you know, we are living longer, which is great, thanks to science. But with that also comes, you know, more and more diagnoses, especially with Alzheimer’s and dementia. And I think a lot of the locations that we work with tend to be very understaffed and underfunded, especially in the activities departments. So being able to bring our programs at a subsidized rate that everyone can afford is definitely something that we really try to do as much as possible, and any sort of contribution definitely helps. I know we have our big fundraiser, annual fundraiser coming up in November, give Miami Day. And you know, if what you saw today really touched your heart, please consider you know, giving to mine and melody on give Miami Day, we’d really appreciate and we’d be able to bring more and more demonstrations and sessions to facilities with individuals who really, really need this and could not afford it otherwise.

Eunice Lin Nichols 

Thank you for sharing that. I’m wondering, Connor, if, if your father is still there with you, I can’t quite Yeah, please. Hi, hi, Blair, and a quick question for you, if I could put you on the spot, what kind of changes, if any, have you noticed in your son since he started playing in this program? Because I think often that middle generation that is can be a gatekeeper on activities for both their parents and their children are an important piece of the equation too. Well,

Blair 

aside from the just sort of the the joy that he gets from playing every every week, sometimes twice a week, and the feedback that he gets, what I notice on the home front, in all honesty, is even a greater sense of purpose of bringing his art to people who have will just do nothing but focus on what he is bringing to them. And so it’s brought a. Sort of a regular, weekly sense of goal and purpose to more of a sense of goal and purpose to his music than was already there. And so it’s been a just emotionally and spiritually, a wonderful thing, but also just in terms of regularity and having something to keep up with and to shoot for every week or so that’s been that’s been really wonderful as well. It’s kept him going in many ways beautiful.

Eunice Lin Nichols 

Thank you so much for weighing in with the parental perspective. I want to toss one question out to our Arctic our Arctic Circle friends up there, or Arctic Village friends even further north than the circle I saw in the chat box, that you have not only the traditional chief there, but also your village chief, Galen Gilbert. Just want to give an opportunity if there’s anything in addition that you all want to share, or maybe one of the kids or one of the elders on I think I had seen in one of the videos he posted on just the importance of music for fulfilling your soul. And I think about just what what we’re seeing here on the camera and the legacy that’s passed on. I want to give you guys a chance to just weigh in.

Galen Gilbert 

I am first, current, first chief of Arctic Village right now. I’ve been chief for nine years. One and 10 will be next year. So music, I I’ve been playing music along with my grandfather since I was 10 years old. Um, you know, so, but I had to hit pause on that for a while. You know, running the village and I have a family of four daughters now and a wife, you know, I have had to put a lot of thing on pause to run a village and raise a family so but I do, I do play a lot at home. You know, I play a lot for my baby, and I try to entertain my girls as well, and they, I try to have them sing with me. But with this program, Dancing with the Spirit, I pretty much grew up with it. When Bill first started the program. I kind of grew grew up with it, and I thought it was a, it’s a very, very good program for kids like my grandfather said, you know, music is, music is it’s a special gift in life that, you know that music really touches your heart, your your it’s good for your mind, it’s therapy. And with Dancing With The Spirit, you know, Belle coming up. It’s a, like my grandfather said, again, you know, it’s a really, really fun time when they come up and do Dancing With The Spirit. And I know the kids, the poor, who and every time Belle comes up in the program comes and I do too. I I do my best trying to be involved with teaching and so on. And I do try to take a lot of time, you know, to put in with the kids and the education and the school and but, yeah, I just like to say I’m honored to be here. It’s good to see each and everyone of you. And I just say, God bless you. Know, to climate change right now is a big, big topic right now in the world. And you know, I just want to say, God bless everybody. I hope you’re safe and yes, thank you. Marci Cho

Eunice Lin Nichols 

What an honor to have you with us, and to just be part of this conversation today, not often enough that we get to see a group, including the children from Alaska. So I think we, we are all aligned, and just our deep appreciation for you taking the time and effort to be here we are at time. So I am going to close this out with just a final reflection, which is, I think, Eric, oh, okay, first, there’s a poll, a quiz. I like it. My team is keeping me on task here. Please answer this one, one question poll at the end, just so we can kind of track the impact of this webinar on you. I also want to call out that Eric and Connor and and also chief that we just heard from, Chief Gilbert, talked about how music has played a role at one point in life, and then there was kind of a period of time where maybe you lost track of a person that had influenced you with music, and then they came back years, if not decades later. I think that some says something about the staying power of music, and that it can kind of bring you back full circle at different moments. It’s a reminder, yet again, of how important it is for us to find ways to thread music throughout our lives and to do it across generations. Here at co generate, we have talked about needing to create a sound track for this movement and. And the three of you this, these organizations have really helped us get a kick start on what that soundtrack could sound like, and it would absolutely be anchored in joy. So thank you for that. I want to mention that our next event in this pretty awesome series is going to be in November. It will be a conversation and a film screening with Ben Proudfoot, who’s the Academy Award winning director of the last repair shop. If you haven’t seen that short documentary, you need to go see it now. It is about a group of older, older folks who repair instruments, and they do it for kids who are playing in the LA school system and is beautiful. Ben Proudfoot also created a short documentary called a concerto is a conversation. It’s one of the most powerfully told short stories I’ve ever seen. I think it’s like 13 minutes, best 13 minutes that you could possibly spend. Be on the lookout for that invitation, and we hope we’ll see you there again. This is an infusion of joy and hope and promise in our day. We need more of it, that’s for sure. Thank you everyone for being with us. Thank you to our musicians and our special guests for being here with us today till next time.