Want to connect across generations? Join us:

Tanana older students in 2016 with Belle, her son Mike and the Rev. Helen Peters. She’s the beloved storyteller who stopped by for “10 minutes or more.”

We’re partnering with The Eisner Foundation on a new program called Music Across Generations, which explores and celebrates how music brings generations together to bridge divides, create connection, and strengthen communities. This Q&A series shines a light on nonprofits across the country that are bringing generations together through music. 

Belle Mickelson is the founder and director of Dancing with the Spirit, a nonprofit in Alaska that uses music across generations to connect the generations, while building wellness and community. In 2015, Belle won a Purpose Prize for her intergenerational work. Watch the 3-minute video here. 

Tell us about your program.  

Dancing with the Spirit connects youth and Native elders through school music programs and summer camps in Alaska — promoting spiritual, physical, and mental wellness with the joy, love, and hope of music. 

I’m a science teacher by training and in the early 90’s the need for the program became evident.  I had traveled to the Yukon River village of Galena teaching teachers how to raise salmon in their classrooms. One evening, I took my fiddle over to a Native elder’s house to play music with local musicians. Afterwards, while we were sitting around drinking tea, I asked them how things were going in their village. They said they were super depressed because of teen suicides. I thought, what can I do? 

We’re trying to prevent suicide, drug, alcohol, and domestic abuse by building self-esteem, preserving musical traditions, and encouraging strong, healthy communities. 

How does the school program work? 

The schools we work with are in very remote villages, so we get on regularly scheduled flights with a bunch of guitars, fiddles and ukuleles and teach music for a whole week. We’ve been doing the village program for 18 years and we’ve gone to 57 different villages—most of them many times. 

The classes rotate through with the kids getting at least 45 minutes of music instruction and then we have a dance. We use a color-coded system so by the end of the week, students are ready to perform with a community concert and dance. We focus on music, but our program is really about connecting kids to elders and to their cultural history. 

What about camps in the summer? 

Our village school music program Dancing with the Spirit is based on a music camp in Cordova for young people that’s been going for 30 years now. It includes a Hawaiian camp that’s for 6- to 8-year-olds, a bluegrass camp for 9- to 18-year-olds—and an Adult Camp!

Why did you decide to focus on music? 

Music changes lives. I love science and getting kids outdoors, but music is something you can do on your own once you have the basics down and it’s something you can do in a group and it’s so positive. It’s an equalizer that allows everyone to participate. 

We want healthy living and we’re trying to keep kids and adults away from drugs and alcohol. Our instructors are musicians and cultural storytellers who set a positive example. And at the end of the week, when we’ve gotten to know the kids, we talk with them about the importance of setting goals, learning their culture and language and graduating from high school. 

You can’t say, “don’t drink” without providing them with an alternative. Music and dancing are so fun. You can give a kid a guitar and they can spend hours playing. It’s something they can be passionate about. 

Are you sober? 

I don’t drink alcohol but it’s not because I had a problem with it. I just want to be part of the sobriety movement because I think life is a lot more fun that way. And how can I tell other people to stay away from it if I’m drinking? That didn’t feel right. The Natives call alcohol “the devil’s piss” because it ruins so many people and families. Every single person here knows someone who has struggled with alcohol or is currently struggling with it. I’m interested in showing people that they can choose a different path. 

Why did you choose an intergenerational approach? 

To be honest, I feel the connection with the Native elders and the language is more important than the music. The music is just a fun way to get them connecting. There is this amazing Native elder in one of the villages who comes to tell stories at the school, and even when she just spends 10 minutes with the kids, the teacher says they are calmer and better able to pay attention for hours. To just have an elder in their presence, they get to practice paying attention. 

I also think that if they feel proud of themselves and their culture, they are less likely to hurt themselves. We have been visiting the same schools long enough now that we’ve seen many of the kids from kindergarten all the way through high school. We’ve been a steady and positive presence in their lives. 

What is your dream for this work? 

At nearly 77 years old, I’m five years past when I had planned to retire. We need more funding. I’m currently working to get an endowment fund established and launch a year-long campaign so we can raise money to hire a full-time staff. Just one wealthy donor or a few people who put us in their will–could make all the difference for us. 

I’d like to see two or three full-time staff before I step away, with at least one of them being Native. It’s a program for Natives, so a Native should be running it. I would love to keep traveling to a few villages a year, but I don’t want to be handling all the logistics any more. I just can’t stop until I know this program is on solid footing. 

How can people get involved with your work?

Donating is probably the easiest way, or people can give us used instruments. Prayers are important, and telling your friends about us. If you don’t have money to make a donation, maybe your friends do. Sometimes we also have musicians volunteer their time to go with us to the villages. 

I hope people think about how to get this kind of thing going in their community. It could be based on Mariachi culture or blues or jazz – whatever music is part of the history of the culture where you live. 

I think music and intergenerational connection are so important for mental health. Whatever issues you’ve faced in your life, they’re a sign for what you are meant to do to help others. Find a way to be a listener and offer encouragement based on what you’ve learned.