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Today we had 20 amazing musicians perform, including 6 new to Music and Love! We had a great time with a variety of instruments - from guitar, to viola, to singing! Today's concert started off with young musician Alex playing Libesleid, and ended with Max’ group playing multiple different pieces. The seniors and staff absolutely loved their group's energy, singing along to the lyrics and clapping their hands! Today we had a number of exciting duets..Esther and Faith's violin duet was full of energy, and Paopao's was so advanced..you could never guess she was only nine! We also heard Vivians exciting Summer, which perfectly matched today's hot weather. Today was full of fantastic performances and created a very memorable afternoon in Kensington Park Senior Living. (Reported by Eileen Zhuge)
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Today was an awesome day! It was a beautiful day to make music and spread love. Six talented young musicians (Allie, Grace, Jacqueline, Julianne, Candice, and Caitlyn) from Music and Love had a fundraising event for our group in downtown Bethesda to raise funds. We were all enthusiastic and filled with energy, set up in a bustling area, and played our favorite songs. To our delight, people walking by couldn't resist but to stop and listen to our performance. After just 2 hours, we were pleasantly surprised. We carefully counted all the donations and were amazed to discover that we had raised a total of $301.68! It was truly beyond our expectations and left us feeling deeply grateful. The funds collected will be incredibly beneficial for our group, Music and Love, enabling us to organize more enriching musical events in the future. We sincerely thank everyone who supported us and contributed to our cause. We had a fantastic time and we are eagerly looking forward to doing it all over again! (Reported by Allie Rui)
This Sunday afternoon, we had the pleasure of visiting the Kensington Park Senior Center. This is the first time we have been here. Even though the weather was scorching and muggy, there were still about 17 young musicians coming to give their enthusiasm, and 2 of the families came all the way from Virginia. We also had 6 new friends joining the Music and Love family. The seniors and staff were very friendly and warmly greeted us, making us feel truly welcome. Everyone worked really hard and put a lot of effort into preparing for this valuable opportunity. The performance started at 2 pm, with the beautiful sound of Chopin’s nocturne, played by the young musician, Allie Rui. We also had an exciting duet, brought by Eileen Zhuge and Elizabeth Chung. They played Isabella’s Lullaby, an amazing heartfelt song. The performance concluded with a light-hearted partita from Bach played by Chris Wang. The performance was enriched for both the performers and the audience, creating a memorable and heartwarming afternoon for everyone. It was wonderful to see how much happiness was brought to the seniors by our playing, and we hope to visit them again soon. (Reported by Christopher Wang)
Raphael House is a favorite of ours for a long time. The seniors are very nice and great to talk to, Isabella the cat is a great addition, and the very nice environment inside the care center. This week, we came back to entertain the seniors there with another phenomenal performance. Sophia brought us back to our childhood with the Italian Children’s Game with a very cheerful performance. Caitlyn played the fast paced Tottocana which brought us all along for a ride. My duet partner, Louis, played a very relaxing and smooth piece on his cello. Vivian delighted everybody with a violin piece that showed lots of emotions and has lots of ups and downs. We are also glad today by welcoming two new friends, Danniel and Trinity. Danniel played a very catchy piece named Minka’s Sleigh Ride which does give off a little Christmas spirit. Trinity sang a very beautiful song with a graceful melody and a set of very inspiring lyrics. As Nathan finished everyone off with his amazing performance of August, a miracle happened. During his performance, as the feelings of summer drift past the windows and into the tranquil garden outside, it hits a stone, a very special stone. Before everyone knew it, two pairs of paws sprung out from under the rock. Isabella, taking in the fresh summer air, leapt into the room, and took her special place in our hearts again as the living fluffy stuffed animal for many years to come (she never died, I understood the wrong information). Everyone say thanks to Nathan the next time you see him!!! (Reported by Aric Deng)
The news is out everywhere now. Thanks to our massive efforts in outreaching to many different care facilities to perform, we have come across something great, a massive gem in plain sight. Ever since then, thirty-one of our performers worked hard to create something worthy of such a treasure. On the fourteenth of June at twelve-o-clock, we unleashed the magic of music in the Atrium in NIH’s Clinical Center. In the big spacious lobby and with many audience members, Chloe and Irina played a soft and lively bassoon and piano duet which sparked everyone with its calming sounds. The two string ensembles produced some epic and beautifully coordinated pieces, which shocked the whole crowd with how good they sound. Stephen played a fast and cheerful piece on the piano that packed a lot of energy in it, and Annabelle played a slow and calm piece also on the piano. After all the performances, Eileen and Rhema stepped up to the stage to play A Time for Us, the amazing heartfelt song that has delighted many seniors before. Everyone was caught by the strong emotions hidden inside the song and gave a big wave of applause at the end. This performance is the most stunning thing that everyone has seen, and we hope we put smiles on many of the patients at the Clinical Center and that everyone here had fun performing on stage! (Reported by Aric Deng)
The Music and Love group made regular visits to Raphael House to perform for the residents. Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional holiday that we celebrate. Eric and Emma's family have generously prepared a variety of sachets and bracelets adorned with cute cartoon rice dumplings, which will be given as gifts to our young musicians. We all gathered together and had a blast choosing our favorite ones. Today, we welcomed four amazing new violinists to our group. Vivian beautifully played the Mozart Concerto, Esther performed the Sinfonie, Annabelle showcased her talent with the Concerto in B minor, and Faith joined the string ensemble. Their performances were absolutely fantastic and brought so much joy to our group. Can't wait to see what they'll perform next! (Reported by Allie Rui)
Today at ArtLab, four students participated in an engaging art lesson focused on the renowned artist Wayne Thiebaud. Mrs. Han led the session, delving into Thiebaud's background and exploring his distinctive style. We learned that Thiebaud is best known for his vibrant depictions of commonplace objects like cakes, pies, and ice cream cones, painted with thick, luscious strokes that give his works a delightful, almost edible quality. Mrs. Han shared stories about Thiebaud's life, including his early career as a commercial artist and how it influenced his later work. We discussed his use of bold colors and the way he plays with shadows and perspectives to make ordinary objects appear extraordinary. The lesson was both informative and inspiring, and we all had a fantastic time immersing ourselves in Thiebaud's artistic world. (Reported by Allie Rui)
During all of the epic performances, those performers who had gotten their applause, retreated to a calm room where they had a fun time learning about how to compose in today’s ComposeLab session with Samuel. We were all very engaged in learning, and he even showed us some of the sheet music he had made during his free time, mostly a remix of the theme song of the video game “Among Us”. We were all entertained by the content and we had lots of fun. Still, we cannot wait to introduce some awesome original songs to the seniors, and to see the smiles on their faces as they warningly applaud us. (Reported by Aric Deng)
Byron house is truly a wonderful place, and it won’t be better without the addition of our awesome music. Today our young musicians performed many new pieces that absolutely blew away the audience with their complexity, skill, and uniqueness. Lexi and our new pianist, Xinkai, performed an oboe and piano duet, which is truly very unique and not quite seen elsewhere. Eileen and Rhema performed the heartfelt “A Time for Us” that ended the performances on a high note. In between, Jake played the Classical Fur Elise with a very musical feel, Grace played a fast and light spirited piece, and Ryan played an awesome duet with Louis. Our day ended off great today, and we’re very excited to come back to Byron House next time with even more special pieces. (Reported by Aric Deng)
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