Community Spotlight: Music is Healing Festival

Community Spotlight: Music is Healing Festival

An interview with Ted Miller, co-organizer with Angel Park

What inspired you to create the Music is Healing Festival, and how did it come together?

I think it all started with our founder’s, Angela Parker’s, love for music and the realization that the experience had a calming and joyous effect. She’s always shared a sense of community in her career and personal life, and so fostering a festival to celebrate those ideas of supporting the love for music seems like a worthwhile pursuit.

Can you tell us about the organizations benefiting from this event—Music and Memory, KXCI, Beads of Courage, and Ben’s Bells—and why you chose to support them?

Our beneficiaries at this premier Music is Healing festival were chosen out of a recognition for the amazing non-profits that help define the goodness in our city, and that will help us forge into our future.

Music and Memory is a non-profit organization based out of Mt. Vernon, NY, and their goal is to provide access to personally curated music to people that are facing the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease. They have found that offering access to music from the patients’ formative years has the ability to somehow reveal memories that are both comforting and therapeutic. Patients find a happiness and a personal transformation that allows them to “regain their humanity” and forge those connections to the past.

Beads of Courage, Ben’s Bells, and KXCI are local non-profits that, by their magnificent deeds, have etched an impression of Tucson as being a city with a huge heart. Even more impressive, all these Tucson organizations are touching souls all around the world with their message and manners of healing.

If you want an education on the ways that these organizations bring goodness to our community, then come on down and get your feet wet!

How does music play a role in healing, especially for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other challenges?

According to the late, great Dr. Olive Sacks: A common outcome in Alzheimer’s patient’s is that they often experience losing one’s memory for past events and, in a sense, to lose one’s personal biography. There is no direct access. Fortunately, one’s memory for such events are captured in the context of music, and so the past, which is not recoverable in any other way, it’s sort of embedded as if frozen in amber, and thus people can regain glimpses of their past and regain a sense of identity.

What can attendees expect at the festival? Are there any special performances, activities, or surprises planned?

Attendees can expect to find a community of kindred spirits that are drawn to local music, dancing, and celebrating our common experiences and love for our non-profits. There will be hands-on workshops offered by Ben’s Bells and Beads of Courage. On stage, there will be 3 local bands for your listening and dancing pleasure. We are also hosting a raffle for prizes donated by Tucson’s caring proprietors. 

Surprises will be kept under wraps for maximum effect! 

You’ve put together a great lineup of bands! How did you choose these artists, and what kind of energy will they bring to the event?

Thanks, we think so, too! They are all bands that have a local resonance with our community that always guarantee a rollicking good time! Tucson is generously blessed with a great assortment of excellent musicians, and we aim to show off some of their talent whenever possible. 

Beyond attending the festival, are there other ways people can support the cause—such as donations, volunteering, or spreading awareness?

Yes, interested patrons can make donations directly to a chosen organization. Their websites are memoryandmusic.org, KXCI.org, bensbells.org , beadsofcourage.org . Also, passionate patrons can volunteer their time supporting their NP’s and do the research to educate the public. 

What do you hope people take away from the Music is Healing Festival?

Our best wish is that attendees become educated on the connections between music and memory, and that there are meaningful discussions about the loss of memory and what strategies we have to alleviate its effects. We also hope our gentle peeps will take away some delight in engaging with their community on a joyous spring afternoon. 

Can you share a personal story or experience that highlights the impact music has had on someone dealing with Alzheimer’s? 

Most certainly! The afternoon will be sharing documented tales of the power of music in videos and personal anecdotes.

How can local businesses, musicians, and community members get involved in future events like this?

They can get involved by following up with whichever organization’s mission that suits them the most, and become a member to further educate themselves and donate to their cause. 

Where can people find more information about the festival, and how can they follow or contact you for updates?

They can follow us on the TucsonLocalBands website and in our Vendor Newsletters.