Mirryn Barney
Las Vegas, Nevada
Human Nutrition Major
Creativity Track

 

Serving the Elderly through Music

 

For my EDGE Project, I chose to arrange a recital to be performed at a Las Vegas nursing home. My recital consisted of around 30 minutes of music, all performed on the piano. The song selection included older songs from the 1900’s, arrangements of popular songs, and original compositions. I spent about three weeks writing, arranging and learning the music. After a lot of scheduling, the recital was finally able to happen and it was a great experience.

 

Finding the perfect home to host my recital was a crucial part of my project. I called all over the Las Vegas Valley trying to find one that was a good fit for me, and still had all of the means to accommodate the kind of performance I was preparing. After many phone calls, I found The Heights of Summerlin. The community was great and I was able to serenade the residents over brunch. They had an incredible grand piano and the recital was perfect.

 

I came to SUU as a piano performance major but have since switched over to the pre-med program. Even though I am no longer studying music, I did not want to lose that part of me. I had spent years cultivating my talents on the piano and was not ready to give them up as a way for me to serve others. That is what inspired me to build my project around my musical talents. I love hearing live music and wanted to be able to use my abilities to provide that opportunity to those who no longer get it.

 

Although I loved completing my project and I am so grateful that I did, I encountered some problems along the way. It was difficult at times to find the inspiration I needed to write the original compositions for my recital. Also, as mentioned, it was a hard decision for me to choose the right nursing home to perform at. I wish I had allotted myself more time to complete this project. Because of the fact that I organized the majority of it in one month, I felt a little bit rushed. If I had more time, I may have been able to compose more complex works that would be more appropriate to have as a part of my repertoire.

 

My favorite thing about my project is that I was able to serve and bless other people through completing it. Of course I was benefitted a lot myself but I was mostly grateful to be able to provide a special experience to the residents of the nursing home. Many of them came up and personally thanked me for taking the time to prepare and perform the recital for them. They clapped all throughout the show and sang along to the songs they knew. The staff of the nursing home also thanked me for choosing their home to host my recital. Overall, this aspect of my project is what made it the most special to me.

 

This project did a lot for me as a student and as a performer. I allowed me to do something unique compared to everyone else in my major and spend some time in the music world. It helped me to build a lot of confidence in my ability as a composer and performer, and gave me the opportunity to serve. Through putting together the recital, I was able to expand my repertoire and add to my skills as a musician. My project was, overall, a very special experience for me and everyone involved.