”One of the most wonderful things about the concerts is that the moms and the children sit together and cuddle while they listen. Or a mom holds the tiny hands of her dancing toddler as they both move to the beat of Mozart. Moms and kids are interacting in ways that we don’t typically see them doing here. One young boy, around 4 years old, is always off-the-wall high-energy, never sits still. Tonight he was silent, rapt, and cozy in his mother’s lap while they both listened intently to classical music. It’s amazing to see this happen!”
When we met Julie Leven, founder of Shelter Music Boston last summer we knew immediately that this was an organization we wanted to help develop. SMB’s focus is on bringing classical musicians to Boston-area shelters for monthly concerts. Today’s email update from Julie quoted a shelter social worker and proves even more emphatically just how impactful this program can be.
And, to make the point even stronger, a shelter guest at one of January’s concerts told Julie, “The relationship with classical music is like one with mutual joy and respect. Thanks for making us feel valuable.”
We couldn’t ask for more.
