Providing Music for the Rest Homes

Hello, my name is Sarah Miley! I have lived in Arizona my whole life, and so Arizona will probably always be home to me. However, I would absolutely love to eventually move closer to my extended family in Idaho. I love the closeness and the 'small-town' feel that Idaho has, and everybody is so friendly and open. I have four sisters and recently acquired one brother-in-law. However, growing up in an all-girl household has definitely not stopped any of us from enjoying certain outdoorsy activities such as dirt-biking, hunting, and camping. I also enjoy playing the piano, and am currently teaching two students how to play the piano. This provides a wonderful opportunity for me to develop my leadership skills and also to earn some money for college. When I was about eight years old, I began to play the piano, and it has since become one of my favorite things to do. Being able to play the piano was one of the few things that my Mom insisted on each of her children learning how to do, for which I am very thankful. Now that I can play without much struggle, it has become a sort of stress reliever for me. I have recently organized a visit to a local rest home for my church youth group, where we shared our musical abilities with the elderly and also spent some time just talking to them. This was an amazing experience, and really made me feel thankful for senior citizens. Their reactions were priceless when the music would start up, and one could feel the energy of the room totally ramp up. Music is very effective in bringing energy and happiness into an otherwise rather dull room. Music has really shaped who I am today, and has brought so much pleasure into my life. I just hope that I can continue to share that same pleasure with the elderly in the rest homes.