Impact, in names
Behind every number
Is a name.
We count performances the way we count weddings, one room, one song, one person at a time.
30
Performances given
Thirty afternoons that mattered to someone in the room.
4
Partner facilities
Four communities that started asking us back.
15
Student musicians
High school and college students, all of them learning what music is for.
250+
Residents reached
Every visit, a few more who felt remembered.
62
Hours of original footage
A quiet archive of afternoons worth keeping.
100%
Of performances done in person
We don't stream into rooms. We walk into them.
Figures reflect performances given since the summer of 2024 across our partner communities in the Durham–Chapel Hill area. We count a resident reached once per visit they attend, and update these numbers as we go.
Field notes
What changes in a room after the music.
There's a moment at every performance when the room shifts. A resident who came in quiet starts mouthing the words. Someone reaches for the hand next to them. For an hour, the music does what the rest of the day couldn't.
Every child in Music & Light starts with two things they didn't have before: an instrument in their hands, and somewhere meaningful to play it. The program isn't just access to music. It's access to the room.
From a partner community
“Their visits became something our residents truly looked forward to. If they couldn't make it, residents would often ask when they would be back.”
— Activities Coordinator, a partner retirement community
It was an offhand comment, but it stayed with us: these afternoons aren't just a pleasant break in the schedule. They're something the residents count on. The activities director at Azalea, writing to schedule the next visit, put it more simply:
“We have enjoyed your presence in the community. I will be happy to find dates that work for everyone.”
— Activities Director, Azalea Retirement Community