Mission
EchoesEnsemble: Turning French Horn Notes into Time Machines for Seniors
Here is the picture in my head, my grandpa, he is a Vietnam War veteran with memory loss, and he can’t speak clearly in months when I visit him in Summer. So, when I played “Jasmine Flower” on my French Horn, a famous folk song that both he and Grandma love that song in their young age, his eyes lit up, and he hummed along during I play, shaky but certain. At that moment, it hit my heart, I realized that music isn’t just some notes on a paper, it is a time machine ! I could help him travel back to some deep and beautiful life scene with my French Horn.
That is why I started EchoesEnsemble, it is a high school students lead organization. We are a group of young musicians, we loved to contribute our warm, soulful sound of music elements-French Horn and other instruments to reconnect seniors with recalling forgotten joy. We are not only just playing music, but also make friendship with seniors of their respectful rich life experience, listen to their life story, rebuilding bridges to the past, one melody at a time.
How It Works
1️⃣ We Listen life story (aka “Anthropology Mode”):
Before we pick up our instruments, we would love to listen to senior's life story, for us, their experience stories are also rich knowledge for us to learn. We pick the right music piece to play or sing with them together, we just like musical detectives to explore, and share our story together.
2️⃣ French Horn Magic:
French horn has rich and velvety sound, this feature makes it perfect to unlock memories. Its melody is nostalgic but bold, hearing French horn, just like a hug from the past. We arranged personalized playlists with reflecting senior life experience stories, such as Jazz, folk tunes, and we perform lively in senior community, imagine this, folk melody echoing around hallways, turning walkers into joyful mood.
3️⃣ Clap-Along Concerts:
We turn senior community's common area into a live concert hall. Even there is no fancy stages, we are just a group of students in band tees, we shared beautiful rhythm of a childhood fold song with seniors in wheelchairs. Even without words, but they toe taps, hands claps, and smiles stick around long after we finished the last note.
Why the French Horn?
As a French Horn young musician, I feel like French horn is just like the underdog of memory revival. Sometime, I play it like a jazz trumpet wail, play it croon like a vocalist, play it floatily like a lullaby. French horn full of mellow tones that make it go through the fog of dementia like the sunshine splash through the thick cloud. When I play folk song, my senior friends often told me it sounds like familiar, this maybe because those melody scoring their life big moments, and my French horn just dig them out from long life river time.
Join Our Band!
We are a group of high students who want to make noise the matters, and we would like to invite you to join us !
🎵 Musicians: We need young musicians just like you, bring your instrument, French Horn, flute, trumpet, ukulele, or your voice ! There is no perfect or professional performance, but there is full of passion !
📖 Storytellers: If you are not a performer, that is totally fine, you can help to interview seniors and work out their joyful memory playlist.
🎶 Instrument Drive: If you have old instrument and will to donate, especially French horns, please support our young musicians.
Let’s act !
I still remember after our first live concert at senior community, we are not only received smiles and claps, but also we meet great people with rich life experience. I realized that music is not only about remembering, it is about feeling like yourself again. So, here, we are a group to create more moments where the wrinkles soften into grins, make forgotten face find their smiling beat. Together, we can prove even the memories might fade as time gone, but music can recall them, joy still there.