Above: A member of Big Brothers Big Sisters tries out Community-Embedded Musician Anthony Parce’s viola during the annual Holiday Celebration at the Houston Symphony Family Concert.
As music lovers, we know the power music has to change lives, so the Houston Symphony, is always looking for new and unexpected ways to harness this power to make a real difference in our city. How can we respond to critical community needs like homelessness, social inclusion and child welfare through music? One way is to work with other non-profit organizations to enhance the quality of life of the people they serve.
Over the past year, we have been building partnerships with more than 20 social service agencies, healthcare centers and senior centers throughout the Greater Houston area to present interactive chamber concerts in communities and provide their clients with opportunities to attend Jones Hall concerts free of charge. We work with our partners to identify common goals, helping both institutions forward our missions through music. For instance, the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, a center dedicated to Houston’s homeless and addicted men, uses donated Houston Symphony concert tickets as incentives in its drug and alcohol recovery program. As Harbor Light case worker Christopher Glaser observes, “The music helps the clients focus on something positive rather than their addiction or circumstances.”
Across all cultures and walks of life, music is a common language that offers hope and healing to those who need it most. Certainly the clients of Bo’s Place, a non-profit bereavement center, fall into that category. “The families who attended the concert on Saturday have raved about their meaningful experience as a family unit and about the lasting memories they created as individuals. Thank you for providing a healing family experience…You help us heal hearts through music and art,” says Courtney Reynolds, Special Programs Manager at Bo’s Place.
We are excited to continue to explore innovative ways to have a social impact through music by working with our current and new community partners in 2018. Please visit houstonsymphony.org to learn how you can help us improve the quality of life for all Houstonians through the power of music.
