Teens Give Seniors the Gift of Music

As students at Lindero Canyon Middle School in 2008, Gilbert and Albert Bao started volunteering at the Agoura Hills Senior Retreat to help elderly citizens in the community, serving food and chatting with seniors. 

At the time, Gilbert participated in Jazz A and went on to receive a scholarship as a participant of the Los Angeles Jazz Society’s Bill Green Mentorship Program in 2010. Competing with the best young musicians throughout all of Southern California, Gilbert was the only alto saxophonist chosen in the group.

One day after school, the brothers discovered the profound influence music can have on the elderly afflicted with mental impairment and illnesses when they first serenaded their grandfather, who suffered from Alzheimers.

"He often had these bouts of anxiety," said Gilbert, who will be a senior at Agoura High next year. "But when we began to play around him, he seemed to calm down and became quiet."

Although their grandfather could not communicate with anyone verbally due to his illness, the universal language of music soothed him to sleep, something that no one had been able to do before, Gilbert said. 

Realizing how much of impact music could make, Gilbert and Albert, a violinist who will be a junior at Agoura High, formed the Agoura Hills Community Jazz Combo with some friends and started contacting various local senior homes and community venues. 

Currently, the group plays regularly at many senior homes across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, including Emeritus Senior Living Group, Meridian Senior Center, Canyon Creek Seniors, Atria Senior Living Group, Belmont Village Senior Living and Agoura Hills Senior Retreat.

“We’re just very grateful to have the guys perform for us,” said David Arlen, life enrichment director at the Meridian of West Hills.

"It's been really rewarding to see how happy our performances make them," said Albert.

One resident, Bob, from the Emeritus Senior Living Group, has nothing but praise for the teens.

“Every time they leave, all anything us seniors can talk about is bringing them back to play for us," he said. "From a long time fan of jazz, I can say that those kids are bringing joy to myself and others around me.”

The highlight of their experience so far was playing for Logan’s Run for Autism Awareness, a fundraiser for autism in 2009, which raised over $300.

As the brothers make plans to move on to college, they're biggest concern is keeping the group together for the future.

"We've set up a program to recruit new musicians to hand off the torch, so to speak," Gilbert said.

Albert plans to take the lead when Gilbert graduates next year.

"I will take over for a year before I leave," Albert said.

Currently, the band has had over fifteen young musicians who rotate their talents for performances.  

To learn more about the Agoura Hills Community Jazz Combo, go to their website: http://youthmusiciansinitiative.site11.com/