Guest post by Lesleigh Memmel
Friday morning, we were up before the sun, and on our way to Channel News Asia for a TV interview and performance on “First Look Asia,” a morning news program that airs in 25+ regions across the globe. Tony had the chance to speak about our American Music Abroad Tour in Southeast Asia, and our work with the Lucky Fin Project.
Tony with the hosts of “First Look Asia” – Singapore
We had the pleasure of spending our afternoon with the kids at Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore (CPAS). Cerebral Palsy is a movement disorder that affects people in different ways, but typically, it affects muscle control/coordination, posture, and balance. With these things in mind, the amazing thing about music is that it can and should be played and enjoyed by people of all abilities. This truth was brought to life before our very eyes at CPAS…
We played some singalongs and shared stories with the children, but the most meaningful concert of the day was after our set. Several groups of students serenaded us with a concert, featuring everything from animal puppets and movement/music pieces, to a handbell choir playing “I Love You (the Barney Theme Song),” to a beautiful version of “Stand By Me.” I had tears in my eyes as these young musicians sang their hearts out for us and for their peers.
Tony Memmel and his band with the students at Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore
After a beautiful concert, we got to work with the students and “Engineering Good,” a non-profit organization that works to empower people through sustainable engineering solutions: in this case, music!
The engineers had stations set up where students (and Tony Memmel & his band!) could try out some of their adaptive music projects. Electrodes and fresh produce (yes, fruit & veggies!) were connected to computers that assigned music notes to each piece of fruit/vegetable. In technical terms, I was able to play “Oh, When The Saints Go Marching In” on bananas! It’s so exciting to see people like Engineering Good doing amazing things with technology to make music accessible to everyone.
Tony playing a song on potatoes!
After our banana/apple/potato jam session, we held a few guitar and ukulele workshops with the students – some could walk, some were chair users, and their abilities and ages had a wide range. I’m thrilled to say that by the end of each workshop, we had a room full of musicians playing “Stand By Me.”
Joey working with students at CPAS
I played the whole song with a boy named Elijah, a chair user, who was so excited to know our names, the instruments that we play, and that there are 50 STARS on the United States flag! That’s the first time that either Elijah or I had played a full song on a ukulele, and we closed out the song together with a celebratory high five and a huge smile.
Guitar and ukulele workshop at CPAS