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Arts & Entertainment

Canyon Crest Senior Moves the Music to the People

'Music Moves' brings live performances to nursing homes and rehabilitation centers, where residents are otherwise deprived of live music.

Julia Schorn first discovered her musical inclination at age 5 when she started playing the piano. By age 12, she grew tired of the ivory keys and yearned to play something more unique. Now a senior at Canyon Crest Academy, Schorn is a principal harp player of the San Diego Youth Symphony and is at the helm of a volunteer organization, “Music Moves,” which brings unique musical and artistic performances to nursing homes, hospitals and other facilities.

Schorn’s founding of Music Moves recently earned her the opportunity to be one of 225 students nationwide to take part in the Bank of America Charitable Foundation’s 2012 Student Leaders program.

Music Moves is a Canyon Crest Academy community service club, which performs for audiences that wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to experience live music. This includes monthly performances for the elderly and disabled. The idea for the group came to Schorn while she was volunteering in the activities department of a skilled nursing facility.

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“I wanted to share what I hear and see everyday with others [at Canyon Crest Academy],” Schorn said. “Since the elderly don’t have the opportunity to go out to concerts, I brought my harp in to entertain them. Residents who were barely responsive all of a sudden came alive – I saw tapping feet and hands, nodding heads and smiling faces. I discovered the power of music.”

Schorn realized that if her solo musical talents could bring so much joy to others then a group dedicated to delivering original performances could have a tremendous impact. She reached out to administrators at her school to pull together a group of student musicians, singers and dancers to form the CCA Music Moves Club. Now in its third year, the club has 17 members of various musical and artistic abilities.

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“Julia is outgoing, organized, thoughtful and artistic,” Music Moves advisor Amy Villanova said. “She is an advocate for the school arts program and has written grants to help provide the supplies necessary to improve Music Moves’ portable performances. She is always looking for ways to reach out and expand their project.”

So far, Schorn’s efforts for expansion have worked. The group has performed at several venues throughout the county including La Vida Del Mar, Emeritus Assisted Living, Goldberg Healthcare Center, Seacrest Village Retirement Community, and many more locations. The club works to maintain variety in their performances, shifting from modern dancing performances to duets, to solos and operatic voice performances.

“We focus on upbeat music, but we find that the audiences also love romantic songs, and appreciate jazz,” Schorn said. “We include songs that would be familiar to the elderly population, but they also respond well to contemporary music. Sometimes we wonder if some residents are familiar with what we are playing, but when we see the toes tapping, we know we are reaching them.”

Schorn’s local success with Music Moves garnered the attention of the Bank of American Charitable Foundation 2012 Student Leaders program. After an extensive application and interview process, Schorn was chosen out of more than 6,500 applicants to participate in the program’s weeklong summit and internship program.

During a trip to Washington DC, Schorn joined other Student Leaders from across the country to explore community issues from different perspectives and gain leadership skills. She also took in presentations and keynote speeches from notable leaders, including Barbara Bush, David Kennerly and Melody Barnes, former director of the Domestic Policy Council.

“Through the Student Leaders program, students are receiving more than just a paycheck,” said Rick Bregman, president of Bank of American in San Diego. “They are gaining valuable real-world experience that will help them develop further as leaders, all while helping to strengthen San Diego during a time when an increased number of people need assistance.”

Throughout the rest of the summer, Schorn is participating in an internship with Community Housing Works, which provides housing and educational programs to low-income families. And looking forward to the school year, Schorn hopes to keep the momentum of Music Moves going. Unfortunately the demand for performances is higher than the group can accommodate, but Schorn believes that with continued outreach to her fellow students, the organization will only continue to grow and reach more and more citizens.

When asked what advice she would offer other students looking to start a club, organization or charitable foundation, her advice is simply: don’t get discouraged.

“Originally, I was scared that no one would want to perform with me or that the audience members would be uninterested in a high school performance,” she said. “I'm glad that those fears never stopped me from creating Music Moves. I soon found out that my fears were unfounded. It's up to you to be a leader in the community.”

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