Group brings magic of music to VA Medical Center residents

Music on a Mission is a
nonprofit organization that was started in the summer.

BRECKSVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Robert McAtee prefers the solitude of his room, but on a recent night he joined other residents at the VA Medical Center in Northeast Ohio to hear four men belt out oldies to the beat of guitars and drums.

As McAtee closed his eyes and played imaginary drums, another resident sat quietly in his chair, tears streaming down his face.

Across the room Clenzy Baker couldn’t sit still. During the hourlong concert, he sang, tapped his feet and drummed his hands on the table.

“You guys got it, I tell ya’,” 79-year-old Baker yelled out as the band played “Pretty Woman.”

The magic of music is the moving force of Music on a Mission, a nonprofit organization that was started this summer by Marilyn Zeidner.

Zeidner is director of the Genesis House women’s shelter in Lorain. She has brought music into the shelter by handing out portable players to the women and scheduling music programs for the children. Seeing firsthand how music has soothed the distraught residents, she wanted to bring melodic comfort to others in need.

She had no trouble finding local musicians willing to share their talent in return for a small fee. Zeidner is the booking agent for Savannah Bar & Grille in Westlake.

“It’s like my worlds collided,” she said.

The fledgling group plans to bring live music into shelters and nursing homes, and is awaiting word on grant applications to start booking events. Music on a Mission also includes Eastlake dancers Neal and Christy Dorenkott, who will teach movement to people with disabilities.

Thanks to donations from VFW posts in Avon and Elyria and Wellington’s American Legion post, Music on a Mission made its first visit to the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center in Brecksville this week, with plans to return.

The residents of Building 6 suffer from dementia and a variety of ailments, said Sandra B. Lee, nurse manager. Music programs are always popular with the residents and the medical center is in the process of hiring a music therapist. “The guys come alive with music,” she said, as her dog Ziggy wandered among the crowd.

Musicians from two different bands — Swamp Boogie and Dave Michaels & Gemini — came together to form the band that played at the medical center. Their repertoire included songs by Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and other rock ’n’ roll stars from the ’50s and ’60s.

After staff member Ralph Burton handed some tissues to the resident who was sobbing, he watched 79-year-old McAtee stand and dance in place, then sit down and continue drumming.

“He’s having a blast. You’ll never see him do this in another group,” said Burton, a certified therapeutic recreational specialist.

After the concert, Baker walked to the front of the room using a cane. As band members broke down the equipment, Baker reminisced about singing tenor with his brothers in North Carolina years ago, and said he’d love to hear some songs by soul singer Al Green.

Cleveland Heights drummer Gerry Parisi said the musicians did not know what to expect.

“We were just really glad we could get a few smiles out of these guys,” he said. “We’re quite honored to do this.”