January 2016 Volume 22 Number 9
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Chuck LeClaire/Pittsburgh Senior News
Devin Arrington, founder of Musicians with a Mission, performs at Longwood at Oakmont.
Musicians With a Mission brings the joy of music to senior residents throughout Allegheny County By Gina Mazza For Pittsburgh Senior News When violinist Devin Arrington, 38, came to Pittsburgh from Vermont in 2002 to earn his masters in music degree at Carnegie Mellon University, he brought within him a deeper sense of purpose that was still materializing in his heart and mind. As he practiced every day to perfect his art, he thought back to his high school years when he would play music for hospice patients.
“I’d had some wonderful experiences doing that. One lady had been caring for her husband at home for 10 years following a massive stroke that left him with little to do except sit in front of a television all day,” Devin recalls. “After playing the piece ‘Meditation’ from Thais for him, I heard a soft voice say, ‘That was beautiful.’ “These were his first words all day. His wife told me emphatically that she had
never heard him declare something to be beautiful since the time of his stroke. For a brief moment, this man emerged from a cocoon of darkness and there was joy all around.” Devin continued to volunteer at local nursing homes and schools while completing his bachelor of arts degree in music at Middlebury College in Vermont. By the time he finished graduate Continued on page 12
2015 King Features Syndicate, Inc.