“I felt as empty as a drum,” says Molly Carr, a Juilliard-trained, world class violist. It was a career she had worked her whole young life for. She travelled the world and performed on some of music’s most iconic stages. From Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center, Molly has shared the stage with some of the world’s greatest musicians and yet, “the constant focus on career and the fear that it could all go away,” sucked the joy from the instrument and the music that she had loved since she was a little girl. When a shattered glass bowl made it impossible for her to play, she found herself searching for a way to make meaning of her life. A chance experience with a late stage Alzheimer’s patient changed all that and opened her up to a new way of using the gifts she had been given.

As she sat at the bedside of Ruth, the late stage Alzheimer’s patient, she promised her that if she could ever play her instrument again, she would return with some of her friends to play for her. Six months later she made good on that promise, and Project: Music Heals Us was born. From prisons to hospitals and refugee camps, Project: Music Heals Us brings the healing power of music to some of the darkest places in our world.

Under the direction of Dana Martin, Project Manager for the Music for the Future Program, PMHS recently completed a seven week program with the Sonoma County Jail in Santa Rosa, CA. participants earned certificates and school credit for their participation as part of a new pilot project with the Juilliard School in New York City, NY.

Molly Carr is the founder and artistic director of Project: Music Heals Us. A world renowned viola player, she is on the faculty of the Juilliard School and performs as a member of the Juilliard String Quartet and the Carr-Petrova Duo.

Dana Martin is the Program Manager for Music for the Future; a music composition course presented by Project: Music Heals Us. Dana is an actor, multidisciplinary artist, educator and theater critic based in Los Angeles, CA.

As you listen to this episode, consider:

• Sometimes accidental, or unexpected moments help teach us something knew. What is something you have you learned through a surprising or unexpected experience?

• All of us have gifts, skills and talents that we have honed over our lifetime. What gifts can you bring to make a difference in your community?

• One of the learnings from the work in prisons is the reminder that all of us are more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. When things seem at their most difficult, can you choose to see the humanity that exists in each of us?

You can learn more about Project Music Heals Us here.

You can listen to Molly and Dana’s episode here.