Volunteer musician · Available to senior centers
Music, offered with care.
Live music for older adults: a quiet way to bring memory, comfort, and connection into the room.
I’m a pre-med student and pianist with fifteen years of classical training, volunteering my time at senior centers and care communities, playing for residents in recovery, in rehabilitation, and in everyday life.
Invite me to playBio
Hello, I’m Sean.
I’m a sophomore at University of Illinois Chicago on the pre-med track, studying kinesiology and psychology. Alongside my coursework, I’ve trained in classical piano for over fifteen years, since I was five, from early lessons and recitals to conservatory-level repertoire.
That training gave me a deep love of Bach, Chopin, and Debussy, and the technique to play them softly and sincerely. It also taught me to play the songs people grew up with: standards, hymns, and old favorites.
My grandmother was a lifelong musician and classical pianist who lived with dementia in her last years. She taught me so much about the passion I have for music today. In her later years, she often couldn’t find words to share, but she could still sing every line of the songs she grew up with. Watching that change a whole afternoon is why I do this.
It’s also why I’m heading toward medicine. I want to be a physician who understands what music, presence, and patience can add to care, and I carry that perspective into every visit.
When I’m not in rehearsal, you’ll find me coaching, exercising, martial arts, or spending time with my family.
Ethos
Presence before performance.
A familiar song can open a door that words cannot.
I believe music belongs to everyone, at every age. I come to listen as much as to play: to take requests, to follow the room, and to let a song linger if it’s needed.
Every resident has a lifetime of music behind them. My role is to meet them there with patience, warmth, and respect.
Mission
Bringing music to those who need it most.
To offer free, live music to older adults in senior centers, rehabilitation programs, and care communities, supporting joy, memory, and connection during recovery and aging.
What a visit can look like
Solo or small-group live sets of 45 minutes. Familiar standards and requests. Sing-alongs and quiet listening. Gentle, adaptable programs for common rooms or bedside.
Offered as a volunteer service. I am a student musician, not a credentialed music therapist, and my visits complement, never replace, professional care.
I’m also the founder of The Encore Project, a growing network of student musicians volunteering with older adults.
Check availabilityVideos
Listen.
“Tenderly” · Walter Gross · Union Station Sessions
“My Favorite Things” · Rodgers & Hammerstein · Union Station Sessions
“Jeux d’eau” · Maurice Ravel
Get in touch
Let’s bring music to your community.
I’m available weekday afternoons and weekends in the Chicago northwest suburbs. Tell me about your residents and your space, and we’ll find a time that works.