Earlier this year, Harmony & Healing received a tribute donation in memory of Cynthia, a pianist and piano teacher who loved music her whole life.
We reached out to her daughter, Belinda, to ask about her mom. What came back was so lovely that we’re sharing it almost exactly as she wrote it.
In Belinda’s words:
My mom, Cynthia, had a lifelong love of music. She learned to play piano as a child on the same piano that remained her beloved instrument throughout her life. To her, music was a source of joy, peace, freedom, and expression.
For seven or eight years during the late ’80s and early ’90s, Mom shared her love of piano by teaching others. She eventually chose to teach students in their own homes so they could become comfortable playing their own instruments. She loved the challenge of learning music herself, patiently working through difficult pieces until she found just the right flow, tempo, and expression.
She loved playing Beethoven, Chopin, and Clementi, as well as ragtime. But she especially looked forward to playing Christmas music, with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” being her favorite.
In her final months, when she no longer had the strength to get out of bed for most activities, she found the strength to sit at her beloved piano one last time and play that song. It remains one of my most treasured memories.
Mom was also a gentle soul with a wonderful sense of humor and playfulness. She loved telling jokes, playing cards and games, and was kind to everyone she met. She opened the door for me to discover my own love of music. Knowing that her memory can help bring music, comfort, and connection to others is a beautiful way to honor her.
One last song, played on the piano she’d had since childhood. That’s the moment we think about every time our musicians walk into a hospice day room.
A gift made in Cynthia’s name helps pay professional musicians to perform live for hospice and hospital patients of all ages, free to them and their families. Cynthia’s memory, and her daughter’s support of Harmony & Healing, is now a positive, pay-it-forward story of the healing power of music.
Thank you, Belinda, for trusting us with your mom’s story. And thank you to everyone who has given in Cynthia’s memory.
If you’d like to remember someone you love through music, you can make a tribute gift on our donation page.