Music, as they say, is the universal language. In the Baltimore area, a new musical initiative spearheaded by Jewish teens called Tone of Love is speaking that language fluently to give back to older residents in the community.
Established by Sam Hanna and Elan Bashyrov, a pair of Beth Tfiloh High School juniors, Tone of Love is a music-centric nonprofit spreading joy, friendship and communal outreach.
Often playing at nursing homes, retirement centers and assisted living facilities, student volunteers establish close connections with their audiences while honing their music skills and earning community service hours for school.
When conceiving the idea for Tone of Love, Elan said, “Sam and I wanted to find a way to channel what we do [with music] into the Baltimore community. Volunteering [specifically] at nursing homes is an opportunity to share our passion with the residents and make a meaningful difference.”
Sam noted that student musicians generally do not have opportunities to perform outside of assemblies and school gatherings.
“When creating [Tone of Love], we wanted more opportunities for students to perform in the community while also giving back,” he said, with Elan adding, “It’s kind of a win-win.”
Operated entirely by students, Tone of Love is largely Beth Tfiloh-based, with volunteers ranging from freshmen to incoming seniors, with a select few middle schoolers. Many already know each other from school, practicing together in band classes and participating in events around the community, such as at holiday and memorial services. About 15 volunteers participate in Tone of Love, often volunteering on weekends.
Students are encouraged to bring their own sense of flair and musicality to the stage.
“[In performances, volunteers] come in and play what they want,” said Jake Schneider, a guitarist and volunteer in his junior year at Pikesville High School. “We each bring in our own unique thing.”
When recruiting, Tone of Love looks for musicians who play at a semi-professional level, practice regularly and have a passion for community service.
“You need to be willing to take some time off from an already busy schedule as a student,” said Shaya Miller, a pianist and volunteer in her sophomore year at Beth Tfiloh. “For me, it’s a nice break. It’s always fun to volunteer and see people enjoy what you do.”
Their audiences seem to thoroughly enjoy the performances, and volunteers say their bonds transcend the generations.
“I played for [a resident named] Mr. Schwartz, a Jewish World War II veteran,” said Elan. “He really enjoyed it and even sang along with me. I found it very pleasing that he would say, ‘Thank you so much,’ after every piece I played. In my eyes, I thought the songs I played were very simple and did not deserve [praise]. He enjoyed my music more than I enjoyed it myself. People don’t take you for granted and appreciate you for what you already have. Hopefully, I will use this way of thinking in the future.”
In the coming years, Sam said he hopes volunteers will take the leadership reins at Tone of Love.
“One of our musicians, [Beth Tfiloh freshman and pianist] Sam Radov told us his grandfather got moved to [a retirement] facility … and wanted us to perform there,” he said. “I think that was the only performance we did that wasn’t scheduled [by Sam Hanna or Elan], and that was very meaningful to me.”
Sam said he and Elan felt Tone of Love needed to obtain nonprofit status because “one of our main goals for this organization is that it will live on past us. Once we graduate high school, we want other people to continue doing this. Now that we are an official [nonprofit], it makes the [leadership selection] process a whole lot easier.”
Elan said he also hopes volunteers will continue to fulfill the mission of Tone of Love for years to come.
“Though we still have a long journey ahead, it’s rewarding to reflect on how far we’ve come,” he said. “The only way is forward — one song, one performance and many more hours of music at a time.”
