Music for the Soul, a Campolindo club founded by junior Kate Ye, entertained residents at Aegis Living with a winter-themed New Year’s Eve performance on December 31.

Ye said she hoped “to bring the gift of music to people” in the community through the event.

Instrumental and vocal music, as well as a cultural dance, was performed by individual participants.

The music included both classical and seasonal, with some twists. Junior Angie Louie gave a vocal rendition of “Oh Holy Night” while accompanying herself on ukelele, and sibling duo senior Aman Malhotra and freshman Amrita Malhotra performed ‘Jingle Bells’ and “Sleigh Ride.”

Junior Kyle McDonald has been involved in the club since August of this school year. He said the performance gave him a chance to do what he loves, and “work with other people that I wouldn’t normally get the chance to do for anyone.”

Ye appreciated the positive feedback that she received. “It’s really rewarding, at the end, when the seniors come up to me and they’re like, ‘Oh, that was beautiful, it’s so good to see some young faces in the crowd.’ It’s 1 of the most accomplishing things I think I’ve ever done,” Ye added.

The feedback is secondary for participants like McDonald. “I actually didn’t get much feedback about the performance; I don’t really do it for feedback, I think it’s a really great opportunity to give back to the community,” she said.

Louie said she was most impressed by the “variety” of the pieces performed by her peers. “You never really know what people are going to bring to the table, but you know that it’s gonna be good.”

Ye founded Music for the Soul in 2016, and since then, the group has mainly scheduled events to perform at local retirement homes. “The whole idea of the club is to bring music to retirement homes and to inspire people. If they’re having a bad day, we want them to be lightened up by the music,” said Louie.

The event also aimed to raise money for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland. Though tickets were not sold for the performance, audience members were urged to donate to the related GoFundMe campaign, started by Ye, which raised $210. “What’s really important is that we’re bringing together young people, and using this music as a kind of medicine to heal both the old and the young,” said Ye.

Music for the Soul has another performance scheduled for January 24, which will be held at the Waterford at Rossmoor, a retirement home in Walnut Creek.

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