FARMINGTON – During one of the most stressful years in history for healthcare workers, hundreds of Maine doctors and nurses have had the opportunity to relax by picking up an instrument.
Since the pandemic began a year ago, Duncan and Betty Perry have been offering free, virtual ukulele lessons to first responders throughout the state of Maine, with the hopes of easing some of the stress caused by COVID-19. What started as an “out of pocket” idea has grown into a full fledged program offered to 14 different healthcare facilities across the state, most recently at Franklin Memorial Hospital.
“The first class was last night and it was such a stress reliever and so much fun. During what has been a chaotic and crazy year, it was absolutely lovely and uplifting,” Director of Nursing Becky Wood said.
Wood is one of 10 FMH students the Perrys will be meeting with for the next three weeks. While Duncan does the teaching, Betty helps with the organizational side of things, including securing dozens of donated ukuleles for students to borrow. Ohana Music of Long Beach, California donated two dozen of their handcrafted instruments, as well as carrier cases and other items. Manager Stephanie Snell said the request was a no brainer.
Snell said the company has had a lot of involvement with children’s hospitals local to their area, and that music has proven time and time again to be beneficial in countless ways.
“It made complete sense to support the front line workers through Duncan’s program. Music is a great way to exercise the mind, and is one of the few things that connects physical action with thinking something through,” Snell said.
As news spread about the program, the Perrys started receiving calls about other ukuleles people wanted to donate. Each student gets an instrument to pluck along with and returns it at the end of the three weeks. While teaching virtually can be frustrating, Duncan said it’s worth it to see the faces of the students.
“I’ve had students tell me they get home, pick up their uke, and get transported to another world,” he said. “My hope is that groups will form in healthcare settings who will continue to play together after the class, and that the music will be an extra benefit to patients.”
