Musicians Raise Money to Feed Neighbors
2021-04-10
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1When Erin Shields sang "Being Alive," a popular song from the Broadway show "Company," the song had extra levels of meaning.
2Shields and her husband David Shenton are touring musicians.
3They could not perform around the world during the coronavirus pandemic.
4So they broadcast virtual concerts from home to raise money for the Mosaic West Queens Church in New York City.
5The concerts brought thousands of dollars to the church to help feed hungry people living in the neighborhood.
6They also gave the two musicians a chance to continue their artistic lives.
7It began when they saw the long lines of people waiting for food outside the church near their home.
8Several of their friends had lost jobs after Broadway theaters closed.
9And they felt the need to help.
10"When your entire industry shuts down, you think, 'well, how are we going to do this?'" Shields said.
11"Seeing the people in line ..., you go, 'I can be that person and that could be my family member.'"
12In September, they volunteered at the church to give away boxes of food to families two times a week.
13As time passed, they felt the need to do more for others during the pandemic.
14I don't have much to offer, but "I thought, I'm not a doctor ... I don't really have much to offer. But then I thought, well, you know, we can perform," said Shields.
15She is an opera singer from the American state of Illinois.
16 Her husband Shenton is a British composer, pianist and violinist.
17And their artistic friends were willing to join for a good cause.
18"We have all these connections to Broadway singers outside of their work on Broadway, so we wanted to capitalize on that," Shenton said.
19During a recent virtual concert, smiling families, watching on their computers at home, clapped and sang along.
20Among the performers were Broadway musicians known for their work in shows such as "Hamilton" and "The Little Mermaid," as well as "Tootsie" and "Les Miserables."
21Shields sang crowd favorites including "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from "The Wizard of Oz."
22Shields remembered she had played the part of Dorothy and sang the same song in high school.
23Shenton played a grand piano that he named "Wolfgang Kathryn."
24It is named for his late mother and her favorite composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
25For years, the two have performed at churches in New York.
26They have sung to older adults and Alzheimer's patients in Illinois.
27They have taught music to children in Arizona.
28And they have followed their interest in animal rights by caring for elephants and other wildlife in Zimbabwe.
29Shields said volunteering became especially important last year when New York turned into the center of the pandemic.
30That was the time she could hear the sound of ambulances rushing patients to hospitals throughout the city.
31"It's just something my mom always said: 'If you're feeling low, volunteer, give back to other people, because it will make you feel better,'" Shields said.
32"And it's so true."
33I'm Jill Robbins.
1When Erin Shields sang "Being Alive," a popular song from the Broadway show "Company," the song had extra levels of meaning. 2Shields and her husband David Shenton are touring musicians. They could not perform around the world during the coronavirus pandemic. So they broadcast virtual concerts from home to raise money for the Mosaic West Queens Church in New York City. 3The concerts brought thousands of dollars to the church to help feed hungry people living in the neighborhood. They also gave the two musicians a chance to continue their artistic lives. 4It began when they saw the long lines of people waiting for food outside the church near their home. Several of their friends had lost jobs after Broadway theaters closed. And they felt the need to help. 5"When your entire industry shuts down, you think, 'well, how are we going to do this?'" Shields said. "Seeing the people in line ..., you go, 'I can be that person and that could be my family member.'" 6In September, they volunteered at the church to give away boxes of food to families two times a week. As time passed, they felt the need to do more for others during the pandemic. 7I don't have much to offer, but 8"I thought, I'm not a doctor ... I don't really have much to offer. But then I thought, well, you know, we can perform," said Shields. 9She is an opera singer from the American state of Illinois. Her husband Shenton is a British composer, pianist and violinist. And their artistic friends were willing to join for a good cause. 10"We have all these connections to Broadway singers outside of their work on Broadway, so we wanted to capitalize on that," Shenton said. 11During a recent virtual concert, smiling families, watching on their computers at home, clapped and sang along. Among the performers were Broadway musicians known for their work in shows such as "Hamilton" and "The Little Mermaid," as well as "Tootsie" and "Les Miserables." 12Shields sang crowd favorites including "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from "The Wizard of Oz." Shields remembered she had played the part of Dorothy and sang the same song in high school. 13A grand piano named Wolfgang 14Shenton played a grand piano that he named "Wolfgang Kathryn." It is named for his late mother and her favorite composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 15For years, the two have performed at churches in New York. They have sung to older adults and Alzheimer's patients in Illinois. They have taught music to children in Arizona. And they have followed their interest in animal rights by caring for elephants and other wildlife in Zimbabwe. 16Shields said volunteering became especially important last year when New York turned into the center of the pandemic. That was the time she could hear the sound of ambulances rushing patients to hospitals throughout the city. 17"It's just something my mom always said: 'If you're feeling low, volunteer, give back to other people, because it will make you feel better,'" Shields said. "And it's so true." 18I'm Jill Robbins. 19Luis Andres Henao and Emily Leshner wrote this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 20________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22tour - v. to make a journey or trip through an area or place : to make a tour of (something) 23virtual - adj. existing or occurring on computers or on the Internet 24entire - adj. whole 25opera - n. a kind of performance in which actors sing all or most of the words of a play with music performed by an orchestra 26composer - n. a person who writes music 27capitalize on (something) - expression. to use (something, such as an event or situation) in a way that helps you; to get an advantage from (something) 28clap - v. to hit the palms of your hands together usually more than once 29mom - n. (U.S., informal) a person's mother 30What are you doing to help others in your community? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.