MLP Member Profile: Abby Cahn
We all come to Music for People at different times in our lives, for different reasons. We find MfP a healing place, a place for everyone in their own way and in their own time.
Abby came at a very tender time in her life… here’s her story.
How I first connected with Music for People
I somehow felt inspired to join the Music for People mailing list during that strange time period where all our lives were interrupted, sometime around 2022. Like many musicians, I was scrambling to reinvent how I brought my music making out into the world. I knew about MfP from a dear friend, Dorothy Sikora, who had passed in 2016.
While fellow musicians were starting to perform again, I was transitioning into caregiver mode, as my husband and musical partner of twenty-one years was experiencing rapid neurological and cognitive decline. When he passed in March 2024 and I began planning the Celebration of Life gathering, again, MfP popped into my head as I considered designating a charity for friends and family to donate in his memory. Even though neither of us had directly participated in MfP, I had the sense that it was in alignment with who he was as a musician and creative soul.
My first MfP event
In a few short months, I found myself attending my first Improvisation for All workshop at Omega Retreat Center in New York State. It was the weekend of my husband’s birthday, and, as I contemplated registering for the event, it seemed this would be a meaningful way for me to spend this tender-hearted time.
Improvisation has always come fairly easily for me, but to be in the company of a group of people dedicated to its exploration for hours and days at a time was a great blessing, especially given my deep grief coupled with my thirst for musical expression and collaboration. So many magical moments occurred that weekend, and, to my surprise and delight, it became clear to me that my husband was present.
So I was bitten by the MfP bug, you could say. I signed up for Art of Improvisation, the big, six day annual event at Hamilton College, shortly after I returned home from that first workshop at Omega.
Being a lifelong musician from the age of three and majoring in music in college, I had nonetheless never done anything like this before. It felt like going to music camp. I had so much fun, met so many wonderful people, and listened to some amazing music that was, as I’ve heard facilitator Mary Knysh say, less than five minutes old.
The level of creativity, playfulness, supportiveness and camaraderie was outstanding, as was the facilitation. From novice musicians to professionals, young and old alike, it felt like everyone was included, welcomed, celebrated.
Joining the Musicianship and Leadership (MLP) Program
I signed up for the Musicianship and Leadership Program shortly thereafter. I didn’t have any big goals. I merely wanted to continue the social music making, become more integrated into the MfP community and allow Life to lead me.
Since starting to attend MfP events…
In the year since I began attending MfP events, I have been to six live workshops, have held several small group improvisations in my home and attended some in other people’s homes.
I have come to know so many wonderful people, and it has become clear that MfP has been an integral part of my grief work. My husband nearly always sends me at least one message, usually more, when I attend an MfP event. I feel like he’s cheering me on.
I’m playing a lot more both in and out of MfP, my heart feels significantly lighter, and I feel like I’m getting my musical mojo back!
What would I say to anyone contemplating dipping his or her toe into the MfP experience?
Just do it! Doesn’t matter if you’re a trained musician like me or a rank beginner. Music for People is for ALL people. I like to think of it as Music WITH People. We all have so much music in us, whether we realize it or not.
David Darling, MfP’s founder, had a philosophy that carries through the organization, even after his passing. He called it “Return to Child.” The idea is to access that playful state where anything is possible, that place of imagination and wonder that is still there in all of us.
To be present and witness that magic in self and others is pure delight, and I am in deep gratitude for the experience.