March 3, 2022
A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof, trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn’t easy. You may ask, why do we stay up there if it’s so dangerous? Well, we stay because Anatevka is our home."
For the past several years, when the world has felt distressing and uncertain, holding a space for comfort, community and connection through music has been especially impactful and necessary. Music can be a wonderful escape, and creating a space for our seniors to feel valued and connected and hopeful has been a wonderful gift. But at times, when the world has felt particularly disheartening, it has also been incredibly challenging – how do you acknowledge a day's events without bringing everyone down? How do you keep a session positive and joyful without being tone-deaf to the world around you?
This past weekend, as a heartbreaking, senseless war across the world raged and I prepared for our virtual sessions, I was once again at a loss how to proceed. But when during our virtual session with DOROT on Monday, one of our senior audience members began the session by reciting the entire opening monologue of “Fiddler on the Roof,” completely unprompted, I was reminded that sometimes our music, the lyrics and stories they bring are all the words we need.
"And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word…"