It started with a concert…
The genesis for Music To Free (MTF) came after Christmas Handbell concerts that our founder, Alan Payne, organized for the Fellowship House/Hunters Woods in Reston, Virginia. The Fellowship House is a senior living facility for low/fixed income seniors.
Alan organized the concerts so that the Fairfax United Methodist Church’s handbell choir would perform for the residents. After the concerts, the residents would ask how to ring the handbells and would take pictures and videos of themselves ringing the instruments. As much as Alan enjoys ringing handbells, showing how to ring the handbells and seeing the residents’ immediate success and joy was his favorite part of the concerts. From these interactions, the idea of starting handbell programs at these types of facilities was born.
Our Mission
Music To Free has a simple mission – to bring the gift of music to those that need it. Often, as a society we overlook those on the fringes. The elderly, the poor, those that have served our country, and those suffering with addiction. While playing music won’t solve these issues, it does give people an opportunity to focus on something else and to be uplifted by others working towards a common goal. Our name, “Music To Free” embodies the premises that while playing music your mind is freed. Free from the daily noise of our lives; allowing us to focus completely on something else, even if just for a short while.
