Joyful connections

The sounds of tambourines, maracas and congas filled the living room inside a local senior living community in Englewood. As the pitter-patter of rain from the outer bands of Hurricane Helena performed outside, Krissy O’Malley played a whirlwind of songs and a powerful performance inside.

“It’s something that I like to do,” said O’Malley, who graduated from Wright State with a bachelor’s degree in music in 1998. “It’s the best feeling in the world.”

“This degree has served me so well and keeping music as a part of my life and now helping others through music,” she added.

Fitted with a wireless headset microphone and a small speaker hanging from her neck, O’Malley performed songs from the middle of the 20th century for a dozen residents and staff who played various percussion instruments.

After 11 years of working at five different Hospice locations as a volunteer coordinator, marketer and activity director, O’Malley discovered her love for helping others was as strong as her love for music.

“That’s where I discovered my love for the elderly and I learned of music therapy and realized I need to put the two together,” said O’Malley.

Two years ago, she founded Senior Music Connection, whose mission is to enrich the lives of older adults by cultivating connection, creativity and cognitive stimulation through music.

O’Malley travels to 37 senior living facilities around Ohio with her interactive music programs.

“The education that I got at Wright State was the springboard for the joy of my life,” she said. “This is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.”

O’Malley hopes to expand her business in the future. She collaborates with 75 musicians and 37 activity directors at nursing homes and has even booked musicians to work in nursing homes in Minnesota.

O’Malley said her favorite part of the job is when older adults who are hesitant to participate join in with her performance.

“I love to see somebody that comes in and maybe is a little shy or thinks, ‘No I cannot do it,’ but then they warm up to it,” she said.