Sherwood Forest Songsters Sing to Patients at Comprehensive Cancer Center

On Monday afternoon, 66 Songsters from Sherwood Forest Elementary School headed over to the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center to deliver a generous helping of holiday cheer.

One of the people at the center looking forward to hearing them sing was Rick Bethea who comes to the cancer center regularly for radiation and chemo treatments for his throat cancer. A musician himself, Bethea plays the upright bass and other jazz instruments.

Also on hand were a number of Sherwood Forest parents, including Ashley Quarless, whose son Noah is a member of the group, and Lovaner and Wakhia Price, whose daughter Saniya is a Songster.

Ross Claytor on cello

Anne Fulk dances

When the fourth- and fifth-graders arrived in the second-floor lobby carrying such instruments as drums, a cello and a ukulele, music teacher Mary Epperson and Katie Ballard, a Jefferson Middle eighth-grader who helps Epperson with the group, went to work setting up everything. Already there was the Rev. David Fitzgerald, the minister who oversees worship music and the arts at Ardmore Baptist Church. He had volunteered to accompany them on the piano.

Ruth Moskop is in charge of therapeutic music for patients at the cancer center, and, when everything was ready, she welcomed the students and told them that, although some people at the center didn’t feel well enough to come to the concert, the open design of the center would allow the students’ music to carry beautifully through all four floors.

“Your music will make them feel better,” Moskop said.

Jack Boss and Taylor Hardman

Alex Mallison

The students opened with “The Star-Spangled Banner” and then moved on to some other non-holiday songs. For one, student Ross Claytor played the cello while student Annie Fulk danced a piece that she had choreographed herself.

Afterward, her mother, Robin Fulk, said, “It was awesome. She amazes me.”  

  

When it was time for “Jingle Bells,” student Jack Boss took over for Fitzgerald on the piano. Student Taylor Hardman played piano on “Let It Go,” a song from the movie Frozen, and, on “What Child Is This?”, student Alex Mallison accompanied everyone on ukulele.

Fitzgerald headed back to the piano for such songs as “Jingle Bells” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

Camila Lucia

Chris Bannigan

Then it was time to head back to the bus.

“I thought they sounded wonderful – beautiful voices,” said Moskop. “They did a beautiful job and it was fun to have the different instruments.”

Fifth-grader Camila Lucia said it had been a good experience. She liked knowing that hearing the students might make people feel better. “It made me feel really good inside,” Camila said.

“I really liked it that we got to sing our carols and our songs,” said fifth-grader Chris Bannigan.

As they packed up, Epperson said she had a good time, too. Songsters meets after school. Epperson praised the students for their commitment and thanked Katie, whose mother Kelly Ballard teaches at Sherwood Forest, for all her help with the group.

“I love doing it,” Katie said.