What would you do if I told you that there was a shelter in New York that throws little concerts for their furry residents?
Yup, that’s right!
A teenager by the name of Zen Micheline Hung became a volunteer at an animal shelter named Bideawee, New York.
Her love for animals was so great that she knew she had to come up with a way to make their stay at the shelter as good as possible, and she did exactly that!
The Best Idea Ever
Since Hung spent her entire life with her loving pets by her side, becoming a volunteer at an animal shelter was the easiest decision she ever made.
“When I became a teenager, I wanted to make myself useful to the community. I ended up writing an email to the volunteer director, Franny Kent, and told her that I was a musician who wanted to play music for the shelter pets as a form of music therapy to help reduce any anxiety from being in a new place,” Hung told People.
The second Kent saw the email, she made sure to connect the teen with the right people in order for her to become Bideawee’s very own pet pianist.
“I wanted to make the animals feel as comfortable and happy as possible while they are in the process of finding forever homes,” she added.
Ever since she was four years old, Hung showed a talent for music, specifically piano. And, since she had pups of her own, she noticed how adorable their reactions were whenever she would sit down to play.
And, that’s how the idea was born.
Please, Don’t Stop The Music
Every time he would hear her piano, Hung’s pup would either rest underneath her feet, take a sweet nap, or just enjoy the music.
“He likes to move around in all different positions and sometimes plays with his toys at the same time. To catch his attention, I started playing musical messages to him based on what he was doing and what I thought his mood was, and I noticed he responded to the various musical messages,” Hung says.
So, when she came to play at the shelter, she knew exactly what she had to do. And, a piece by Hiromi Uehara called “The Tom and Jerry Show” was the perfect fit.
The piece wasn’t easy at all. Hung described it as being made up of 10 different parts with 10 different emotions. With it being six minutes long, the teen decided to only play certain parts in a very slowed-down version.
Hung kept an eye out for the animals and their reactions. When she saw that they became happy on a certain part, she would repeat it multiple times.
“I only choose to play in a very limited range of dynamics. On the low end of the range, I play very softly (I’m trying to make my instrument mimic a soft whisper). On the high end of the range, I cap it off at the medium dynamic range (like a soothing human voice talking). I know that playing loudly (like a human voice screaming and shouting) is something to always avoid because pets find loud and sharp sounds to be agitating,” Hung shares.
Many furry friends have responded well to the teen’s concern. Whenever they would hear the stunning music, they would stop what they were doing and just enjoy the toons.
However, they weren’t the only ones who benefited from this.
Hung’s parents also volunteer at the New York shelter, making the whole experience a big family therapy.
“It is so rewarding to do something useful, especially if it is something you believe in… The reward is a strong feeling of personal satisfaction and seeing the good that comes from that effort. Nothing gives me more fulfillment than to see the animals happy to be at Bideawee and ultimately finding their forever homes,” she concluded.