Vero Beach High seniors Alissa and Brielle Serovich, twin sisters who live with their parents in The Moorings, were troubled by the isolation of nursing home residents cut off from friends and family during COVID-19 quarantines mandated by the pandemic.
“We had a grandfather in a nursing home a while back,” said Alissa. “We knew how much he loved having visitors and live entertainment while he was there.
“When long-term care centers stopped permitting visitors, many residents were restricted to their rooms with no entertainment nor social interaction.”
So the girls came up with the idea of performing virtual concerts they could share with long-term care residents.
With Alissa playing the piano and Brielle the ukulele or violin, the girls performed songs that held special meaning to them – “You Are My Sunshine,” “Moonlight Sonata,” “Let it Be,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “Love Me Tender” and “Yesterday” – and matched them in a slide show with photos taken during their pre-quarantine travels.
Once complete, their videos were posted on YouTube and links were sent out to local long-term care facilities.
“We’ve grown up with music,” said Brielle. “We love to express our emotions and our feelings through our music and to spread happiness.”
While the girls were putting smiles on strangers’ faces, they were also relieving some of their own anxieties over everything going on in the world around them.
“Online school was a huge transition. It was very stressful for teachers as well as students, and I think music really helped me cope with my stress,” said Alissa.
“It made me feel good about playing for other people,” added Brielle. They said they hoped the videos spread a little “quarantine cheer” to local nursing home residents.
