A professional violinist plays Bach for rescued shelter dogs and they love it

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A professional violinist plays Bach for rescued shelter dogs and they love it

Life for a shelter dog, even if it's a comfortable shelter administered by the ASPCA with as many amenities as can be afforded, is still not the same as having the comfort and safety of a forever home. Professional violinist Martin Agee knows that and that's why he volunteers himself and his instrument to help.

Martin Agee has played his violin all over the world, at some of the most prestigious venues with some of the most venerated orchestras, but he readily admits that his favorite gig is playing for his furry friends at the local ASPCA shelter.

"I'll never forget my first day," he said to Medium. "Many of these dogs have been traumatized. Here they enter a process of recovery. We're being kind to them. Some days, I have to hold back the tears. The dogs I play for, it's at different stages of their recovery, have been injured and/or neglected."

Agee was inspired to volunteer after losing his greyhound Melody. It was as much a way for him to and when he first joined the volunteer program it was just as a reader, and jokingly wrote on his application that maybe he'd play his violin for the animals.

"I almost jokingly said to some people, 'Well, maybe I'll play my violin for the dogs when I'm there,'" he told The Today Show. "Little did I realize that that would become a reality."

Audience enraptured with Agee's notes Medium.com

As a reality it may be the best of all possible worlds for the pups; studies have shown that audio stimulation can be very therapeutic, with one study in particular saying that classical music caused shelter animals to spend time in a more relaxed state. And there's nothing more classical than Bach, which just happens to be Martin Agee's specialty.

The science behind it is pretty cool, too. In both humans and other animals the auditory cortex and limbic systems are able to manipulate emotions. That's why we get excited when we hear our favorite songs, or why we groan when we hear that one song that makes us groan. We can't really help but relax when we hear certain sounds, like rain drops hitting a window sill. And we can't help but grind our teach in an anxious sweat when dubstep rears its industrial head.

You don't have to make a huge logical leap to be able to see how this knowledge can translate to helping animals that have come from a rough situation readjust and trust humans again.

So if you want to help you can find out more about volunteer opportunities at your local shelter or at the ASPCA website. You can make a huge difference in the life of an animal!

Meet the people infusing their communities with love and support when it’s needed most

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If the past year has taught us nothing else, it's that sending love out into the world through selfless acts of kindness can have a positive ripple effect on people and communities. People all over the United States seemed to have gotten the message — 71% of those surveyed by the World Giving Index helped a stranger in need in 2020. A nonprofit survey found 90% helped others by running errands, calling, texting and sending care packages. Many people needed a boost last year in one way or another and obliging good neighbors heeded the call over and over again — and continue to make a positive impact through their actions in this new year.

Upworthy and P&G Good Everyday wanted to help keep kindness going strong, so they partnered up to create the Lead with Love Fund. The fund awards do-gooders in communities around the country with grants to help them continue on with their unique missions. Hundreds of nominations came pouring in and five winners were selected based on three criteria: the impact of action, uniqueness, and "Upworthy-ness" of their story.

Here's a look at the five winners:

Edith Ornelas, co-creator of Mariposas Collective in Memphis, Tenn.

Edith Ornelas has a deep-rooted connection to the asylum-seeking immigrant families she brings food and supplies to families in Memphis, Tenn. She was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States when she was 7 years old with her parents and sister. Edith grew up in Chicago, then moved to Memphis in 2016, where she quickly realized how few community programs existed for immigrants. Two years later, she helped create Mariposas Collective, which initially aimed to help families who had just been released from detention centers and were seeking asylum. The collective started out small but has since grown to approximately 400 volunteers.

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People who downplay the threat of this pandemic are as deadly as the disease itself

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If there's one thing that everyone can agree on, it's that being in a pandemic sucks.

However, we seem to be on different pages as to what sucks most about it. Many of us are struggling with being separated from our friends and loved ones for so long. Some of us have lost friends and family to the virus, while others are dealing with ongoing health effects of their own illness. Millions are struggling with job loss and financial stress due to businesses being closed. Parents are drowning, dealing with their kids' online schooling and lack of in-person social interactions on top of their own work logistics. Most of us hate wearing masks (even if we do so diligently), and the vast majority of us are just tired of having to think about and deal with everything the pandemic entails.

Much has been made of the mental health impact of the pandemic, which is a good thing. We need to have more open conversations about mental health in general, and with everything so upside down, it's more important now than ever. However, it feels like pandemic mental health conversations have been dominated by people who want to justify anti-lockdown arguments. "We can't let the cure be worse than the disease," people say. Kids' mental health is cited as a reason to open schools, the mental health challenges of financial despair as a reason to keep businesses open, and the mental health impact of social isolation as a reason to ditch social distancing measures.

It's not that those mental health challenges aren't real. They most definitely are. But when we focus exclusively on the mental health impact of lockdowns, we miss the fact that there are also significant mental health struggles on the other side of those arguments.

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