CHAPEL HILL- Thoai Vu knows how to score with his violin and bow, leaving listeners at the Brookdale Assisted Living Center tuned it.
Vu, 20 and a UNC student, orchestrated the launch of Heeling in Harmony in 2017.
He spells it that way to reflect the Carolina spirit.
The non-profit sends student musicians to play at various senior-living homes in the Triangle. He got the idea after playing for his grandmother.
"Normally she's very fidgety due to her late-onset dementia, but when I started playing she just stayed focused on me the entire time," he says.
Vu admits he's not a music therapist. He believes his musical pieces are simply entertainment for some and memory triggers for others.
"Any positive memories, any long-lost memories that maybe they haven't been able to remember," he adds.
The non-profit also has a chapter in Virginia and is considering opening up a chapter in Houston, Texas.