Meet David Falcone, our featured WXPN MOC volunteer from Philadelphia!
Get to know our volunteers!
Do you volunteer at a specific hospital? I volunteer at HUP, Jefferson, and Lourdes
How long have you been volunteering with Musicians On Call? The earliest record I have is a HUP date on March 1st, 2005
Are you a Volunteer Guide or Volunteer Musician? Musician
What is your favorite song to play for patients? There is no favorite song as such – it depends on the patient; the song that lands at that time, on that day; that makes a difference.
Have you ever been part of an impromptu jam session with patients or family in a hospital room? Not exactly “jam sessions” … a family sang blues lyrics to an instrumental; a patient sang show tunes with the guide and I played along; a drummer accompanied me …
Do you perform anywhere else besides with MOC? Yes: World Cafe Live, The Twisted Tail, Seven Stones Cafe, John and Peters and area Farmers Markets to name a few examples.
What is your occupation outside of MOC? I am a teacher
Do you have any hidden talents? Probably, but I don’t know what they are … they are hidden. 🙂
What is your story? What connects you with music and why do you volunteer with MOC? This question is too big to answer and at the same time produces such a simple answer. It is about the music. It works in so many ways. And somehow and in some way – mostly beyond my understanding – it brought me together with audiences and with MOC. In some ways, much like teaching, being a part of all of this is the most human thing I experience.
What makes MOC different from your other volunteer experiences? While most volunteer experiences are aimed at resolving a difficulty or attaining some end; the MOC program is more of a walking-along-side of kind of experience. The patient is ill when you enter the room and ill when you leave, but the smile or comfort or simple distraction that was part of such a brief encounter with the music is a moment worth returning to over and over again.
Has your life changed because of your experience with MOC? Certainly. But don’t ask me how … again, too big. I can say that I have learned a lot about playing music from the intimacy of playing music so up-close-and-personal. I have also learned a lot about courage in watching the way so many have dealt with such difficult medical issues. Inspiring …
What is your favorite #MOCmoment? … the next patient I play to … and then the one after that …
