Meet Daryl Ching, Our Featured Volunteer from Los Angeles!
Get to know our volunteers!
Do you volunteer at a specific hospital? I live closest to City of Hope but I’ve been to both UCLA hospitals in Santa Monica. I also got to do a program in Las Vegas during the holidays.
How long have you been volunteering with Musicians On Call? Since October 2018.
Are you a Volunteer Guide or Volunteer Musician? Musician
What is your favorite song to play for patients? It depends on the audience but I would have to say “Singing in the Rain.”
Have you ever been part of an impromptu jam session with patients or family in a hospital room? Yes. I love when that happens. On one occasion, the patient had some instruments setup in their room. They were able to pull up the lyrics on their phone and sing with me. On another occasion, the son of the patient wanted to sing a song to his father. So I accompanied him.
Do you perform anywhere else besides with MOC? Mostly for family and friends.
What is your occupation outside of MOC? Web Designer
Do you have any hidden talents? If I do they are hidden. I guess music is my hidden talent.
What is your story? What connects you with music and why do you volunteer with MOC? I always loved to play and listen to music. There was always music in our house growing up. My mother used to volunteer in convalescent homes and she would take me along at times. We would just go to visit people and it must’ve made an impact on me. When I heard about MOC, it made perfect sense.
What makes MOC different from your other volunteer experiences? I am able to share something that I enjoy (music) in an unlikely setting and perform for the best audiences.
Has your life changed because of your experience with MOC? Yes. Music and the songs that I work on have new purpose.
What is your favorite #MOCmoment? Every program seems to have at least one surprise. This one time a chain of events occurred… not sure how, but all of a sudden patient, family (even my guide) are singing along to “Country Roads.” I asked, oh man, are we too loud!? Staff said we were fine. Next… a patient down the hall, who is hearing us, sent a messenger to us to request that we visit them too. That doesn’t happen too often by the way. We chatted some and I said to her, you might know this Broadway tune… she recognized it immediately and she is now dancing (grooving), smiling, in a hospital bed and singing along with me. It was a very uplifting and positive experience. She later said that we made her day and we told her she made our day.
