Meet Ryan Flick, our featured volunteer from Denver!
Get to know our volunteers!
Do you volunteer at a specific hospital? I volunteer Children’s Hospital of Colorado
How long have you been volunteering with Musicians On Call? 2 years
Are you a Volunteer Guide or Volunteer Musician? Musician
What is your favorite song to play for patients? Shake it off – Taylor Swift or Happy – Pharrell
Have you ever been part of an impromptu jam session with patients or family in a hospital room? Not yet!
Do you perform anywhere else besides with MOC? Yes! All over Denver Metro. Farmers Markets, Restaurants and Bars and Private events.
What is your occupation outside of MOC? Sales @ State Farm Insurance
Do you have any hidden talents? I believe if you have talent to let it shine!
What is your story? What connects you with music and why do you volunteer with MOC? I’ve been in love with music since I can remember. I used to wear out cassette tapes as a kid rewinding to listen to my favorite songs hundreds of times. I used to love movie soundtracks, and still do, but I loved that listening to the music would recreate the image in my head and be immediately taken back to my favorite scenes in the movie. I realized at a young age that music had this power to connect us to memories and tie us to emotions.
I began playing music on the piano and though I didn’t enjoy it, the lessons helped to develop a base understanding of music theory and the diligence and practice it took to learn something. Sometime in middle school I was turned onto rock and pop music and ditched the piano for a guitar. I wanted to be able to recreate what I heard coming out of the speakers. I am mostly self taught with a handful of beginner lessons from my dad and still play the same guitar I learned on. It has been with my everywhere including MOC events!
Music has always been a place of solace, comfort, joy, understanding, acceptance, learning and experience, community, and expression. To me, that’s what music/art are all about.
I was looking for a place to serve and use my talents many years ago, and heard an ad for MOC on the radio. It caught me attention and I sent in an email. At the time Denver was not yet up and running, but someone kept my information and got back to me 5 years later!
The last 2 years playing at Seacrest Studios @ Children’s Hospital have been amazing. Seeing a patient’s face light up for just a moment, or getting them to clap or sing along is why I do this. Just sharing something I love with someone else, and knowing that it connects us on some level. I hope to keep playing for MOC for a very long time!
What makes MOC different from your other volunteer experiences? It’s fun! Sometimes volunteer work can be difficult, but I always leave MOC events with a smile.
Has your life changed because of your experience with MOC? Yes. The moments I’ve made connections with patients and seen many of them over the course of the 2 years multiple times has made an impact on me.
What is your favorite #MOCmoment? A patient that was checked out of the hospital who had seen me play several times surprised me at Seacrest Studios by coming in just to hear and see me play again. I will never forget that.
