After twenty-five years away from playing live keyboard music, I have returned - not to the world of weddings or , corporate events, but to a very different and more humbling stage: the living rooms and community halls of care homes.
It feels right to begin this reflection with gratitude. Gratitude to the Lord who gave the gift.
Gratitude to Our Lady who intercedes for all who offer themselves in service. And gratitude to Saint Cecilia, patroness of musicians, who I believe has been whispering prayers on my behalf during these years of silence, so that I might once again lift up notes of praise and comfort.
So today I write: Saint Cecilia, I thank you.
The Winding Road of a Musician’s Life
In my younger years, the keyboard was my constant companion. I had the privilege of playing at weddings, receptions, parties, and corporate functions.
Music was a way to earn, yes, but more than that it was a way to connect. A joyful melody could loosen the stiffness of formal gatherings, a tender song could bring tears at a wedding, and upbeat rhythms could draw people onto the dance floor.
Then came the long interruption. Work pressures, career difficulties, and the demands of everyday life gradually pushed music to the margins. My keyboard remained in the loft; thankfully and safely protected from age and dust. The joy I once felt in playing seemed like a memory from a different life.
I also faced some very difficult years with mental health struggles, which made reliable work and a sense of stability extremely challenging. These were hard times, when my confidence often faltered and my purpose felt fragile. Yet the Lord never revokes His gifts. As Saint Paul reminds us:
“For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.”
- Romans 11:29, RSV-CE
It would take twenty-five years for me to realise that this gift had not been taken away - it had only been waiting for a new purpose.
From Banquet Halls to Care Homes
When I first returned to live playing, the contrast struck me. Gone were the hectic of pre-event setting up my keyboards in hectic surroundings; staff moving tables and chairs into places in halls, catering staff getting meal placings ready, noise, clatter and pre-gig nerves. Instead, I found myself wheeling my keyboard into care homes, setting up next to armchairs and tea tables, greeted by warm smiles and frail hands.
This time, though, I brought not only my music but also my experience of having also have worked in various care settings. That background gave me a deeper awareness of the needs of residents - the importance of gentleness, the pace of interaction, the sensitivity required when people are vulnerable.
The difference was profound. At a wedding, you might be background music and / or the music for party late into the night. But at a care home, you are something else entirely: a bridge to memory, a spark of joy, sometimes even a companion through sorrow.
Songs from the 1950s right through to the 1990s - these have a power that is not easily explained. I have seen residents who rarely speak then slowly begin tap their hands or even to sing along. I have seen tears on the faces of those who, for a moment, are transported back to their youth, their families, their churches.
In dementia care especially, I try to subtly tailor my music. A gentle waltz may help calm agitation. A hymn may awaken long-held spiritual memory when words are otherwise lost. A cheerful march might inspire clapping hands or tapping feet. It is never a performance, but a conversation - sometimes wordless, but always meaningful.
And now, to my gratitude, I also receive a nominal fee for playing. It is not much by worldly standards, but for me it is a blessing beyond measure. After years of difficulty with mental health and work, a number of false starts when trying to start new jobs, the fact that I can be paid something for doing what I love - and for serving others while I do it - feels like a quiet miracle. It is a small but steady reminder that the Lord provides, often in ways we least expect.
At Least One Hymn, Always
Something else has become part of my routine, without exception. At every session, I always include at least one hymn. Sometimes it is Amazing Grace, or How Great Thou Art and so on These hymns, even when chosen for their familiarity, serve as my own act of thanksgiving.
They are my way of saying: “Lord, I am here. You have restored this gift to me, and I return it to You.”
This practice is also a nod to Saint Cecilia, who lived in Rome in the 2nd or 3rd century and is remembered for singing in her heart to the Lord even as she faced martyrdom. She reminds musicians that music is not merely art or entertainment - it is prayer.
The Witness of Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia’s story is wrapped in legend, but her witness has inspired centuries of musicians. Born into a noble family, she was forced into marriage with Valerian, but through her example and prayers, he converted to Christianity. Both he and his brother Tiburtius were later martyred, as was Cecilia herself.
What makes Cecilia stand out is the way she lived her faith through music. Tradition holds that she sang to God as the musicians played at her wedding, and even in her suffering, her heart was lifted in praise. She reminds us that music offered to God becomes a form of sacrifice, an act of trust that beauty can rise even in the midst of trial.
How fitting, then, that she should be patroness of all musicians - not only the great composers or performers but also those who play quietly in care homes, parishes, and family gatherings.
Music as Ministry
It has taken me years to see that music can be ministry. When I played in my younger days, I was often concerned about getting the notes right, keeping the audience happy, and maintaining a professional appearance.
Now, I still take care to play the right notes, but my focus goes beyond technical accuracy. What matters now is presence. What matters is allowing the Holy Spirit to work through a simple melody.
St Paul wrote to the Colossians:
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
- Colossians 3:16, RSV-CE
Each hymn I play is, in a sense, a sermon. Not a sermon of words, but of notes - reminders that God is present, that He is faithful, and that He has not forgotten His people.
Gratitude for Renewal
After years of mental health struggles, career difficulties, and disappointments, the renewal of this gift feels like pure grace. To be able to play again, to be of service to others, and even to earn a modest income from it is a source of deep thanksgiving.
I can only echo the psalmist:
“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.”
- Psalm 40:3, RSV-CE
The newness is not in the songs themselves, many of which are decades old, but in the purpose. What once was performance is now prayer. What once was career is now service.
And so I find myself thanking Saint Cecilia, who knew what it meant to turn music into worship, and thanking the Lord, who never abandons His children but restores them at the right time.
Poem: A Song Returned
The keys lay still, the notes were gone,
A quarter-century passed anon.
Yet deep within, a spark remained,
A gift once given, long restrained.
Through silent years, through toil and strife,
Through storms of mind that shadowed life.
Till mercy spoke, “The time is near,
Play once again, My child, with cheer.”
Not banquet halls nor stages grand,
But gentle hearts, a listening band.
Where aged voices join the song,
And broken souls are made more strong.
Saint Cecilia, hear my prayer,
For every note, be present there.
May music serve, may hearts be healed,
May Christ in melody be revealed.
My Prayer Before a Gig
O Saint Cecilia, pure and bright,
Who sang to God with all your might,
Your heart a harp, your voice a flame,
You praised our Lord in Jesus’ name.
We come to sing, to play, to share
A gift of music, wrapped in prayer.
Among the aged, wise, and dear,
We bring a song to calm and cheer.
In every note, in every song,
Help us to lift the weak and strong.
Through gentle chords and sweet refrain,
May Christ be near in joy and pain.
Their stories long, their spirits true,
Each wrinkle speaks of all they knew.
Let memories rise on melodies,
Like blossoms stirred on summer breeze.
Saint Cecilia, help us be
A channel for God's symphony.
Tune our hearts, our minds, our art,
To heal the soul and cheer the heart.
We play not for applause or fame,
But in our Saviour’s holy Name
And as we play this sacred role,
May grace and kindness bless each soul.
Amen.Devotional: Offering Your Gift Back to God
Each of us has been given a gift. Some gifts are obvious and public; others are quiet and hidden. Sometimes we use them faithfully, other times we bury them, whether through neglect, fear, or hardship. Yet the Lord does not forget.
“As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
- 1 Peter 4:10, RSV-CE
If you, like me, have set aside a gift for years, do not despair. Pray for renewal. Ask the intercession of Saint Cecilia or another patron saint. And when the Lord opens the door, step through it with humility.
And if, in God’s goodness, you are blessed to receive even a modest income for your service, do not despise it. See it as one more sign of His providence, a reminder that He provides for our needs in ways both small and great.
A Prayer
Lord, You are the giver of every good gift. You placed music in my heart, and now You have restored it to my hands. I thank You for the chance to serve others through song, and for the blessing of even a modest wage to support my needs. Saint Cecilia, patroness of musicians, pray for me, that my music may never be about pride but always about love. May every hymn I play be a prayer of thanksgiving, and may all glory return to Christ, who is the source of every melody. Amen.
************
Music in care homes has taught me that ministry does not require a pulpit or a platform. It requires only a willing heart and a readiness to use what God has given.
And so today I say: Saint Cecilia, I thank you. And above all: Lord, I thank You.
************
My Prayer Before a Gig
O
Saint Cecilia, pure and bright,
Who sang to God with all your might,
Your heart a harp, your voice a flame,
You praised our Lord in Jesus'
name.
We
come to sing, to play, to share
A gift of music, wrapped in prayer.
Among the aged, wise, and dear,
We bring a song to calm and
cheer.
In
every note, in every song,
Help us to lift the weak and strong.
Through gentle chords and sweet refrain,
May Christ be near in joy
and pain.
Their
stories long, their spirits true,
Each wrinkle speaks of all they
knew.
Let memories rise on melodies,
Like blossoms stirred on summer
breeze.
Saint
Cecilia, help us be
A channel for God's symphony.
Tune our hearts,
our minds, our art,
To heal the soul and cheer the heart.
We
sing not for applause or fame,
But in our Saviour's holy Name.
And as
we play this sacred role,
May grace and kindness bless each
soul.
Amen.
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