Before the COVID pandemic hit, the experience of a prolonged illness and extended stays in the hospital oftentimes led to a sense of loss; loss of control, and who we are. It also robbed the caregiver and family members of their identity and the previous roles they once knew. While medical care could address the sickness, the loss, fear, confusion and the need to acknowledge this trauma requires a different kind of treatment. This is the space where the expressive arts enter and begin the journey to healing. Through them, we reconnect to who we were before the health crisis and we connect with who we are in the present. We learn to see the way colors look through those changes and we relearn our own patterns. We learn to hear the rhythms around us and reconnect to the beat of our hearts and how it weaves in and out with our surroundings. We come back to the present, to ourselves and the world we live in.

We began our first Music and Art Destinations at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Just before the pandemic hit, we were in the preliminary stages of moving into the area of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in veterans and EMS workers. By the spring of 2020, we understood that the long terms effects of the pandemic would be across the board to include our own families, our teachers, and our communities of color. It will be sometime before the long term effects of the turmoil of 2020 are fully understood, but it's safe to say we were all in a continually evolving state of stress, fear, and trauma. During the initial stay-at-home orders, Back to the Beat took the time to take a step back and rethink how we could offer our services in an era of social distancing and virtual offerings.

Our Music and Art Destinations is currently partnering with the Multicultural Health Institute and Action Team to provide our services in areas in Sarasota and Manatee Counties hardest hit by the virus and its economic fallout. The music and art services are provided in a hybrid format in person and the Zoom platform which allows for social distancing and remote participation. The virtual equipment required for the Zoom platform as well as the art supplies used are covered by Back to the Beat through our generous donors.

Back to the Beat's "Virtual Tools"

By Back to the Beat Inc

Back to the Beat's "Virtual Tools"

Music & Art Destinations in COVID Times