I’ve always believed that music can heal people. Not just in big concert halls or competitions—but in quiet, everyday moments. I’m not a concert pianist or a performer chasing awards. I’m just a high school student who has been playing piano for 13 years and finds joy in every note I play. I love classical and jazz music because they let me express feelings that words can’t.

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In the summer of 2025, I sat down at the piano in the Clinical Cancer Center at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and began to play a few pieces in the lobby. After about 15 minutes, a patient who was waiting for her ride came up to me. She smiled and told me how much she enjoyed my music—that it made her wait feel shorter and helped her forget, even for a moment, where she was. Her words touched my heart. That moment made me realize how powerful music can be—not just for me, but for the people who hear it.

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A few weeks later, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I wanted to share that same feeling with more people—to bring a little comfort and happiness through music. So in May 2025, I started Music for Smiles. I reached out to other high school students who felt the same way I did, and together, we formed a small group with one simple goal: to share healing music with people who need a reason to smile.

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We’re not professionals. We’re just students who love music and want to make a difference. But when we play for patients in hospitals or residents in senior homes, and we see their faces light up—that’s when we know our music matters. That’s what Music for Smiles is all about.

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                                                                                                             -Andrew-