Music at the Plummer Home for Boys

  Among the innovative services provided by Plummer Home is a music program intended to help children heal while they have fun developing the cognitive and social skills inherent in playing music 

  From helping young people develop decision-making skills to giving them more tools to deal with their emotions, music can help people overcome trauma.  In addition, playing music can increase short and long-term memory, attention, motivation and receptiveness to learning, skills that are often lacking in children whose development has been disrupted by abuse or neglect.

Through the Plummer Home music program, boys who may lack social skills, discipline or patience develop the ability to work with consistently and patiently with others in the interest of producing music.

The positive impact on these young men is readily apparent:  they are more willing to try new things, better able to listen to one another and generally more self-confident. This spills over into other areas of their lives, at Plummer Home, in their schools and in the community. 

  Plummer Home’s music program started in 2007 with the donation of a used upright piano that was placed in the living room.  Within 2 years, Plummer Home had a large dedicated music room with multiple interests and professional instruction.  Most of the participants write lyrics, all are learning to play solo and with others, and several have performed publicly.  In November, 2009, Plummer Home released its first CD. 

  To learn more about music at Plummer Home, please contact Program Director Jeff Rajchel at 978-744-1099.

  Photograph Island.  Written and arranged by E.Diaz and A.Z, Katz.  Keyboards: E.Diaz;    Bass: L. Fussell; Acoustic Guitar and Synthesizer: A.Z, Katz.