Community Strings helps adults reconnect, strengthen minds, build musical community

When Tom Vanderby watched his mother struggle with dementia, he began searching for ways to keep his own mind active. What he found was music.

“My mom had dementia, and I saw that keeping your brain busy is the best way to avoid it,” Vanderby says. “They said the No. 1 thing is to learn a musical instrument.”

So, after years away from making music, he picked up the cello. He found a teacher online and committed to lessons. 

“I took lessons for years. It’s a lot of fun. I’m not a professional,” he says, “but I enjoy it tremendously.”

That personal journey eventually led him to Holland Community Strings, an amateur adult ensemble within the Holland Symphony Orchestra. For Vanderby, the group offered more than a rehearsal schedule. It was a pathway to brain health, community, and joy.

He’s part of the Holland Community Strings for part of the year. The commitment requires him to use his PTO to take time every Thursday for rehearsal. The weekly session is a lot of fun, and he’s grateful his longtime employer allows him to do it. The group is good for both his cognitive and mental health.

“I pick up the instrument a couple times every week,” Vanderby says. “During the season, every day when I’m not rehearsing. I don’t just let it sit there until the next time we practice. It’s just fun. That’s all that matters.”

Mental, emotional benefits

Research consistently shows that music strengthens neural pathways, improves memory, enhances mood, and builds social connection. Experts point to the benefits of music for mental health, cognitive resilience, and social connection, areas where many adults report gaps. 

Community Strings, founded in 2016, aims to fill those gaps by offering adults a low-pressure way to return to music or learn a new instrument later in life.

“There’s no auditions, no age limits,” Vanderby says. “Anyone can join.”

Director John Reikow, a cellist with the Holland Symphony and a retired Holland Public Schools teacher, leads the group. Members range from their 20s to their 90s and have varied music backgrounds. 

The ensemble meets 30 weeks each year in three 10-week sessions held at Holland’s Midtown Center. Rehearsals are on Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m., and newcomers are encouraged to sit in and try a rehearsal before joining.

At $180 for the entire year, the program keeps costs intentionally low, making participation accessible.

The low-barrier model is intentional. Many adults, leaders say, hesitate to join musical groups because they feel out of practice or fear judgment. Community Strings removes those obstacles.

“We’ve gotten a lot better,” violinist and board member Ruth Crouch says, reflecting on the group’s growth. “Ten years beyond where we were when we started.”

Crouch joined the ensemble after her son stopped playing violin. Instead of letting his instrument gather dust, she picked it up herself.

“I wanted to learn another instrument,” she says. “My son put down his violin after high school, so I started playing his violin. My teacher was a member of the Holland Symphony, and that was the year they started up this group.”

Into the community

When Community Strings launched, it operated as part of New Horizons, an international adult-music franchise. But eventually the name changed. 

As interest grew, so did opportunities to engage with the community. Members now perform informal concerts for senior living centers, retirement communities, and community events across Holland.

“It’s a really neat way for us to share something we enjoy within the senior communities,” Crouch says. “A lot of us have family members who live in those communities, so it makes that extra.”

One frequent stop is Quincy Place, where the group has become a welcome fixture. “We’ve played at Quincy Place five times,” she says. “Now they want us to come back every session.”

Crouch says of the group’s outreach concerts, “It’s something that the residents really, really enjoy. And we enjoy doing it.”

Crouch’s nearly decade-long involvement put her on the path to being the Holland Symphony Orchestra’s top volunteer as its board chair. She began by joining the marketing committee, then the board, later the executive board, and now her current role.

Cellist and gallery owner Carrie Rodgers-O’Neal performs with Community Strings and hosts concerts at her downtown Holland gallery, Lake Effect Gallery, connecting the visual and performing arts.

When she became involved with Community Strings, she invited the group to her gallery space during the holidays. 

“It’s so fun because it adds something to downtown,” she says.

Leaders say their goal is to remove barriers for both audiences and musicians. Music, they believe, is for everyone.

“Music is good for your soul, good for your brain, and good for your social life,” the organization states.

Learn more about Community Strings on its website or by calling the Holland Symphony Orchestra at (616)796-6780 or emailing hso@hollandsymphony.org.

Photos by Shandra Martinez