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Markham, ON

Caroline Ly

I am an educator who loves music and coffee. I play two instruments, piano and French horn. I completed my BMSc at Western University and BEd at Lakehead University. I am the Executive Director of Students for Music and Wellness (SFMW), a non-profit leading the Together in Tunes project. Through this project, I hope to make a positive impact in the lives of older adults and drive systems change by creating more meaningful opportunities for participation, community belonging, and accessible recreation that support healthy aging with music. We create youth engagement opportunities in the arts, connecting youth musicians with their communities through performances in hospitals and long-term care. Together, we hope to foster a more compassionate and connected community, one performance at a time.

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Together in Tunes

Together in Tunes is a youth-led music wellness initiative connecting youth musicians with older adults and healthcare staff in long-term care homes (LTC) and hospitals across the GTA through live performances, including lobby, bedside, and music workshops. By reducing social isolation and supporting emotional well-being, the initiative creates opportunities for older adults to feel valued and connected. Through growing musician chapters, LTC and hospital partnerships, SFMW aims to create youth community-based volunteering opportunities that support healthy aging through music.

https://www.sfmwellness.org/
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About this Project

Communities Served

My project will involve and/or impact the following communities:

    United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

    When it comes to community impact projects, the UN has created 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These are the Sustainable Development Goals associated with my project.

      How the project works

      The SFMW team builds professional relationships with hospital and LTC recreation coordinators, high school music teachers, healthcare staff, music therapists, and music organizations. We design interactive workshops. We connect youth musicians with partner sites, coordinate logistics, accommodations, and requests, and organize live performances throughout the year.

      Project Impact

      As of August 2026, we have reached over 300 older adults and healthcare staff across four LTC homes and three hospitals in the GTA, delivering 10 live performances. Through Together in Tunes, we aim to reduce social isolation, support the emotional well-being of older adults, and empower youth through meaningful, community-based music volunteering opportunities.

      Project Mission

      Our mission is to support the well-being of older adults in LTC homes and hospitals driving change through youth engagement and music. Our goals are to host eight live performances to reach 300 older adults and one music workshop and increase youth musician engagement. Together, we hope to foster a more compassionate and connected community, one performance at a time.

      Project Team

      Student team in fields of medicine, education, business, life sciences, visual arts in the GTA.

      • Caroline Ly (Executive Director) Jason Chu (Executive Director) Haley Lam (Administrative Director / Youth Outreach Director) Mitchell Wong (Hospital Outreach Director) Glenda Tsai (Long-Term Care Home Outreach Director) Felix Du (Artistic Director) Tiffany Ye (Marketing Director) Esther Zhu (Corporate Relations Director) Thomas Ho (Finance Director) Trevor Tseng (Technology Director) Alice Liu (Community Outreach Executive) Carol Zhou (Community Outreach Executive) Daniel Chen (Community Outreach Executive) Jacob Elash (Community Outreach Executive) Sabrina Luo (Community Outreach Executive) Samuel Chen (Community Outreach Executive) Aarav Potdar (Artistic Executive) Prithvi Phaheerathan (Marketing Executive) Ranissa Raeihan (Marketing Executive) Aaron Xie (FCR Executive) Lily Lu (FCR Executive) Rebecca Dong (FCR Executive) Yuhan Sun (Website Developer)

      Optional Photo Gallery