New Jersey teens perform virtual concerts for quarantined seniors

MOORESTOWN, N.J. -- A group of passionate New Jersey high school musicians are making sure their local senior citizens aren't feeling alone during the lockdowns caused by COVID-19.

Senior Serenades is a group of Moorestown students who perform live concerts for those living in assisted living communities, using their love of music to bring some joy during a trying time. With the region locked down, they have taken their act online.

"They're kind of shut-in and it could be pretty boring for them," says Colin DiPasquale, a Moorestown High freshman who started the group. "Since I can't be there (during the lockdown), I thought, why not put my performances online."

DiPasquale came up with the idea for Senior Serenades after repeated requests by his own grandparents asking him to serenade them on the piano.

"If my grandparents like the music, why wouldn't other seniors," DiPasquale asked?

So last summer he reached out to local centers asking if he and his classmates could perform in person at the facilities.

"They were very happy to have us," he said. "They would advertise it a lot and be very thankful."

But then the Coronavirus hit the region, putting an end to that -- that is until Senior Serenades went virtual.

"They're happy we're still doing it online," DiPasquale says. "We have an accordion player. A couple more piano players - just a big variety of instruments."

"I'm trying to get each assisted living facility a video a month."

To date, the group has sent YouTube clips of their videos to three Moorestown area senior communities: Brandywine Living, CareOne Harmony Village and Cambridge Senior Living. They plan to expand to a fourth community soon.

You can check out a snippet of their performance here and learn more about their efforts at SeniorSerenades.com.