What happens when a beloved Oak Park tradition meets the youngest members of our community?
Last spring, the Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory introduced Musical Story Time, bringing a trio from the Oak Park Farmers Market Band into our early childhood programming. We hoped to add a little music and magic to the experience. What we discovered was something even more special: a beautiful connection between generations.
Since 1982, the Oak Park Farmers Market Band has been part of the fabric of our community. Thanks to Friends volunteer Roberta Jannsen, three retired seniors and longtime musicians—Geoff Tillotson, Ben Stark and David Swain—joined us to share their love of music with young children and their families.
For Geoff, a founding member of the Farmers Market Band and a retired special education teacher’s aide, one of the greatest rewards is seeing a child encounter a musical instrument for the very first time. “It’s nice to see a reaction from a fellow human being experiencing something for the first time.”
With a fiddle, guitar or banjo just a few feet away, children watch, listen and wonder. Their curiosity becomes part of the music.
Roberta sees that same sense of discovery in the children—and in the volunteers who make programs like this possible. “There is a special spirit with the trio of band members here. There’s a generous quality about the teaching: we are in this together—let’s make it the best we can for the community.”
That spirit is at the heart of the Friends’ work. We create opportunities for people of all ages to learn, discover, connect and experience the Conservatory in new ways.
And the benefits flow in both directions.
For Roberta, volunteering at the Conservatory after retirement has been a source of personal discovery and connection. “When I retired I was able to address those different sides of me that I was unable to express,” she says. “Volunteering here allowed me to learn something new. I am so grateful for this.”
A musical story time may last less than an hour. But the experience reaches much further: a child discovers the sound of a fiddle. A parent watches their child’s curiosity unfold. Retired musicians share a lifetime of knowledge and joy. Volunteers find new purpose and connection. And our community comes together.
This is where community blooms.
Your support of the Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory helps make programs like Musical Story Time possible—and helps us continue creating meaningful experiences that bring generations together, inspire curiosity and enrich every visit to the Conservatory.
Please make a gift to the Friends’ Annual Appeal and help us keep creating places and experiences where our community can grow, connect and bloom.
