"Varadha Taggarse, a senior at BASIS Oro Valley, knows music has a special way of bringing people together.

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So in the midst of the pandemic, when she learned about seniors experiencing isolation and loneliness the 17-year-old felt a singalong style class was in order.

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"When I was in fifth grade... I would perform in nursing homes," she says. "I could see how music kind of brings people together, at least I think it does and it makes people happy."

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Taggarse began volunteering in early 2020 with Televëda, a Phoenix-based company co-founded by her brother. The platform livestreams classes to people 65 and over to help build community and alleviate social isolation. At first Taggarse mostly focused on helping with the technical side of the platform with audio and visual set up. She also sat in on classes and observed other instructors lead seniors from different parts of the country in exercise classes and group games and activities..."

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To read the full article, click here.

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