Ana Burk

  Secondary Leader

I believe that music is one of the most powerful and healing entities in the world. It brings people and cultures together as well as allowing for community and deeply rooted emotions. I have a heart for people and forming relationships and truly appreciate the moments and memories we create during this unpredictable life. Discovering my passion at a young age, I began volunteering in Brazil at both a cancer hospital and hospice having been inspired by my father, who was a brilliant Ophthalmologist. The rewarding look in my dad’s eyes with each patient he cured, and the patient’s faces full of gratitude are images I will never forget. Medicine has always been a part of me. There is a strong drive within me to work hard to make a difference in the world while honoring my father and the lessons he taught me.

This passion overlaps heavily with our mission for Musical Memories in caring for people and remembering as well as honoring their lives. I joined The Dementia Project: Musical Memories because I saw so much passion flowing from both the volunteers and patients and I wanted to be a part of something that is so much bigger than myself. I want to bring joy to these dementia patients who may be lost in the world and need something to bring them even an ounce of happiness. There is so much to learn from interacting with people who struggle with their memories and the effects that therapeutic music can have on them.

Being profoundly interested in Neuroscience has sparked curiosity and the desperate necessity for a cure. So many people are affected by dementia in our world. By bringing our three postulates of music therapy, education, and memories to life, we can continue to remember the lives of these extraordinary people and pass on their legacy to others enabling their stories to continue to be told and remembered.