Gathering your friends around you in tough situations helps the heart. Gathering them to do something with a purpose even larger than you can be amazing.
This summer many people with connections to the Glenn Korff School of Music have recorded an album (To The Ground) with all of the proceeds going to Parkinson’s disease research. These people are actively involved in Glenn Korff School of Music ensembles and/or are pursuing music degrees at UNL, including 2010 alum Drake Sobehrad, John Kosch, David Ricart and Luke Mesmer (BM '16), Maddie Stuart, Meaghan Muehling, and Tara Deschaine (Big Red Singers), Elliot Choi, Magella Swanson and Aaron Jensen (Cornhusker Marching Band). The compositions are by Matt Stedronsky and Chris Beasley and the recording was finalized at Audio DNA Recording (Sobehrad’s company).
“In the summer of 2014, Chris and I put together an album of our own compositions for our own enjoyment,” Stedronsky said, who is from Lincoln (went to Lincoln Southwest High School) but is a student at the University of Central Oklahoma. “This summer, we were planning on doing the same thing because we had so much fun in doing so last year. The idea to donate the proceeds to Parkinson’s disease research came to mind when I returned to Lincoln for spring break in March; my dad had then informed me that my grandma had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s in January. This idea was so appealing because we would be putting our time and talents into supporting something bigger than ourselves, something that made a difference in the lives of others.”
According to the National Parkinson Foundation, Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative brain disorder that progresses slowly in most people. Most people's symptoms take years to develop, and they live for years with the disease. In short, a person's brain slowly stops producing a neurotransmitter called dopamine. With less and less dopamine, a person has less and less ability to regulate their movements, body and emotions.
“Through this project, we hope to not only raise money to support Parkinson’s disease research, but increase awareness and understanding of Parkinson’s disease and the impact it has on the millions of people that are affected by it,” Stedronsky said. “It is so hard to watch someone you love reach the point where they can no longer smile at you when you say hello, get up by themselves to give you a goodbye hug, or say ‘I love you’ with the same emotion that they used to. We want to do our part to help make sure no one else has to watch a loved one suffer from Parkinson’s disease.”
According to Beasley, the recording took place over the course of this summer. They did nearly all of the recordings in Stedronsky’s basement on their own, while the mixing and mastering (as well as some recording) was done in Sobehrad’s studio. The plan is currently to have the CD set to release on August 15.
“We have been so lucky to have the help of Drake Sobehrad, a UNL Glenn Korff School of Music alum, who graciously offered to mix and master our music free of charge at his studio, AudioDNA Recording and Production,” Beasley said. “John Kosch, a current student and one of our closest friends, gave us valuable musical advice and even arranged some vocal and choir parts. In addition to Drake and John, several other individuals from the UNL School of Music shared their talents on the album.”
Currently, according to the National Parkinson Foundation, there is no cure for Parkinson’s.
“This project is important to me because I am conducting Parkinson’s disease research this summer at UNL, and I know that this field needs all the support it can get to continue progressing,” Beasley said. “There is still so much to learn about Parkinson’s, so it’s great to know that all of our album’s proceeds will be assisting researchers around the world in the search for more information about this terrible illness. Also, from a community perspective, it is interesting to note that the Midwest of the United States has the highest rate of Parkinson’s disease per capita on Earth. This means that there are more Parkinson’s victims around us here in Nebraska than anywhere else in the world, and they need as much love and support as possible.”
For Stedronsky, the project is important because through it, he has the opportunity to help make a difference in the lives of others by doing what he loves – creating music.
“The cause is very close to my heart because my grandma, who is also close to my heart, has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease - one of my grandma’s favorite things is to listen to me play piano for her, and I enjoy it just as much,” Stedronsky said. “However, when I am at school in Oklahoma, she isn’t able to listen to me play. Therefore, in addition to being a project to raise money for Parkinson’s disease research, this project is also a gift to my grandma so she is able to hear me play piano whenever she wants.”
They will have CDs but the project will also be available on iTunes.