Caroling After a Stroke: “Montefiore Melodies” Sing Again

By DAVID GREENE

Members of ‘Montefiore Melodies’ rehearse a rendition of “Jingle Bell Rock” as they prepare to sing with patients during the holiday season at Montefiore Medical Center, located on East 210th Street in Norwood on Friday, December 2, 2022. Video courtesy of David Greene via YouTube.

Bronx choir, “Montefiore Melodies,” brought together, in person, people who are recovering from strokes and other neurological disorders for the first time in two years on Friday, Dec. 2, at Montefiore Medical Center to sing songs of holiday cheer.

VOLUNTEERS AT MONTEFIORE Medical Center in Norwood get into the holiday spirit as they rehearse singing holiday carols they would later sing with patients recovering from strokes and other neurological disorders, on Friday, December 2, 2022.
Photo by David Greene

The afternoon event kicked off the holiday season and took place outside Montefiore Moses Campus at the Tishman Learning Center, located at 111 East 210th Street in the Norwood section of The Bronx.

VOLUNTEERS AT MONTEFIORE Hospital rehearse as they prepare to sing holiday carols with patients recovering from strokes and other neurological conditions on Friday, December 2, 2022.
Photo by David Greene

The singers had a quick rehearsal before the main event and were accompanied by a volunteer keyboard player.

A VOLUNTEER PLAYS holiday songs on a keyboard as volunteers rehearse singing holiday songs at Montefiore Hospital on Friday, December 2, 2022.
Photo by David Greene

Led by speech pathologist, Mehak Noorani, the singers worked to improve their vocal clarity and coordination as they played with tambourines and maracas.

ORGANIZERS OF THE ‘Montefiore Melodies’ choir use a slideshow as they rehearse holiday carols they will later sing with patients during a rehearsal at Norwood’s Montefiore Medical Center on Friday, December 2, 2022.
Photo by David Greene

According to officials at Montefiore, the choir is a place of community, helping people build confidence, socialize, and feel joy during their recovery.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.