Meet Debbie Cavalier, Our Featured Volunteer from Boston!
Get to know our volunteers!
Do you volunteer at a specific hospital? I volunteer at Tufts Floating Hospital for Children
How long have you been volunteering with Musicians On Call? I have been volunteering for 6 months
Are you a volunteer guide or musician? Musician
What is your favorite song to play for patients? My “Three Little Pigs” song because it includes fun actions for the kids to play along.
Have you ever been part of an impromptu jam session with patients or family in a hospital room? Not yet, but I look forward to it. Maybe tonight!
Do you perform anywhere else besides with MOC? Yes, for the past 10 years, I have performed with my band, Debbie and Friends. We are a five-piece band and have played in many states, but focus mostly in New England.
What is your occupation outside of MOC? I am a Senior Vice President at Berklee College of Music and CEO of Berklee’s online school: Berklee Online.
Do you have any hidden talents? I enjoy golfing and tennis.
What is your story? What connects you with music and why do you volunteer with MOC? My grandfather, Marty Gold, was a great musician and my inspiration from a very young age. He was an A&R executive with RCA in the 50s and 60s and recorded many albums with the Marty Gold Orchestra (check them out on Spotify!) I graduated from Berklee with a music education degree and taught music at the elementary level for many years. I left teaching and entered the music publishing world years ago and missed working with children. Around that time, I became an aunt and started writing songs for my niece and nephews. “Debbie and Friends” was born from that effort, and I formed a band and started performing for families with young children. I have always wanted to share our music with children in hospitals and was so happy to discover MOC this year! It has been incredibly rewarding to be part of this amazing program.
Has your life changed because of your experience with Musicians On Call? Yes! I’m thankful for the opportunity and humbled to serve the brave young patients of Tufts Floating Hospital for Children. I learned about MOC while on sabbatical from Berklee in Feb. 2019. One of my goals for the sabbatical was to find a way to provide music to children in hospitals and that led to my discovery of MOC.
What is your favorite #MOCmoment? There are many! Once was singing a Shari Lewis song, “Rosie Wrong Rhyme” for a little girl who was shy at first and them became so animated shouting out the “right rhymes” in the call and response part of the song. The joy and laughter the patient and parents were expressing drew the doctors and nurses to come and join us. It was such a special moment.