Kelsea Ballerini was honored with the Music Heals Golden Ukulele on Wednesday (May 22) for her support of Musicians On Call’s mission for nearly a decade.
For almost ten years, Ballerini has been a dedicated volunteer musician with Musicians On Call. She has performed live at the bedsides of pediatric patients in Nashville and Phoenix, and during the pandemic, she also provided virtual performances, bringing the healing power of music to those who needed it most.
Charles Esten Presented Kelsea Ballerini With The Music Heals Golden Ukulele
Nashville actor and singer Charles Esten presented Ballerini with the honor in front of an audience of industry members and Ballerini’s closest friends and family. The 30-year-old country superstar was on hand at Musicians On Call’s Anthems Of Healing 25th Anniversary celebration at Marathon Music Works in Nashville, Tennessee to receive the award.
“Candidly, in the last decade I’ve gotten to kind of get my bearings and get comfortable in a lot of situations… Accepting an award is not one of those,” the Black River Entertainment recording artist joked as she took to the podium with the Music Heals Golden Ukulele in hand. “I’m not really good at this, so what I will say is that since I was the littlest girl, I always just thought music was magic.”
She continued, “When I was really young to me, it was escapism, it was a princess, and it was taking me away from real life for a second, and it brought me into my imagination and let me know that the world was bigger… And then as I started growing up and having my first stupid crush, and then my first stupid crush breaking my heart or having my first understanding of friendship or having my family kind of fall apart. I realized how much [music] was so much more than just this magical thing that could make me feel good. It could make me feel seen, it could make me feel like I wasn’t alone in the good and in the confusing, in the celebratory and in the messy, it’s just been the most magical and healing friend in my life.”
Reminisced On Music Going From A Hobby To Her Passion
Kelsea Ballerini went on to explain that music has been “the most consistent love of my life,” before reminiscing on the early days of her career.
“I remember when I started writing songs. I was 12, and I was still living in Knoxville, and my mom kind of watched it go from a hobby to a passion. She watched it become the love of my life and at that point, every day I would leave for school. And every single day, every single day, she would look at me as I left for middle school, and she would say, ‘Hey Kelsea, remember who you are,’” Ballerini shared. “Then, as I started writing songs and as I started begging her to move to Nashville because I knew that I wanted to make people feel seen, like music had let me feel seen my whole life. I wanted to help however I could, whoever needed it, whenever they did at whatever point in their life. And when that started happening, my Mom moved me to Nashville, and she started saying, ‘remember who you are and remember why you’re doing this.’”
Ballerini Talks Healing Power Of Music During Acceptance Speech
The GRAMMY-nominated artist also added that she truly believes that music is powerful and can make dark times so much brighter. “As I got my record deal, and as things started working slowly, steadily, all the things… I started thinking, like, ‘why am I doing this? Is it to get a song to number one, like super cool. Absolutely, really grateful.’ No, no, it’s not. It’s because I really believe that everything just feels a little bit better when you can get in a room with one person or 250 and sing together and have someone either say something that feels like you’ve felt it or just have a melody that make you feel yummy for a second,” Ballerini detailed.
“I deeply believe in the power of music and the power of human connection and what music does for people. I just want to say thank you so much to Pete for allowing me to have these moments with these sweet, beautiful kids and their families over the last 10 years,” Ballerini said graciously.
Kelsea Ballerini Recalled Special Moments She Shared With Two Young Patients
Ballerini then recalled a moment she shared with a young girl named Taylor at Nashville’s TriStar Centennial Children’s Hospital last month, who she sang “Half Of My Hometown” with and even called Kenny Chesney to video chat with her. She also detailed a special moment she had with a little boy named Manon during that visit, who was a natural-born keyboard player.
“It was connection, and when we feel connected to ourselves and to other people, it makes all of the things that are really scary feel a little more manageable, and that’s our job. That’s our job as people who make music, people who promote music, people who write music, people who love music. Our job is to make people feel a little less scared of their feelings, a little less alone, like everything’s going to be okay, even if it’s just for that moment and that three and a half minute song.”
She concluded her acceptance speech by graciously thanking her team, close friends and her mom.
Musicians On Call’s Anthems Of Healing 25th Anniversary Celebration
During the event, Rondal Richardson, the senior liaison for entertainment and donor relations at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, was presented with the Leadership in Music Golden Ukulele. Raffaella Braun was recognized with the Vivek J. Tiwary Volunteer Guide Golden Ukulele, while Sarah Harralson was awarded the Michael Solomon Volunteer Musician Golden Ukulele.
Hosted by Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly‘s Amber Anderson and Kelly Sutton, the special evening also included live performances and appearances by Trisha Yearwood, Wynonna Judd, Charles Esten, Tiera Kennedy, Tigirlily Gold and Scotty McCreery. Ballerini also delivered a breathtaking performance of Carole King’s “You’ve Got A Friend” during the celebration.
How Did Kelsea Ballerini Get Involved With Musicians On Call?
Prior to receiving the Music Heal Golden Ukulele, while walking the red carpet, Kelsea Ballerini told Music Mayhem how she got involved with Musicians On Call nearly a decade ago.
“I remember starting out 10 years ago, I put out my first single and really wanting to learn what was a going on and how to get involved in things that really mattered outside of just a radio tour and promoting a single that was available in Nashville,” she stated before going into detail on how she found Musicians On Call.
“I learned about Musicians On Call very quickly and loved the idea of being able to take the healing power that music’s had for me in my own life and be able to go to these rooms of these kids and these families that are going through it and fighting the good fight and healing and all those things, and be able to hopefully give them something in the power of music that music’s given me. I’ve always loved having the opportunity to be able to do that. So it has been important to me over the years. It’s a beautiful experience, and it shows you truly the power of the unity of music, and the connection of music.”
What Is Musicians On Call?
For more than 25 years, Musicians On Call has delivered the healing power of music to patients, families and caregivers in hospitals across the country.
Founded by Michael Solomon and Vivek J. Tiwary in 1999, Musicians On Call is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that connects musicians to healthcare environments and hospitals, bringing the healing power of music, through live and innovative programming, to the bedsides of patients battling illness and injury across Middle Tennessee and the country.
To learn more about Musicians On Call, visit their official website HERE.
