On an early July evening, members of the Corvallis community gathered in Central Park for a night of music. As the sun went down, people of all ages, from teething toddlers to gray-haired seniors, sat down in lawn chairs and on blankets. Some in the crowd brought their own dinner and ate it while listening to the Corvallis Community Band.
The weekly summer concerts typically center around a theme, such as the ’60s or the outdoors. July 24’s theme was less whimsical. “From Darkness to Light: A Concert for Mental Health” took the audience on a musical journey across 11 songs, exploring a range of emotions and raising awareness of mental health and its issues.
The event began as a tribute to a former saxophonist and student at Oregon State University whom conductor Cheryl Martinez knew. Martinez knew the student’s struggles to get through each day, but understood how important music was to him.
“Music was his lifeblood,” she said.
After graduating, he moved to Portland to pursue a career in music, and committed suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic. She learned of his death three months later.
Martinez did not name the student but dedicated the concert to him and all those who suffer from mental health issues.
And to keep the conversation going, Martinez is lending concert sheet music she received from the Western International Band Clinic to middle and high schools so they can start their own discussions about mental health.
Martinez believes there is a strong connection between music and mental health.
“(Music) provides an emotional release for some people,” she says. “It also provides strength and community and a support system.”
The score rose and fell in volume and intensity, moving from dramatic crescendos with dissonance and flourishes to soft, simple melodies: trombones and tubas soared in sync with flutes, French horns and oboes, all 60 band members playing in harmony.
Across the grassy area, tables were set up with information about other mental health programs, including an area where visitors could pet four Welcome Waggers therapy dogs.
Throughout the concert, Martinez quoted the composers who wrote each piece and stressed the importance of discussing mental health and breaking down societal taboos around the subject.
Many of these songs are part of a collection called “The Unbroken Project,” written by composer Randall Standridge, who has been open about his struggles with mental health issues.
Martinez’s love of music began in elementary school. Her father played the clarinet and she followed in his footsteps. She attended Washington State University and graduated with a degree in music education.
Growing up in a small town where the struggles of people with mental illness were not discussed, Martinez didn’t understand how it affected people until college, when a friend of hers suffered. When she became a teacher, she saw many of her students struggling with issues related to mental illness.
“As a teacher, you try to help them in any way you can,” she says, “and in some cases, be their coach or parent while they’re exploring.”
Members of the Corvallis Community Band said they also believe it’s important to talk openly about mental health.
“I think the topic of mental health is super important, especially in the music industry,” said the band’s percussionist Noam Reich. “The music industry is a lot tougher, so I think a lot of musicians who are struggling are more likely to have mental health issues as well.”
Erin Mendelson, a recent Oregon State University graduate who played French horn Tuesday night, noted that mental health is a topic not often covered in music and emphasized the need for change in that field.
“The arts are a way to communicate emotions, feelings and ideas that some people don’t share easily,” Martinez said. “They reach out to others in the community and provide entertainment, commonality, joy, and in some cases participation, or just being a spectator. The arts bring people together.”
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, help is available. For 24-hour confidential support call or text 988 or 988 Lifeline.
— Mariela Guzman, Sheldon High School
— Erin Reaney, Reynolds High School
This story was produced by a student journalist as part of the High School Journalism Institute, an annual collaboration between The Oregonian/OregonLive, Oregon State University and other media organizations. To learn more about the program or to support it, Oregon Live.
