Frontier Health and Planning District One Behavioral Health Services are excited to announce that we will be partnering with the SCARS Foundation to host our region’s first Grace Notes Project in Big Stone Gap, VA, at the Big Stone Gap General Store. The SCARS Foundation uses the Grace Notes Project to help those individuals struggling with addiction and mental health issues experience live music to help boost psychological well-being through music therapy. Music offers many psychological benefits as well as being a source of pleasure and entertainment. Music can be a way to help us relax both our bodies and minds as well as cope with a wide range of emotions and feelings.
“To say it’s an honor to host the Scars Foundation and the Grace Notes Project in our region is an understatement. This group of wonderful people are truly invested in our community. They hope to get to know us, see where we need support, and celebrate all things Appalachia with us. The importance of supporting mental health in our community is more important now than ever and the Prevention team, along with Frontier Health and PD1, is here to do that just that. Music is a powerful tool to bring us all together for story telling, celebration, recovery, support, and so much more. We all have scars and are imperfectly perfect. Please join us to celebrate that and help heal one another!” – Mallory Hill, Frontier Health
Speaking and performing will be Carl Schmid, Founder of the Grace Notes Project. Carl has been playing the violin since he was three years old and made his Carnegie Hall debut at thirteen. He attended Julliard Pre-College and the Eastman School of music, studying classical violin performance. Carl has performed with many other professionals, such as Steven Tyler and Yo Yo Ma. He is also in recovery from substance abuse and uses the Grace Notes Project as a source of recovery for himself.
“ I understands the power of music and how that power can transform someone’s day, life or moment from loneliness and desperation…. to joy! Music is virtually the only “medicine” that universally has a profound positive impact on people. Where words fail, music speaks.” – Carl Schmid
Elizabeth Erna will also be speaking and performing. Elizabeth is a Life Coach in health and wellness with the SCARS Foundation. As a coach, she focuses on where we are today, where we want to be, and how to get there.
“The body affects the mind, and the mind affects the body, and it takes all of these things working together to create an overall wellbeing. The Grace Note Project allows them to show their scars, and to show what they have been through, it helps them to speak up. We are all imperfectly perfect, and the more we can celebrate that, the more it gives us hope and a sense of empowerment to continue fighting the fight.” – Elizabeth Erna
Date / Time: March 23, 2022 • 4 p.m.
Venue: Big Stone Gap General Store • 215 Wood Ave. E. • Big Stone Gap, VA 24219
Purpose: To connect with fellow community members that may be struggling with addiction through music with the Grace Notes Project.