Today we’d like to introduce you to Riya Narayan.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Music has always been a huge part of my life. I have always loved singing, playing instruments, and consuming any kind of music that has been at my fingertips. In my freshman year of high school, I visited an assisted living center near my home in Franklin with my mom and two close friends. We performed a few songs and brought homemade treats to share with the residents afterward. What hit me most wasn’t the performing itself, it was the conversations I was able to have with the residents. I fell in love with creating a space for young people to share their talents and also bring comfort to others. I left feeling a kind of joy I couldn’t really put into words, and I wanted other people to feel that too.
That one visit turned into Treats & Tunes, and I started recruiting other young local musicians to join me. Then the pandemic hit and stopped in-person visits, but instead of ending things, that pushed me to figure out how to do virtual performances. I realized pretty quickly that if I could pull off a virtual show for the center down the street, I could do one anywhere in the world. I’d been to a summer program at Berklee College of Music, so I reached out to friends from that program in New York, California, and Michigan and asked them to be ambassadors in their areas. Then I just started cold-calling assisted living centers until people said yes.
I am going into my Senior year at Vanderbilt now. I have established a younger executive board for Treats & Tunes in Franklin, who are helping me continue to organize performances and recruit high school students in the local areas. Sandhiya Murali, VP, who is a current sophomore in high school, has been helping me spearhead efforts to organize events and recruit high school students. I am excited that the next generation of high school and middle school students are keeping Treats & Tunes alive.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. It is always a tossup whether or not an assisted living center has the resources or availability to accommodate a Treats & Tunes event. We get turned down sometimes, but we have learned how to tailor our offerings for different centers over time!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Treats & Tunes is built around a simple mission to give people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities a platform to share their talent while giving back to their communities. The organization’s focus is on senior citizens in assisted living centers and other long-term care facilities , populations that often have limited access to enrichment opportunities or intellectually stimulating activities.
I started Treats & Tunes after seeing firsthand how much joy music could bring to elderly residents and members of long-term care communities. The need felt especially urgent for those in Alzheimer’s and dementia care, where loneliness is common and engaging activity is essential to maintaining a healthy quality of life as people age. Treats & Tunes aims to counter that isolation, building a sense of community and connection through music.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I would always put on musical performances for my family, singing Disney princess songs and dressing up in full costume!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.treatsandtunes.org
- Instagram: @treatsandtunes
