About Us

Students for Music and Wellness (SFMW) is a Canadian, federally registered non-profit organization. Our mission is to care for vulnerable populations, notably long term care homes during COVID-19, through the music and leadership of youth. 

The Original SFMW Team (2020); Julian Cimer, Harry Wu, Ruthie Zhuang, Harrison Gao, Priya Khatri, Ellie Sievers, Angelina Sievers

What does SFMW do? 

Students For Music and Wellness:

  • Organizes a blend of in-person, virtual, and physically-distanced concerts.

  • Helps vulnerable populations, primarily Long-Term Care Homes in Canada, US, and UK.

  • Runs 100% free concerts, musical workshops, and online programs for older adults.

  • Leads SFMW high school/youth chapters (HSO program), to perform for local long-term care homes.

Year-round, SFMW hosts concerts and workshops that are 100% free and accessible to all care homes. The organization has received critical acclaim for its compassionate community service. Covered by CTV National Television, Global News, and CBC Toronto, their work has been featured 18 times on local and national news headlines.

How was SFMW Started?

In June 2020, Harrison Gao, Ruthie Zhuang, and Julian Cimer saw a need to support the wellness of seniors in LTC homes, who were experiencing severe isolation and mental health crises due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It all started with a $250 project grant funded by the Government of Canada. In their first year, the SFMW team performed 8 live, socially-distanced concerts for an audience of 500 seniors and front-line workers. After receiving strong, positive feedback, SFMW expanded its team, and in the winter of 2020, hosted its first virtual concert that premiered Nationwide for 66 LTC Homes. Now, their network expands to 108+ LTC homes in Canada, the US, and the UK as of 2024.

Over the years, seniors have been moved to tears by familiar tunes and sung along with youth musicians as our musicians tour across towns and cities across the world.

Who is SFMW?

At the heart of SFMW, an international board of 30+ young community members in the arts, healthcare, and business fields serve as the directors, executives, and interns of this organization. With great compassion, over 100 student/emerging artists have worked with SFMW at live concerts, music workshops (designed by music therapists), and filming/recording sessions.

Check out our instagram @sfmwellness

❗️The application due date has been extended❗️ Want to lead a youth-run registered non-profit organization? Organize music-based initiatives that reach LTC Homes across Canada, the U.S, and the U.K? Then join us at SFMW! SFMW is a federally-registe
Want to lead a youth-run registered non-profit organization? Organize music-based initiatives that reach LTC Homes across Canada, the U.S, and the U.K? Then join us at SFMW! SFMW is a federally-registered non-profit organization that hosts virtual a
Want to lead a youth-run registered non-profit organization? Organize music-based initiatives that reach LTC Homes across Canada, the U.S, and the U.K? Then join us at SFMW! SFMW is a federally-registered non-profit organization that hosts virtual a
Want to lead a youth-run registered non-profit organization? Organize music-based initiatives that reach LTC Homes across Canada, the U.S, and the U.K? Then join us at SFMW! SFMW is a federally-registered non-profit organization that hosts virtual a
Here are the results of our Magic of Christmas 2023 concert! We are excited to announce that our concert was streamed in 55 cities across Canada as well as 6 cities in the UK and 3 cities in the US. This winter marked our first stream in the UK and h
In case you missed our MOC 2023 Concert, here are a few pictures and clips from the concert! Take a look at our YouTube channel to watch the full concert video: https://youtu.be/lZ3_6uyBlcg?si=4Gh-cHiykMw3YrAX
Mental health has become an increasingly widespread problem within our senior community. As such, recreation therapy has been critical in supporting the mental wellness of these seniors. However, the cancellation of recreation therapy due to the pand
Our Magic of Christmas 2023 concert is finally here! This year we decided to do a “60s Late Night Show” theme along with some fun holiday games and classic holiday tunes! Check out the concert on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/lZ3
SFMW’s annual virtual Christmas concert is back this holiday season! Our mission is to better the mental health of the elderly in long-term care homes by connecting them to passionate young musicians. And so this year, youth musicians from the