Student finds purpose in his passion

As delicate notes from a piano filled the room, faces in the audience lit up in recognition, even joy.

The pianist? Not a seasoned performer with years of experience but a high school student committed to bringing the magic of music to people with Alzheimer’s, other forms of dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.

Credit: Phil Skinner

Credit: Phil Skinner

After the concert at Emory by pianist Elias Kremer and other student musicians, an audience member with early-onset Alzheimer’s stood to speak.

“When we found out our brains had some cracks in them, it was devastating,” the woman said. “For me personally, I did not know if there would be much more joy in my life. But you guys, you bring the joy.”

Her words inspired Kremer, a senior at The Galloway School in Atlanta and a classically trained pianist whose mission goes far beyond one-time concerts, such as the one she heard.

Last fall, Kremer founded the nonprofit NOTEWORTHE Music with two goals: uniting student musicians to perform for people in cognitive decline and establishing music therapy as part of Emory’s Charlie and Harriet Shaffer Cognitive Empowerment Program (CEP).

Researchers with CEP are working to determine if lifestyle interventions, including better nutrition and physical activity, can improve the quality of life and slow the symptom progression, said Dorna Shokoohi, a recent CEP director.

Kremer wants CEP to see if music therapy can also be shown to be a positive intervention. Only patients with mild cognitive impairment are part of CEP.

He wants to enrich the program by adding opportunities for participants to engage with music in addition to the lifestyle interventions. Kremer has committed to raising $25,000 for CEP and has already raised $12,300, nearly 50% of his goal.

Shokoohi said that many program participants are enthusiastic about music and “will likely take advantage of the wonderful opportunities made possible by NOTEWORTHE.”

Grammy was the inspiration.

Kremer said his efforts are inspired by his grandmother or “Grammy,” Ray Ann Kremer, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in late 2022 and is a patient at Emory.

Kremer always played for Grammy at home. One day after she’d moved to Lenbrook, a retirement community on Peachtree Road in Atlanta, he sat down at the piano and started to play. A huge crowd gathered for what turned into an impromptu concert.

“There were people applauding, and everyone who heard him said something to me the next day,” Grammy said. “I was a rock star grandmother.”

That event also was a game-changer for Kremer.

Credit: Phil Skinner

“That’s when I realized how impactful my music could be,” he said. “It made me want to bring this to my community.”

Kremer and about a dozen student musicians have performed concerts for CEP, Respite Care Atlanta, and local senior communities. They play all types of music. A crowd favorite is Kremer’s rendition of rapper Drake’s “Passionfruit.”

Kremer said he had no trouble recruiting students from his school, as well as some he met this summer while attending the Governor’s Honors Program.

“They had the same problem I had,” he said. “They wanted to share their music and make an impact on their community, but they didn’t have the facilities, know-how, or the community connections to do that.”

Hamilton “Ham” Smith, music director at Respite Care Atlanta, a day program for the cognitively impaired, said he moves Kremer’s concerts to another venue so he can play on a Steinway, an instrument he considers worthy of the high school senior’s talents.

“Everyone is in awe of Elias,” Smith said. “His compositions are good enough to be published.”

Susan Croft, who attended NOTEWORTHE’s kickoff concert at CEP, was struck by Kremer’s talents and commitment. “That a young man is that dedicated to bringing music to his grandparents’ generation is amazing,” she said.

Kremer started playing piano when he was about five.

He dedicates two to three hours a day to his playing, something that might seem challenging for a busy high school senior. But he manages to work it into his schedule, playing at home early in the morning, late at night, and at school during breaks, lunch, and any free time.

“I love the piano,” he said. “It is my greatest passion.”