Side by Side

Side by Side is a student group at Stanford University that performs songs from the 1920s to the 1960s at Bay Area nursing homes, hospitals, and retirement centers. Our vision is to bring smiles to an audience that is often overlooked, even among community service groups.

Music is a powerful tool in breaking barriers that conventional methods sometimes cannot overcome, and it often allows us to interact with residents for whom talking is difficult. Through our musical performance and the conversations we share with the audience afterwards, beautiful connections and friendships are made across generations in harmony.

Service required by group to fulfill a Cardinal Commitment: Side by Side asks its members to complete 5 hours/week of structured participation with the group, shifting over the year from mostly rehearsal during Autumn quarter to mostly performances at local nursing homes during Spring quarter.

Cardinal Commitment Mentor: Lizzie Frankel and Julia Axelrod