Voices of the Village

Jessie Tear, the music and arts coordinator, went out of her way to provide names for the people pictured. She only included first names, but since I’m not submitting this for publication I didn’t bother to ask her for last names. 

By: Milo Whitman

Jon Dalgarn was looking for a new way to engage his students at Voices Community Services, an organization that aims to help people with developmental disabilities. Dalgarn, a seasoned musician, brought his guitar in hopes that music would do the trick. Not everybody at Village was onboard with his idea, but Dalgarn gave it a go. After performing for his students, he realized that they didn’t want to listen, they wanted to play. “Kids you didn’t even think were paying attention all of a sudden were involved,” Margaret McClure said. McClure has two children that have worked with Jon since 2000.

Now, 24 years later, Dalgarn leads the band Voices of the Village, who performs weekly from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Arlington. On May 31, Voices of the Village had their first outdoor show of the year at Legion Memorial Park. On May 31, band members and attendees were met with clear skies and warm weather at Legion Memorial Park, perfect for the first outdoor show of the year.

Marilyn Baker urges anyone who’s interested to come to a Voices of the Village show. “The only requirement is to come and have fun,” she said.