They bark, he Bachs
Concert violinist finds music soothes shelter pooches
Howl if you like Handel!
A classically trained concert violinist who has performed on Broadway and in concert halls across the globe has found a new audience that shares his love of Bach and Beethoven — shelter dogs.
“It’s been amazing,” Martin Agee, 62, said about his regular visits to the Upper East Side’s ASPCA shelter where he plays for dogs recovering from abuse and serious injuries. “They settle down immediately. Some of them even curl up on their beds and listen with one eye open, looking at me.”
And because every musician loves accompaniment, Agee relishes the special moments when one of the musical mutts, or more, want to join in.
“It’s the greatest when I get a dog that wants to sing along,” he said. “It’s just fantastic and kind of hilarious. Some of them really get into it. Some dogs that don’t have much of a voice or are not big barkers all of sudden start singing along.”
Agee became an ASPCA volunteer about three years ago as a way to deal with the loss of his own dog, a retired racing greyhound named Melody, who died of cancer.
“Everyone used to find it funny that I’m a musician and my dog was named Melody, but that was her racing name… she was a family pet,” said Agee. “It was quite difficult, something only people who had a dog that they connected with could understand.”
“I would see a greyhound on the street and start crying,” he recalled.
When he signed up to donate his time at the ASPCA, he wrote on his application that he was a violinist and joked that he could play for the animals.
Little did he know that he would be holding performances for the pups a year later.
“The ASPCA has a reading program for dogs in the Animal Recovery Center who have been brought in for various reasons, including neglect and abuse,” Agee said. “People come in and read a book or magazine for them, and I thought, ‘How about I come in and play the violin for them?”
At the time, the ASPCA was toying with playing music for its shelter animals and immediately signed him up.
Now, Agee comes to the Animal Recovery Center as often as his schedule allows and performs Handel, Bach and Beethoven to the pups in their glass door kennels.
“The reactions I get (from the dogs) are stunning. I go in and these guys are chaotic and running around and barking and then I take the violin out and they immediately quiet down and stand by the front of the kennel so they can see and hear me,” he said. “I’ve spent a lot of time on stage under bright lights, sort of feeling like the world is watching. Here, the world that’s watching are my best friends that are wagging their tails.”
Agee, who is in rehearsals for a Broadway revival of “West Side Story” premiering in February admits that he doesn’t know who benefits more from his canine concerts.
“I think it’s a two-way street,” he explained. “The dogs are benefiting because there is scientific proof that music is calming for animals.
I know that a lot of shelters are using taped music these days.”
“It’s calming for them but its also beneficial for me,” he said.
Matt Bershadker, president and CEO of the ASPCA, hopes Agee’s performances continue on for the foreseeable future.
“Socializing anxious animals can take many forms, and Martin’s music is a great example of how it reduces stress, gets them used to new sights and sounds, and ultimately makes them more ready for adoption,” Bershadker said. “Many of the dogs entering the ASPCA Animal Recovery Center through our NYPD partnership are fearful cruelty victims, and we’ve noticed that positive experiences with volunteers like Martin help them learn how to trust again.”