Campus mental wellness initiative Future Friends held a Sept. 30 screening of their Common Denominator docuseries featuring Noah Kahan at the Marquee, followed by a performance by Mt. Joy on Oct. 1 at The Orpheum Theater.
Activities including a phone-free social club, the documentary screening, a meditation session and a Mt. Joy performance promoted student connection and wellness — the main goal of the campus initiative from mental health nonprofit Two Bridge.
In the theater on Oct. 1, a crowd of around 1,700 students danced, hugged and put their arms around each other’s shoulders, shouting lyrics and waving at others across the crowd.
“Any place there's music, people can talk about music. And if someone likes a song that you like, it's something to become friends over,” Sophomore Pascal Delatorre, who attended the event, told The Daily Cardinal.
Mt. Joy’s concert was meant for students to let loose, dance and connect to those around them. Students placed their phones in pouches before the performance started.
“Even if you don't know Mt. Joy… the act of being present and maybe going off your phone and just [feeling] the vibes from the community [is] nice,” Future Friends Student Ambassador Sari Steinberger told the Cardinal.
Matt Quinn, the lead singer of the band, reflected on his previous incapability of telling those around him about his struggles, masking them as something else, with music being a bridge to recovery.
Mt. Joy themselves partook in improv — spontaneous but alluring guitar solos and drum fills — that enveloped the entire space. To add to the mood, they covered popular songs that spanned multiple genres, giving everyone a chance to sing along and feel tied with those around them.
Tori Rudnick, president of the Music Wellness Association at UW-Madison, described music as “a universal tool” for connection.
“Everyone can connect in some way through music, no matter if it's playing it, listening to it [or] making it,” she told the Cardinal.
Kevin Hines, a mental health and suicide prevention activist, opened both the Common Denominator screening and Mt. Joy’s performance by talking about his struggles with parental neglect, the foster care system, losing his brother, bipolar disorder and attempted suicide.
He told the Cardinal the biggest barrier to sucicide prevention is “the unwillingness for people to ask the questions: direct, honest, blunt questions.”
Specifically, students need to ask those important to them if they are planning to kill themselves and if they have the means — confrontation is crucial, according to Hines.
“People fear going to others that love them and telling them the truth about their deepest and darkest emotions,” Hines said. “We need to stop the fear. We need to welcome the honesty and say, ‘You're not going to be judged.’”
Common Denominator focused on giving Noah Kahan a space to talk about his mental health experiences. In the documentary he talked about his experience with therapy, performance anxiety and anxiety in general, adding music has been a gateway for him to push through these struggles.
Alyssa Jackson, a senior, appreciated that “a well-renowned singer” opened up about his struggles.
“It’s so meaningful, especially in this society, and especially being a man in this world: they don't talk much about mental health or even think it relates to them,” she told the Cardinal.
Senior Keelin Lanham said the “intimate” setup of the screening allowed people to connect and relate to one another after the screening.
“It’s nice to just see people that you look up to talk about issues like this,” she told the Cardinal.
As Kevin Hines put it, “a pain shared is a pain had” — and music can be the outlet for that connection.
“I'm just glad to be here with my friends and connect with them through music,” Talen Dickson, a sophomore who attended Mt. Joy, told the Cardinal. “I was really isolated my freshman year. This year I joined choir, and I feel so much better… I feel like I have a community now, and I'm really happy.”
