Warriors In The Park: September Concert Reinforces Support For Veterans

Anonymous testimonials fill the webpages and social media feeds of Warrior Music Foundation, a nonprofit that serves active-duty military members, veterans, law enforcement officers, first responders and families of all those groups.

“Thanks to music therapy, I feel like a new man with a wealth of knowledge about myself and what it takes to thrive while living with PTSD,” one says, using the acronym for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Another reads, “Within only five sessions of music therapy, I’ve been able to create a mental and emotional triage kit for myself.”

Navy veteran Michael Caimona started Warrior Music Foundation in 2017. Nearly a decade later, its signature concert, Warriors in the Park, is returning to Severna Park Taphouse on September 12 from 1:00pm-7:00pm.

“I have lost friends to suicide and really felt compelled to do something to address the problem,” Caimona told the Severna Park Voice in 2021. “I had been involved in music and thought that was a way we could help.”

Proceeds from the September concert will go toward free music therapy, lessons and songwriting retreats.

One of those retreats served as the nonprofit’s introduction to John Haywood, a Nashville singer-songwriter who grew up around the Severn River. Haywood will headline this year’s Warriors in the Park concert, which features more than 12 acts across three stages.

“It’s important that our veterans feel seen and appreciated and that they have a community they can depend on, and Warrior Music Foundation has done great work toward that cause,” Haywood said. “I attended one of their songwriting retreats in the spring and am especially looking forward to Warriors in the Park. I'm always eager to play, but events like these hold a special excitement for me knowing that I get to share my craft with these folks we owe so much to. If they walk away feeling valued, I think we’ve done our jobs as performers. Of course, if we can get them on the dance floor, even better!”

That sentiment and enthusiasm are music to the ears of Kirsten Anatone, executive director of Warrior Music Foundation. She came to the nonprofit while she was in school for music therapy and her practicum placement, or clinical training, led her to discover a passion for working with veterans.

“It opened up a world I didn’t know I could love this much, working with the military community,” she said.

Music and music therapy can reduce muscle tension, increase self-esteem, decrease anxiety and provide a safe emotional release, among other benefits.

Anatone has seen the therapy work wonders. One method, neurologic music therapy, uses sound to activate cognitive, motor and speech centers in the brain. Anatone used an example of how this method has worked for individuals partnered with Warrior Music Foundation.

“They struggle with memory recall whether that’s their home address or a phone number,” she said. “We can write a melody around it, so if they have to recall that information, they are readably able. A good example is 867-5309. You can recall the melody and the number that comes with it.”

Anatone is especially fond of the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music, which is “essentially the use of curated classical music programs that help individuals access deeper levels of consciousness and a more relaxed state,” she said.

Through these and other methods, Warrior Music Foundation is making strides.

The foundation gives assessments to individuals after they complete music lessons and music therapy programs. In the last year, 71% of participants reported improvement in PTSD symptom management, 46% noted an improvement in symptoms of depression and anxiety, and 57% cited better cognitive functioning.

She estimates that 136 individuals enrolled in music programs this year.

Thanks to the Warriors in the Park concert and other fundraisers, the foundation continues to grow. It now coordinates three annual concerts and four songwriting retreats per year. More opportunities mean that more lives are changed.

“It’s special how all of this has come together,” Anatone said. “I have to pinch myself.”