For many Audiences Unlimited artists, performing in senior living communities offers an opportunity to bring joy, memory, and human connection to people who may not be able to attend concerts, theaters, or community events on their own.
That mission was especially important to AUE artist James R. “Jim” Carroll.
A Lifetime of Music and Service
Jim, who passed away in 2010, spent a lifetime sharing music with others. A Huntington native, Jim was a U.S. Navy veteran, Merchant Marine, Indiana University School of Music graduate, longtime Fort Wayne educator, and accomplished clarinet and saxophone player. You could say that music was his life.
As an Audiences Unlimited artist, Jim brought that life into senior living communities and other settings, places where the arts could make an immediate and personal difference.
Family Connections
For Dave Carroll, Jim’s son, that Audiences Unlimited connection is now part of a larger family story. Dave is the uncle of Alyssa Semak, Audiences Unlimited Manager, who now helps lead the organization that once gave Dave’s father another way bring the joy of music to others.
That connection is especially meaningful as we celebrate Father’s Day this June. Jim’s music wasn’t a formal, distant performance. It was a warm, happy moment, the kind that invites people to sing, smile, and remember.
Music that Invites Everyone to Join
“As his kids, we would often sing along,” Dave said. “We were extra support voices in the band, helping get the people in the audience going.” For the Carroll family, those visits were also a way to teach the next generation about service. Dave even brought his own wife and children along when his father was playing.
“All kids love music, and all people love kids,” Dave said. “It meant a lot for my kids to see their grandpa playing.”
That simple scene captures much of what Audiences Unlimited makes possible. A professional musician shares his gift. Seniors receive the joy of live performance. Family members join in. Children see the value of showing up for others. And the music becomes more than entertainment. It becomes a bridge.
Music as a Bridge for Connection
Building those kinds of bridges was the way Jim lived his life. He played in the Indiana University Symphony, marched with IU’s Marching Hundred, and performed with a wide range of local bands. Those years of experience quickly made their way into the AUE settings.
“The quality of music at those performances was as good as I’ve ever heard,” he said. “All the guys in the band were great. I’m not a professional musician, but I know enough to know when I hear good music.”
Jim’s professional life was also shaped by teaching. He taught elementary science for nearly 33 years at Brentwood Elementary School, where he started Brentwood’s first elementary choir. He also sang in the choir at Queen of Angels Catholic Church.
“The music fed his soul,” said Dave.
More than a Performance
That’s why Audiences Unlimited was such a natural fit. AUE’s work depends on artists understanding that a performance isn’t only about technical excellence. It’s also about presence. It’s about meeting people where they are. And it’s about creating moments of beauty and recognition for audiences who may be isolated, aging, living with disabilities, or separated from the cultural experiences they once enjoyed more easily.
For Dave, watching his father continue to perform late in life remains a source of pride. “That was my bragging rights,” he said. “My 80-year-old dad playing a saxophone and not scratching. No one else’s dad had a talent like that.”
The Gift that Kept Playing
Jim’s love of music also lived on through generosity. After his passing, Dave’s mother donated one of Jim’s valuable clarinets with the help of renowned IU musician and educator David Baker, who made sure it reached an international student who could use it to begin a life in music. The student wrote letters of gratitude for years.
To Dave, that story reflects who his parents were and what music meant in their family. It was never something to keep to themselves. It was something to share.
That same spirit continues through Audiences Unlimited.
A Father’s Day Reminder
On Father’s Day, Jim Carroll’s story reminds us that the arts can carry a family’s love, a teacher’s generosity, and a musician’s lifelong purpose into places where they are deeply needed. Want to keep the gift of music playing? Consider becoming a monthly partner, or make a one-time donation in honor or memory of your dad.
