From the time she was 9 years old, Anne Abrams loved music and knew that she wanted it to be a big part of her life.

Growing up outside of Buffalo, New York, Anne enjoyed singing and performing for family members, at school and in community theaters.

Anne pursued her passion in college and earned a bachelor's degree in Musical Theater from SUNY New Paltz. Then, music drew her to the ultimate place to follow her dreams: New York City.

As an aspiring singer and performer, Anne’s early life in the Big Apple was a classic story of auditioning and waiting tables. She earned parts in regional theater performances, Summer Stock, and in tours of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Nunsense." She also performed at weddings and private events.

But another dream set Anne apart from the countless others who were making the audition rounds. A dream as deeply routed in her from childhood as music.

"I really wanted to work with people," she recalled. "I knew that waiting tables was not benefiting anyone. My mom is a special education teacher and my dad is a probation officer who also works part time at a residence for people with developmental disabilities. I always grew up with this population and knew that I wanted to do something with music and working with people with developmental disabilities."

Six years ago, Anne made that dream come true when she began working as a Community Training Specialist at YAI's Astoria Day Services program. There, she met David Freyre and Marino Demetrios, who both shared her job title and her love for music.

In time, Anne and her colleagues noticed that they weren't the only ones who responded to music. They began playing music during transitional times in between activities during the day. Some individuals knew every word of the songs.

One individual was Andrew, a talented freestyle rapper who would bring his studio recordings to the program. Seeing Andrew share his music inspired Anne, David and Marinos to create the Astoria Music Group.

These days, the group meets twice a week. Sadly, Marinos passed away last year. David now works at the program part time. But Anne and the group members have not only kept the spirit of the group and the music alive, but have expanded their activities tremendously to connect with the community.

The Astoria Music Group shares its gift of music by performing at nursing homes, senior centers and extended care facilities throughout their home borough of Queens. Group members sing, drum and dance while David plays the piano. Crowd favorites include their renditions of "Lean on Me," "Jammin'," "Let it Be" and "True Colors."

The group watches videos and live concerts, and discusses performance styles. The music lovers also take advantage of the rich history that New York City has to offer to learn as much as they can about their craft.

"We go on trips to the Steinway piano factory, see free community shows at local parks, and visit the Louis Armstrong Museum," Anne said. "Anything music related, we go out into the community and see."

The program welcomes guest artists, who visit to perform and talk about what it's like to make a living in music. Anne has invited friends who have performed on Broadway, Salsa groups, opera singers and bands such as Nervous but Excited.

For Anne, the common thread is the power of music as a communication tool, mood lifter and connector.

"Music is a great coping skill," she said. "When we feel upset or agitated, music is a real mood lifter. It's good to get up and move for our physical health, mental health, creativity, relaxation and socialization. Our group members get together to talk about music video awards, new albums and current events in the music world."

According to Anne, music is also a way for group members, who range in age from 21 to 60, to connect with different eras.

"Recently we talked about great jazz artists," Anne said. "For some of the older folks, it really brought back great memories they’ve had with their families or from childhood."

Anne still finds time to sing, and she still performs at weddings and events. But these days, her career aspirations are different than they were when she first arrived in New York City. In May of 2012, she earned a Master's degree in social work at Lehman College.

"I wanted to take my career to a different level and I felt that this population is underrepresented in the social work discipline," Anne said. "I wanted to see where putting together social work and this field would go."

So far, merging her interests has enabled Anne, who is now a Lead Community Training Specialist, to continue to create beautiful music.

"For me, it is always important to share your interests as part of your work," she said. "I know what music has done for me. My joy comes out when I perform. If the people I work with who share my love for music can perform and enjoy that feeling of making someone happy through song, it's a really great feeling on both ends."