Calming Chords Help Soothe Local Cats and Canines
- Sharon Stello
- Dec 8, 2025
- 8 min read
Wild Tunes nonprofit encourages musicians to play for homeless pets at animal shelters including one in Mission Viejo.
As a string quartet plays the soothing sounds of classical music by Handel and Mozart – and even some Disney pieces – the dogs at Mission Viejo animal shelter seem to calm down. Briefly, at least, the barking stops. They settle for a moment and listen to the serenade, curious about the musicians near their kennels.
On a recent day, these violin and viola players from South Coast Symphony were playing for the animals as part of the Wild Tunes program, which invites musicians of all ages and ability levels to perform for shelter dogs and cats.
“I loved it when the big dog laid down and went to sleep and then, shortly thereafter, the others calmed down, too,” said viola player Leonie Kramer of Laguna Beach. “And I think that’s very revealing about what music can do. This is a stressful environment with lots of dogs barking and people coming and going and they seemed to be very relaxed, especially when we played the classical music. They seemed to really enjoy that.”
Kramer was joined by viola player Diana Lobel of Irvine and violin players Pat Hosokawa of Laguna Hills and Cheryl Lu of Newport Beach. They were followed by Nicole Steiman, who brings a travel harp to play her dulcet tunes every week. Steiman of Aliso Viejo finds the animals are an accepting audience.
“I don’t take the barking dogs as booing. They settle down eventually,” said Steiman, noting that a friend told her about the program after she mentioned being nervous to play in front of people. “When I read about the program, it was really heartwarming. And I thought, ‘I’ll give it a try.’ ”
Wild Tunes is a nonprofit that was founded in 2023 by then-10-year-old Yuvi Agarwal of Texas after noticing how his dog, Bozo, seemed to calm down when he played the keyboard. Since then, the organization has expanded to 24 shelters in eight states, including several in California.
“I am extremely happy with the success of Wild Tunes and am very grateful to all the volunteers, shelters, donors and supporters for embracing our program,” Agarwal said. “I truly believe that music has the power to bring good in the world. By bringing live music to homeless pets, we are not only improving their mental health and helping them find a new home, but we are also providing the perfect … opportunity for volunteers of all ages and skill levels.”
PHOTO 1: South Coast Symphony members (from left) Leonie Kramer, Diana Lobel, Pat Hosokawa and Cheryl Lu come together as a string quartet to play music for homeless animals through the Wild Tunes program at Mission Viejo Animal Services Center in November. Photo by Sharon Stello, Culture OC PHOTO 2: Wild Tunes founder Yuvi Agarwal plays keyboard at Mission Viejo Animal Services Center shelter. Photo courtesy of MVASC
A Musical Mission
The Mission Viejo Animal Services Center is among those embracing Wild Tunes. Since launching the program there in August, more than 60 volunteer musicians have come to play for the animals, according to animal services coordinator Alison Nieves. Thanks to an overwhelmingly positive response, the one-hour time slots on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons have been mostly full since scheduling began. Some come for a one-time opportunity and a few volunteers return on a regular basis.
“It’s a form of enrichment,” Nieves said of this special treat for the animals. “It’s comforting to them. A lot of these dogs have experienced trauma. It helps associate people with kindness and comfort and kind of eliminates that (fear) when they’re scared. They really do listen. And cats love it. We had a guitarist in with our cats … and the cat was rolling around in the kennel, purring, laying on its back. They just really enjoy it.”
The Mission Viejo shelter has 48 dog kennels (although they’re not always full) and 36 cat kennels (which can each be split into two if more cats need to be accommodated), plus a room for up to 12 kittens in addition to a house for rabbits and guinea pigs. When space is available, the shelter often rescues animals from high-kill shelters that are at or above capacity. Support comes from a local nonprofit called Dedicated Animal Welfare Group, or DAWG, which covers treatment for medical and behavioral issues for the Mission Viejo shelter animals and hosts adoption events.
Meanwhile, Wild Tunes allows musicians and singers of any age to make a difference for the animals whereas other volunteer roles at the shelter are only for adults. And there’s no need to be a professional musician; even beginners are invited to come and rehearse with their instrument.
“This is from 5-year-olds to retirees that are seniors,” Nieves said. “We have a little girl that comes every now and then and she practices her guitar. And we have one that practices her violin. It’s all ages.”
And the audience doesn’t seem to mind if the musicians hit a few wrong notes.
The dogs calmly listen in the background as a quartet from the South Coast Symphony performs. Photos by Sharon Stello, Culture OC
“The animals don’t judge,” Nieves said. “They don’t critique the performance. Well, the cats do a little bit. They don’t like violins. They don’t like that screeching.”
The only rules are no drums or other percussion instruments and no electric guitars. Keyboards can be plugged in for piano players that need a more portable option. Also, no karaoke singing.
“We’ve been asked …. It makes it kind of loud,” Nieves said. “We do have a vocalist, a young girl who comes on Saturdays and, when she sings, it sounds like there’s a Disney princess (in the shelter) …. She doesn’t need a microphone or a speaker. We have another young lady who comes and she plays the ukulele …. (And) we had a four-piece band. They play in local bars, but they just unplug here.”
Nieves said the volunteer musicians have expressed that they really feel they make a difference when playing music at the shelter.
“And they really have,” she said. “For an hour that they’re here, they’re provided that animal that’s stuck in a kennel with some peace and comfort. It’s just been wonderful.”
Kramer and Lobel, from the string quartet that played in early November, had come once before in August, then invited Hosokawa and Lu to join them in the fall. All of them have pets and so this experience combined their love of animals and music.
“It was so fun. It was the highlight of my week,” Lu said.
Hosokawa noted that her rescue dog “seems to like it when I practice,” so she thought the shelter animals might also enjoy some calming tunes.
“I’ve always loved volunteering with animals,” added Lobel, who also served as a docent at the Santa Ana Zoo for 17 years. At the shelter, in between sets with the other string players, Lobel gave a solo performance of “(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window?” – eliciting smiles from everyone around her.
Harp-Filled Harmony
Following the quartet, Steiman came with her harp, which she has been playing for about 2 ½ years, after being drawn to the instrument while attending a St. Patrick’s Day concert. For a couple of months now, she has performed weekly at the shelter.
“They welcome beginners and it’s a good way to practice, keeping songs in my memory and playing during distractions,” said Steiman, who often plays without using sheet music. “Generally, I’ll just play the ones I know so I can focus on the energy I give … (to the animals) versus struggling on a piece of music. If I know it in my head, I can stop and start it. I think the animals sense our mood, so if I’m playing music that I just love to play and they sense that I’m loving it, they’re going to love it, too.”
She begins in the kitten room because your hands must be sanitized before entering this space to prevent spreading germs that could get the young felines sick. Then, she’ll either play for the dogs or the cats, but typically rotates to all three places “and whoever seems to be needing it the most, I’ll stay a little longer,” she said.
On a recent day, there were no kittens in the shelter, so Steiman started in the cattery, playing for the adult cats.
“This is my favorite place to be,” she said. “It’s air-conditioned. The harp doesn’t like the sun …. Wood can’t be in the sun.”
Nicole Steiman plays her harp for the cats at the Mission Viejo Animal Services Center. Photos by Sharon Stello, Culture OC
Steiman starts with a black-and-white cat named Lewis. She sits on the ground with her harp and begins playing beautiful, lilting notes. Curious, Lewis approaches the harp, sniffs the instrument and looks up at Steiman through the strings.
“I’m playing something that’s affecting them and it’s really beautiful,” Steiman said. “It seems like it goes right to their hearts sometimes.”
Moving on to a hallway with smaller kennels, Steiman uses the harp to serenade Dutton, a gray cat, who watches her intently. Then, in a sun-filled room, she plays for Gibson, an orange and white cat who lays down and closes his eyes, the music gently lulling him to sleep.
“I think music can connect people without words. And it can just help to calm people down as well as animals,” Steiman said later. “What it does for me is … just the amazing capacity of the mind to learn something that I didn’t think I could learn. Like you play something the first time and it’s not working. And you play it again and again and again and pretty soon your fingers are just playing it and your mind remembers it. And then you start to play it from the heart after that.”
Nicole Steiman plays her harp in the cattery at the Mission Viejo Animal Services Center. Video by Sharon Stello, Culture OC
For Steiman, playing the harp for herself or the animals is her quiet time. Sometimes becoming immersed in the music can even be a bit meditative.
“My desire is never to get good enough to play with an orchestra on stage, but maybe to do some harp therapy in hospitals. So practicing on the animals is a good way to see if I could eventually play to help people,” she said.
Steiman encourages other musicians to volunteer at the shelter, too.
“It’s giving to the animals, but it’s giving you so much more. Not to sound selfish,” Steiman said. “And if you love animals, it’s just a fun way to be around them and know that you’re helping them without taking them all home, which is what we … want to do.”
How to Get Involved
Who can volunteer? Musicians of all ages and ability levels; even children and beginners are invited to come practice their instrument.
What instruments are allowed? Any instrument is permitted except for drums, electric guitars and singing that’s amplified with a microphone and speakers.
When are the volunteer times? There are one-hour time slots on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons.
Where is the shelter? It’s the Mission Viejo Animal Service Center at 28095 Hillcrest, Mission Viejo.
How do I apply? To play music at the shelter, fill out a volunteer application through the Wild Tunes website, wildtunes.org. Select “CA - Mission Viejo Animal Services” as your preferred shelter. If it seems like a good fit, a shelter staff member will follow up to schedule a time for you to volunteer and send the required waiver to sign. Minors will need to have a parent or guardian accompany them when volunteering at the shelter.
