Obituary: Carol Chapin, Carroll Gardens resident, Music Together director, dies at 65

June 19, 2014 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Carol Chapin

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Carol Chapin, a long-time Carroll Gardens resident, passed away on May 3. She was 65.

Ms. Chapin was the founder and co-director of Heartsong Kids, where she taught Music Together classes for young children in Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill, and formerly at other locations in Brooklyn and Queens.

A service will be held on Saturday, June 21, at 4 p.m. at St. Paul’s Carroll Street Church, 199 Carroll Street, in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, NY 11231

A music lover, pianist, composer and actress, Ms. Chapin studied theater in London in the 70s, and earned a degree in humanistic psychology. She also studied Dalcroze Eurhythmics, which teaches that all music comes from the body.

Ms. Chapin worked with law firms as a word processing operator in lower Manhattan from the 1980s until conditions following 9/11 near the World Trade Center were deemed dangerous for her health, as she had developed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

She was known to be a great lover of children and nature, and believed that the power of music can transform lives. Following her Dalcroze studies, she searched for a vehicle to create community that involved music and children. Ms. Chapin discovered Music Together, the well-known early childhood music and movement program, and founded Heartsong Kids.

A friend said that Ms. Chapin had many widespread talents and interests. “She was a wonderful astrologer, was knowledgeable about energy healing, had studied Focusing, and was a fanatical puzzle enthusiast and lover of early BBC and American television, enjoying acquiring and viewing entire collections of TV series. She had a vast library of books and was extremely well-read.”

Ms. Chapin loved animals as well, and often rescued cats and dogs in the neighborhood. She was an advocate and benefactor for animal causes throughout the world.

Ms. Chapin had long ties to Carroll Gardens, and found community among many neighbors and friends she had made at the health food store, vegetable store, library and local shops. Her friend said she was “deeply grateful for the friendships and for the service of those who assisted her and her pets when she was challenged with health crises.”