VIDEO: When Exeter Firefighter/Paramedic Matt Greene took up the fiddle five years ago, his vow to practice every day meant he would need to play during downtime between emergency calls on his 24-hour shifts.
But what started as a passion for the violin quickly became a therapeutic experience on a challenging job that regularly involves witnessing trauma and responding to tragedy.
“For me, the ability to play the fiddle here, even if for a few minutes a day, is meditative,” Greene told Boston 25 News from the firehouse Friday. “It’s literally being present in the moment and connecting with the music and the instrument and just setting aside that time for myself.” With his stage the apparatus bay and his music stand the back of a fire engine, Greene sometimes captures an audience of fellow first responders as he plays traditional Celtic songs and folksy tunes.