About Backbeat Bruins
Backbeat Bruins is a UCLA student-led organization bringing the gift of live music to hospitals, senior centers, and healthcare facilities in California — and, in time, to communities beyond.
Our mission is simple: bring joy through music to those who need it most. Through thoughtfully organized performances, we create meaningful connections between UCLA students and the broader community.
While many of our members are musicians, others contribute through event coordination, outreach, and performer recruitment. Whether on stage or behind the scenes, every member plays a vital role in making our mission possible.
🎵 We believe music is more than art — it’s connection, healing, and joy.
Founder’s Spotlight
Michael is a UCLA sociology / pre-med student and cellist who founded Backbeat Bruins to merge his passion for music and community service. Beginning cello at age 8, he has performed in recitals, school events, and retirement homes—appearing as a soloist, with chamber groups, and as a member of the Sacramento Youth Symphony.
Beyond his studies and music, Michael works as a behavioral technician supporting children on the autism spectrum, and volunteers at the UCLA Medical Center. He has shadowed physicians at UC Davis Medical Center and the Metropolitan General Hospital in Athens, Greece, and has volunteered to work with neurodivergent children in Jakarta, Indonesia. These experiences, along with his interest in research opportunities in Taiwan, have broadened his perspective on how cultural context shapes mental health care and how creative therapies like music can adapt to diverse settings.
Michael plans to pursue a career in psychiatry that blends music, cultural understanding, and global insights into mental health treatment—promoting healing, resilience, and connection across the lifespan.
Michael Cicelski — Founder & President
🎹 Aiden Jahangiri — Co-Founder & Vice President
Aiden is a UCLA graduate in psychology / pre-med who co-founded Backbeat Bruins to expand its reach in healthcare and senior living communities. He helps organize performances, recruit musicians, and build partnerships with hospitals and care facilities.
Aiden shares a passion for psychiatry and the healing power of music, with particular interest in how community-based arts programs can enhance mental health and well-being. He is currently applying to medical school and hopes to combine his clinical training with service initiatives that use music as a tool for connection and care.
Nupur is a UCLA psychology / pre-med student and dancer who co-founded Backbeat Bruins to spread joy through art at healthcare facilities and nursing homes. She has performed, choreographed, and taught a wide range of dance styles for numerous events.
Passionate about mental health, she acts as a leader for multiple national organizations such as Mann Mukti, advocating for South Asian mental health, as well as the Body Empowerment Project, spreading awareness about eating disorders and body image. She also volunteers at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, providing companionship to geriatric patients. These experiences and more have led her to explore new ways of improving mental health (like engaging in art!) among vulnerable populations.
Nupur is excited to pursue a career in medicine and bring her creativity and compassion to the world around her.
