Trey Keepin is a master musician and gifted teacher who has brightened the lives of so many people with his beautiful music and loving kindness. Trey has honed his craft over a lifetime, bringing joy to audiences across the country, and teaching many students young and old.

In 2017 Trey was diagnosed with three life-changing illnesses: prostate cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and severe hernia complications. These illnesses struck Trey down at the peak of his health and musical career. Trey has fought courageously for years to recover from this truly unfortunate combination of conditions. He has made amazing progress, identifying effective therapies and forming relationships with key care providers, and now he needs help continuing the fight.

Trey’s recovery involves many expenses not covered by insurance, and he needs help meeting these costs, now more than ever. It is truly inspiring to realize how Trey has managed to maintain his music teaching schedule thus far while battling multiple debilitating illnesses. He will run out of money soon without help. Not only are recovery therapies and home assistance expensive, and not covered by insurance, but the time required for therapy impacts his teaching schedule.


The rise of coronavirus only compounds these problems. It is now even more difficult for Trey to earn an income and get the help he needs to live.

Here are some of Trey’s needs that this fund will support.

- Support with activities of daily living such as cooking and cleaning ($1800 per month)

- Apitherapy treatments ($640 per month)

- Specialized TENS treatments ($600 per month)

- Support with management tasks such as paying bills and submitting applications for social service programs ($300 per month)

- Dietary supplements and medical supplies ($250 per month)

- Groceries and other basic living expenses ($1200 per month)


Trey does have some limited spots available for individual or group lessons via video chat. This is a great way to support Trey and get wonderful musical education in return. As he says, "I'm Trey, keepin' it fun." If you are interested in lessons but do not have Trey's contact information, please use the contact button at the bottom of this page.

Trey has spent a lifetime making music, starting by studying clarinet as a child in Los Alamos. Encouraged by his father Bob Keepin, a leading scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Trey began studying clarinet as a young child. He went on to pursue his musical calling across five decades of performance, including appearances with such names as Betty Carter, John Mayall, Buckwheat Zydeco, Chuck Berry, and more. In the 2000’s he toured widely with the blues group The Soul Deacons, and more recently he has pursued an innovative solo career, releasing an album in 2010. You can learn more about Trey’s music here . 

Trey is a dedicated music teacher, guiding the development of musicians of all ages. Students young and old have discovered that Trey has a way of using kindness and humor to inspire them to bring out their inner musical talent. Trey sees teaching music as a vehicle for being a mentor in his students’ lives. Many young people have studied with Trey year after year, forming a relationship that helps them grow as people and as musicians. When Trey is teaching, he truly gives deeply of himself, earning a special place in the hearts of many of his students.


Trey loves the outdoors, especially the mountains, and traveling to visit his seven grandchildren. Trey has been a skier in the mountains of New Mexico since the early days of the Los Alamos ski area (ask him for stories about that if you get the chance!) Until Parkinson’s began to affect his balance, you would be sure to find him on the ski trails or bike paths of northern New Mexico whenever the snow was good. The love of Trey’s life is his three children in Vermont and their crew of grandkids, who delight in his music and his spontaneous storytelling.

We face a challenging battle for Trey’s health because of his multiple illnesses. When Trey was diagnosed with prostate cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and hernia, he naturally expected the hernia to be the easier of the three. And yet, rare complications from hernia surgery have caused Trey severe pain for years and made managing Parkinson’s more difficult. Movement exercises are key to managing Parkinson’s, but the hernia complications have limited Trey’s ability to exercise. Also, his radiation and hormone therapy to treat cancer has exacerbated many of the Parkinson’s symptoms. It truly has been a baleful combination of conditions, but Trey has managed it with courage and grace.


There has been real progress recently in Trey’s recovery, and he needs to do all he can to pursue it. Parkinson’s is a progressive disease, but there is much that can be done to slow its progress. Also, Trey has achieved full remission of cancer, and he has built substantial recovery from the hernia symptoms as well. This is a critical time for him to focus on therapies that can help slow the progress of his Parkinson’s symptoms.

Trey needs help to fund therapeutic treatments, home support, and living expenses while he is unable to teach a full schedule. Parkinson’s is not a well-understood condition, and many of the treatments that have been effective for Trey are not covered by insurance. What’s more, his treatment regimen is time-consuming and does not leave room for a full teaching schedule. This has reduced Trey’s income right at the time when he needs it the most. Trey’s condition also makes many home activities difficult, like cooking and cleaning. Trey needs help to fund support for those things, as well as home modifications such as a reclining chair to facilitate treatments.

Let’s all come together to support Trey as he fights for his life! Any support you can give will be meaningful to Trey and all who love him. He faces a daunting battle, but we can give him hope and comfort with our help.