Health and Wellness – Improving Patient Outcomes in Healthcare Settings

Partnerships with healthcare facilities have enabled many orchestras to create meaningful musical experiences that enhance patient care and improve health outcomes. These initiatives include compassionate bedside solos tailored to individual medical needs, interactive chamber performances designed for specific wards or community institutions, and uplifting concerts in public spaces for patients, families, and caregivers. Across settings, healthcare professionals play a vital role in supporting musicians finding their way into this deeply impactful work.

Houston Symphony: Music & Wellness
Building Hospital Partnerships Step by Step

Some decades ago, the Houston Symphony (HS) partnered with the Center for Performing Arts Medicine at Houston Methodist—part of the Texas Medical Center—to receive specialist care for its musicians and visiting artists. The opportunity for the orchestra to reciprocate came with the 2015 creation of HS’s Community Embedded Musicians (CEMs), orchestral musicians primarily devoted to education and community engagement. CEMs began working within other Texas Medical Center institutions, initially making brief bedside visits at Texas Children’s. There they learned to pick up on cues from patients and their families that could guide them in sharing the most comforting sounds.

Five years ago, the collaboration expanded to MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital, with musicians working alongside music therapists to address clinical goals for pediatric oncology patients and their caregivers.

Most recently, CEMs and other HS musicians began playing monthly chamber concerts at two dementia day care centers. They perform music that stimulates memories, especially arrangements of old pop tunes. On top of all that, the full orchestra performs annually in the lobby of Houston Methodist, with music streamed to rooms of patients unable to join in person.

Allison Conlan, Senior Director of Education & Community Engagement, oversees Music & Wellness. She notes that this work is not for every musician, and that the right person for the job “may not yet know they are the right person.” Musicians interested in participating first sit in as a listener and, if they feel comfortable, go in paired with an experienced musician. Conlan adds that finding the right healthcare partners is key. They need to prepare musicians on what to expect and give guidance on what instruments and ranges of sounds and tempi might be most helpful in specific circumstances.

Zachary Gresham, Program Director of Arts in Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center, says that “proven benefits of Arts in Medicine programming—such as our partnership with Houston Symphony—include stress reduction, reduction in perceived pain levels, and improved moods. And the music can be used as a distraction tool for young patients and families that are in the hospital.”

More Examples of Initiatives to Improve Patient Outcomes in Healthcare Settings

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra: Healing Hands

For over 20 years, the Healing Hands program has sent musicians into area hospitals, libraries, senior care centers, and recreation centers to enrich the lives of patients, residents, and community members. The program includes partnerships with Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital and Carolinas Rehabilitation, developed through the CSO’s Innovation Hub—an open forum for innovative ideas from musicians and staff.

Knoxville Symphony: Music & Wellness

The Music & Wellness Program provides live musical performances that enhance the healing process and benefit patients, visitors, and staff in healthcare settings like waiting areas, rehabilitation facilities, senior care centers, and chemotherapy facilities. Musicians have trained to gain certification in music therapy. Covenant Health, Tennova Healthcare, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, and the Metro Drug Coalition provide funding as well as staff support for musicians.

Bozeman Symphony: Joy Program

The new Joy Program provides music once a month at the Bozeman Health Cancer Center to help reduce stress and anxiety, provide comfort, and, where possible, spread joy to cancer patients and their loved ones.

Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra: In Harmony

The In Harmony program brings a quartet and music therapist to sites serving students or adults with special needs, assisted living facilities, and memory care communities for Alzheimer’s and dementia residents.

New Jersey Symphony: Music and Wellness Program

The Music and Wellness Program helps promote healing through music for patients, team members, and caregivers through chamber ensemble performances and/or customized bedside visits by Symphony musicians in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and hospices.

Orchestra Lumos: Music and Wellness

Led by conductor and music therapist Barbara Yahr, in collaboration with Stamford Health hospital staff, Music and Wellness is designed to address patient needs by improving mood, pain tolerance, and mental outlook, and providing a personal human connection.

Oregon Symphony: musicNOW

“musicNOW” pairs music therapists with symphony musicians to provide engaging, participatory performances in memory care facilities or other centers serving adults with disabilities. Oregon Symphony also partners with JoyRX/Children’s Cancer Association every December to perform holiday music in a livestream that is broadcast to over 30 partner children’s hospitals.

South Carolina Philharmonic: Healing Harmonies

Healing Harmonies brings small ensembles of South Carolina Philharmonic musicians into homeless shelters, food banks, skilled care facilities, assisted living facilities, day care facilities for disabled adults, and local hospitals. SCP partners with the Veterans Administration and with Prisma Health.

The Jackson Symphony: Music and Healing

Twice weekly, Jackson Symphony musicians visit the Kirkland Cancer Center to play for patients receiving treatment, as well as once weekly at the West Tennessee Healthcare Hospital for patients and monthly in long-term, memory care, and veterans’ home facilities.

Detroit Symphony Orchestra: Health and Wellness

DSO partners with Corewell Health to bring music to patients and staff at all 16 of its hospitals. A partnership with Alzheimer’s Association Greater Michigan Chapter provides chamber performances and open rehearsal attendance. And at Gesher Human Services, adults with disabilities and chronic mental health challenges participate in a Creative Expressions Program in which clients explore their musical talents in a supportive group music setting, with support from two Board-Certified Music Therapists and DSO musicians.

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Photo: Houston Symphony orchestra musicians join Community-Embedded Musicians in performances at Amazing Place and CarePartners, where musicians have a regular monthly presence for interactive concerts as part of the Dementia Center Performance Series.
Photo by Melissa Taylor.