Harmony Hospital: Integrating music in medical settings

Live music in healthcare is becoming a more commonly offered service. Research has surged forward, showing the benefits to patients, families and staff. More hospitals have invested in music and arts programmes, from lobby musicians to music therapists. The value added outweighs the costs as research shows patient satisfaction, staff stress levels and an effective application for pain and anxiety are just some of the many benefits of live therapeutic music. As more hospitals implement live music programmes, trained musicians specializing in healthcare will inevitably need to work together, creating opportunities to enhance the hospital environment and understand each other’s scope of practice. This article provides an overview of current musical disciplines working in health care with suggestions for tailoring a customizable music programme. Tapping available personnel within communities, this proposed illustrative template will be known as Harmony Hospital.