Music can be a powerful form of medicine and rehabilitation. It soothes the body and mind, easing the pain and stress in our lives. This healing quality music possesses extends to patients recovering during their stay at healthcare facilities. In particular, Musicians On Call has made it their mission to bring live and recorded music to patients.
As part of “Make a Difference Week,” Steve Adubato, PhD., sat down with Michael Solomon and Pete Griffin. Solomon is the co-founder and Griffin is the president of Musicians On Call. During this episode of One-on-One with Steve Adubato, they spoke about their nonprofit’s mission; specifically, to bring live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities.
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Musicians On Call is based out of New York City and got its start nearly two decades ago. Since 1999, the nonprofit has built 14 locations nationwide. Through their efforts, the organization now reaches many patients in need of relief, which they can uniquely provide.
“I lost my girlfriend, Kristen Ann Carr, to a rare cancer called sarcoma, about 24 years ago,” said Solomon; “and we set up a foundation in her name to do research for a cure and treatment for that disease. And as an offshoot of that, her mother, who’s Bruce Springsteen’s co-manager, brought in some musicians to a healthcare facility, and they played in a big recreation room. I was there for that, and thought, ‘Oh, I can do this.’”
Musicians on Call Brings Live Music to Patients’ Bedsides
Solomon, an aspiring music manager at the time, brought his clients into facilities, where they would play for patients.
But the story didn’t end there. “One night, a nurse came and said that there’s a couple people who are too sick to come down the hall, and, ‘Will you go to their rooms?” Solomon explained. “That was the night where the magic began, because what we saw at the bedside of a patient and their family was really magical and palpable and like nothing I had ever seen or experienced before.”
Griffin spent much of his career with MTV, where he learned about Musicians On Call. In fact, many of the artists he was working with on the network were already part of the organization. They would share stories about the impact Musicians On Call was making on the lives of patients and musicians alike.
Griffin stated: “One of the stories that they would often share, and I’ve heard this from all different types of artists, is that no matter where the artist was in their career, it was a great way to kind of reset and remember why you got involved with music in the first place.”
Want to learn more about Musicians On Call and how the nonprofit helps those who are suffering? You can watch the full segment from One-on-One with Steve Adubato below.
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