Sending Patients and Families Home With Sweet Notes
Stanford Hospital Musicians Produce First-Ever CD; Release Party and Concert on Jan. 28
For Release: January 23, 2009
Media Contact: Liat Kobza
lkobza@stanfordmed.org
(650) 723-1462
STANFORD, Calif. —The comfort and cheer of music heard seven days a week at Stanford Hospital & Clinics, played by its music program’s pianist, harpists, and guitarists, has long charmed patients and staff alike. Now, those lyrical sounds of comfort and cheer won’t be restricted to just the corridors and patient units.
Music program director Greg Kaufman and the musicians have produced “Healing Notes,” a CD of nearly 40 minutes of music. Some of the music is original compositions by the musicians, some of it traditional. All the program’s musicians perform on the CD, which includes 12 tracks, instrumental only and instrumental with vocals.
A CD release party and special concert, featuring all of the musicians and the music on the CD, will take place at the Hospital’s atrium on Wednesday, January 28, at 12:30 pm. The concert is free and open to the public.
The CD is the climax of a year-long project inspired by patients and their families, said Kaufman, who have asked many times if there might be a way for them to continue their positive experience with the music after their discharge from the Hospital. The music on the CD was recorded without special effects, Kaufman said, so it would sound ”exactly as patients hear it being played in the hospital.”
Research evidence is mounting to support the positive physical and emotional effects of music.
The Hospital’s music program is one of the most robust in the country, according to Kaufman, supported by the Hospital and private donors. It features live music available seven days a week: at a patient’s bedside, on the nursing units, recorded music on request, the Ambient Piano Series at Stanford Cancer Center, the weekly Bing Concert Series, and the Reller Summer Concert Series.
The Stanford Hospital musicians include Pamela Bowen, Jeff Buenz, Barbary Grant, Jim Nichols, Barbra Telynor, and Verlene Schermer.
About Stanford Hospital & Clinics
Stanford Hospital & Clinics is known worldwide for advanced treatment of complex disorders in areas such as cardiac care, cancer treatment, neurosciences, surgery, and organ transplants. Ranked #16 on the U.S. News and World Report annual list of “America’s Best Hospitals,” Stanford Hospital & Clinics is internationally recognized for translating medical breakthroughs into the care of patients. The Hospital is part of the Stanford University Medical Center, along with the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. For more information, visit www.stanfordhospital.org.