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Learning More About Healing Music

A harmonious mix of rock, jazz, and classical musicians came together to share their skills and knowledge as well as learn from patients and caregivers for a unique workshop at The Lacks Cancer Center at Saint Mary’s. Directed at health care professionals and musicians, the workshop focused on how to enhance a healing environment in health care facilities with music therapy. Unique features of the workshop were the dialogue among participants and the study of the effects of music on patients in a hospital setting.

Jimmy Dillon, Founder and Director of Blue Star Music Camps, has played on stage with Carlos Santana, Jr., Bruce Springsteen, and Steven Stills. He participated in the workshop along with Ozzie Ahlers, who has played with Jerry Garcia (yes, that Jerry Garcia) in the Jerry Garcia Band as well as producing his own recordings and achieving additional musical notoriety by winning a Cannes Film Festival Award with his film score for the movie Northern Lights.

The small group of participants — including medical staff, a patient, and other musicians who volunteer their talents at The Lacks Cancer Center — met in an informal setting. They discussed topics including: the difference between performing and creating an environment; how changing musical styles affect patients; whether recognizable melodies are better for patients than non-recognizable ones; and how musicians in a health care setting can appeal to varied tastes with tempo, volume, and key. “We know that music therapy has a beneficial effect on patients,” reports Micki Benz, Vice President of Community Development, “and this gave musicians, patients, and medical staff a chance to talk about why and how to make it even more effective.”