The Music Therapy Program uses music and music activities to promote healing and help our patients adjust to being in the hospital.
What is music therapy?
Music therapy addresses physical and emotional needs of patients and their families. During music therapy sessions, patients can participate in music-based activities that have been carefully selected and presented by a board-certified music therapist. Sessions may be provided in a group or individual setting. Patients may sing, play, move, listen, or create. The goal is to help make them feel normal during their hospital experience, minimize any pain, and provide an outlet for self-expression.
Patients can choose from a variety of instruments to play (and in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors), including:
- Maracas
- Rhythm sticks
- Castanets
- Tambourines
- Drums
Music therapists are part of the medical team and work collaboratively with doctors and nurses to complement the care they provide. We assess patients each time we work with them so that we can tailor sessions to their needs. We address the following areas:
- Pain, anxiety, nausea, sleepless
- Emotional coping and adjustment
- Functional rehabilitation and developmental activities
- Limited meaningful leisure
- Family coping during end-of-life care
Our music therapists work with a variety of cultural and faith backgrounds, using music to help families stay connected to their heritage and traditions. We also have experience with non-English-speaking and non-verbal patients who enjoy using music as a common language of communication. If you’d like to participate in music therapy, please speak with your doctor or nurse.
Jan Stouffer, a music therapist, and Claire de Boer, director of the Medical Center’s Center Stage Arts in Health, provide information on the many ways in which music helps make people healthier.
Get Involved
Become an intern
If you’re enrolled in a music therapy program and are looking for an internship opportunity, please email Jan Stouffer for an application.
Become a volunteer
To get started, call Volunteer Services at 717-531-8278 and specify that you’d like to work with the Music Therapy Program. Learn more about volunteering.
