2023 HarmonyTown Music Medics Summary
Our Wayne Chapter, and the men of HarmonyTown chorus had an up and down year
with our Music Medics activities. On the plus side, we sang for Beaumont (Corewell
Health) Nurses and patients on Jan. 8th, and Sept. 13th. We also sang at Beaumont
(Corewell) Tree lighting festivities in Wayne and Trenton Nov. 30th and Dec.
6th, respectively. Since our initial forays in 2021, over 2/3 of our members have
participated in singing at hospitals to spread our 4-part musical cheer.
On the down side, we had scheduled a sing at Mott's Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor
for the summer, that would have been outdoors, for both patients and staff, but the
director of that program came up sick, and their summer outdoor program was
canceled. That was a disappointment to us, as it would have been our first opportunity
to sing to children. To date, our chapter has only been able to sing to adult patients,
despite numerous attempts to set up a few event for younger patients. In 2023 alone, I
had 8 contacts with different children's hospitals, some more than once, and sadly, we
came up empty in those attempts.
Accordingly, at least at our chapter level, we have redefined our music medic program
to one that is for all patients of all ages. I am not suggesting that the society do the
same, but for us, it makes the most sense.
Recently, I’ve been in contact with Beaumont Royal Oak Children's hospital, in early
December. So far I have not heard back from them, but will attempt to do so again, now
that the holidays are behind us, and I am ever hopeful that I will be able to finally get us
into sing for children.
In the meantime, we'll continue our activities with which ever hospitals desire our
services, and look forward to the year ahead!
Our Wayne Chapter, and the men of HarmonyTown chorus had an up and down year
with our Music Medics activities. On the plus side, we sang for Beaumont (Corewell
Health) Nurses and patients on Jan. 8th, and Sept. 13th. We also sang at Beaumont
(Corewell) Tree lighting festivities in Wayne and Trenton Nov. 30th and Dec.
6th, respectively. Since our initial forays in 2021, over 2/3 of our members have
participated in singing at hospitals to spread our 4-part musical cheer.
On the down side, we had scheduled a sing at Mott's Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor
for the summer, that would have been outdoors, for both patients and staff, but the
director of that program came up sick, and their summer outdoor program was
canceled. That was a disappointment to us, as it would have been our first opportunity
to sing to children. To date, our chapter has only been able to sing to adult patients,
despite numerous attempts to set up a few event for younger patients. In 2023 alone, I
had 8 contacts with different children's hospitals, some more than once, and sadly, we
came up empty in those attempts.
Accordingly, at least at our chapter level, we have redefined our music medic program
to one that is for all patients of all ages. I am not suggesting that the society do the
same, but for us, it makes the most sense.
Recently, I’ve been in contact with Beaumont Royal Oak Children's hospital, in early
December. So far I have not heard back from them, but will attempt to do so again, now
that the holidays are behind us, and I am ever hopeful that I will be able to finally get us
into sing for children.
In the meantime, we'll continue our activities with which ever hospitals desire our
services, and look forward to the year ahead!
The HarmonyTown Chorus heard about this program via the Barbershop Harmony Society and immediately knew at the beginning of 2021 that this was something we needed to do. We have since prepared songs appropriate for children and simply sing to them to bring good cheer and a sense of friendship while in the hospital. We have found that this is something not just for children, but also the young at heart. We have expanded to singing for adults as well.
The HarmonyTown Music Medics is a community outreach program. Our goal is to bring joy through our music to the children as well as their parents who are staying in the children's hospitals in and around southeast Michigan. The Medics like to think our music is therapeutic, providing some much needed joy by delivering smiles and a song. The Music Medics go out to sing on a monthly basis, using a program that is designed to be an ongoing, permanent project.
Link to Barbershop Harmony Society's Music Medics Program
We are continuously preparing new songs for this program. If you'd like to bring this to your hospital, please reach out via contact information below:
To contact HarmonyTown Chorus to start this program in your children's hospital,
please contact:
Call | 734-743-1SNG (1764) and ask for Eddie
Texts | 248-792-1911
Email | marketing@wesingbarbershop.com
Nationwide, the Music Medics came together for a video to celebrate Music Medics in 2021. There are 10 different chapters represented in this video and 9 men from the HarmonyTown Chorus were included. Enjoy!
Watch a video of our friends down in Nashville, TN to see what the program is like.
Overview
This program is designed to be an ongoing, permanent project within our local community.
Not to mention it’s loads of fun and incredibly rewarding for many people on many levels.
First and foremost, it's great for the young patients and their parents. The last thing they expect
is for four people to walk into their hospital room and sing them a fun and
uplifting song when they are experiencing the drudgery of hospitalization.
Secondly, it can be very enjoyable for the staff at the nurse's stations when you occasionally reach
into your regular chorus repertoire to sing them a song. Finally, nothing builds camaraderie and
encourages quartet singing among your community of artists better than sharing this incredibly
fulfilling experience with other Music Medics participants.
Background
When the Miami, Florida chapter first approached two hospitals in June 2013 with an idea that
became known as "The Miamians Music Medics," they honestly had no clue as to how to go about
it. They simply made their way to the Volunteer Office at Miami Children's Hospital. The
Volunteer Office gave them some paperwork to fill out and arranged a meeting with their Child
Life Department. The whole idea had been floating around for a while, ever since their former
Director, Gene Cokeroft, took the entire Miamians Chorus to sing at that same hospital some
years before. That concert had taken place right there in the Child Life Department's playroom.
Although there was a fair number of kids there, the general feeling was that there were many more
who could not attend because they were bedridden, and those were the kids who needed it
the most.
When it came time to go to the Child Life Department, the meeting turned out to be both very
positive and productive. Hospital staff were very helpful and excited about the idea. The
Miamians asked for about 3 months to learn a completely new children's repertoire and set their
sights on September of that year for the first performance. When the Miamians told hospital staff
they wanted to dress in medical scrubs, one of the staff members said, "Oh good, maybe we can
call you guys 'music doctors' or something like that!" The rest is Music Medics history. Since that
time, the Miamians have had Music Medics sing to nearly 2,700 children in 6 different hospitals
throughout South Florida, from Miami to West Palm Beach.
What To Expect
The vast majority of times that you walk into a child's hospital room it will be a very happy
occasion. Sometimes, there may be a skeptical look on the child's face as you blow that pitch pipe.
But as soon as they hear the harmonies, you’ll see an almost magical transformation on their
faces, as that look turns into a big smile, then applause and appreciation. Instant friendship.
You'll even bump into the occasional budding child musician or singer at the hospitals, who will
end up singing along with you.
Those are all fun visits. Nevertheless, you should be aware that there will be times when the
occasion will not be so joyous, when the music you share will serve to bring a sense of calm and
hope to the parents of a very ill child. The experience of simply walking into a Pediatric Intensive
Care Unit or an Oncology Ward can have a powerful effect. As a Music Medic, you’ll sing as
sweetly and quietly as you possibly can, looking through and beyond the situation, doing all you
can to keep yourself together through to the end of the song. There will be tears, and yes, sadly,
sometimes you will feel like you may have just sung the last song that that child may ever hear.
Luckily, those experiences are few and far between, but helpful to the parents and uplifting and
validating for you, nonetheless. Those are the visits you will carry with you forever.
