Songsfor
stressfultimes

NJPAC expands Music in the Lobby program to Clara Maass Medical Center

By Johnny Knollwood

Hospitals and hospital lobbies are special places; many of the people walking in and out the doors of a medical center are coping with life-changing illness or grief. Others may be facing complex medical procedures, or even bringing home a new baby — a joyful occasion, but also a stressful one.

Arts in healthcare research has shown that live music in hospital lobbies and waiting rooms can play a significant role in reducing stress and anxiety, and  promote a more welcoming healthcare environment. 

NJPAC’s Arts & Well Being department launched its Music in the Lobby series at RWJBarnabas Health’s Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in the summer of 2023, to offer the balm of live music to patients and healthcare workers alike. 

Through this initiative, NJPAC has presented performances by dozens of professional musical artists in the lobby of Newark Beth. These concerts are presented bi-weekly, offering hundreds of healthcare workers, patients and their families a soothing musical interlude during visits. 

During concerts, people often pass by with a smile, but some pause for a quick video. Hospital staff often take their lunch break in the lobby during the performances, to take in the music offered by artists like myself and NJPAC Teaching Artist, pianist and Lullaby Project facilitator Leah Hinton. 

NJPAC staff and volunteers attend these events to meet community members, answer questions and provide information about NJPAC resources including Arts Education programming and performances. 

The program expanded over the past season to include monthly performances at sister RWJBarnabas Health Hospitals in Essex County – Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston and at Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville. 

“This program creates a healing environment by bringing moments of peace and calm to our patients, staff and visitors,” says Kim Cook, Program Partner at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

NJPAC kicked off the inaugural performance of the Music in the Lobby series at Clara Maass on May 14, with a performance by harpist Merynda Adams and violinist Rebecca Harris-Lee. 

The duo, who have performed together for more than two decades with organizations including the Orchestra at William Paterson, perform string arrangements of songs ranging from classical standards to pop hits. At that first performance, the duo performed renditions of tunes like “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and “Here, There and Everywhere.” 

Doctors and nurses paused in the halls to snap photos and videos of the duo as patients seated in the lobby and in balconies overlooking the space took in the sounds. One exclaimed “That’s my favorite!” as the duo launched into “All I Ask of You,” from the Broadway musical, The Phantom of the Opera. 

NJPAC not only books talented musicians for these performances, but also provides  specific instructions and support so the artists can tailor the best possible experience for visitors in an often-complex emotional environment. 

“You kind of have to read the room sometimes,” says Harris-Lee. “If I see little kids, I want to play stuff they might know – like from Disney movies. When I see older people, I think they might like something from the Great American Songbook.”

“We definitely mix it up,” adds Adams. “In one of the hospitals where we play, there are often mothers coming out with new babies, so we’ll throw in something like ‘Brahms Lullaby.’” 

The pair highlighted the unique dynamics of facilitating music in a healthcare setting. 

”We try to do our best [to create] an atmosphere of peace, or just something that’s beautiful in a time where things are difficult,” says Adams.

You can learn more about Music in the Lobby and all of NJPAC’s Arts & Well-Being programs at https://www.njpac.org/arts-well-being/

Johnny Knollwood is a guitarist and singer-songwriter. He serves as an NJPAC Arts & Well-Being artist-in-residence at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center; you can find him singing and playing at patients’ bedsides in the pediatric unit.