Music in Healthcare

The comprehensive healthcare industry and healthcare leadership are creating more noise than music today with a variety of serious issues including quality standards, insensitive service, diagnosis & treatment plans, expense management and the training and education of healthcare administrators and professionals.

The progressive individuals and organizations within healthcare are reaching outside the healthcare profession for creative and innovative solutions to their serious issues. According to professional musician and leadership & performance consultant, Kevin Asbjornson, MIM, “healthcare and musicianship are both performing arts based upon a foundation and practice of science.  Musicians, like healthcare professionals and administrators, must develop the ability to work on a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary stage of performance.”  Clinical accurateness is definitely an expected deliverable of healthcare; however, the patient experience with healthcare administrators & healthcare professionals continues to increase in importance.   

The cornerstone of highly effective performance in healthcare and musicianship is emotional engagement or emotionally-intelligent leadership.  “Music is probably the most effective medium for developing emotional engagement or emotionally-intelligent leadership because music is the international language of emotion and the emotional or affective domain is where meaningful connections with others are created,” according to Kevin Asbjornson, MIM who is also a composer, contemporary pianist and recording artist. To preview a short film on how music is used in the development of emotional engagement and emotionally-intelligent leadership, please click here. 

Music in healthcare environments
The ambiance and acoustics of all healthcare facilities is the first point of experience for most patients of healthcare.  Music and music therapy can be used constructively and proactively to welcome the patient and begin the process of calming anxiety, stress and concern on behalf of the patient, prior to the actual
patient-healthcare professional encounter.

The composers, musicians and performing artists of Acousitherapy produce a specific line of healing music and relaxation music, in a variety of delivery formats, for integration into healthcare facilities and music therapy programs.  To preview and listen to the music of Acoustitherapy, please click here.  Acoustitherapy music is also suitable for integration into music therapy programs, pre and post-treatment plans of physicians, nurses, music therapists, dentists, dental hygienists, psychologists, counselors, psychiatrists, chiropractors and massage therapists.

Kevin Asbjornson, MIM is a professional member of the Society for Arts in Healthcare which is a professional association dedicated to promoting the incorporation of the arts as an integral component of healthcare. Kevin is also a honorary member of the American Music Therapy Association.

Kevin serves a number of clients in healthcare with his music and professional development training including American Academy of Family Physicians, American Heart Association, Calgary Health Region, Colorado Trust, Kansas Health Foundation, NISH Institute, Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education, Policy Studies, Inc., Scripps Health, Society for Arts in Healthcare and St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center. 

To preview articles, research and websites on the impact of music in healthcare, medicine and neuroscience, please click here.

 

Kevin has proven music's unique ability to enhance the learning capacity of children of abuse and children with disabilities, to engender self-esteem and respect for self and others and to evoke the ability to express emotional conflict in constructive and meaningful ways. As Performing Artist in Residence, Kevin helps physically and emotionally traumatized youth by providing customized Music Therapy Programs for the organizations that serve them. Kevin currently serves as Performing Artist in Residence at Boys & Girls Town - Missouri and Colorado Boys Ranch.