A hospital room is usually the last place you’d expect to hear live music. In Nashville, it’s happening thousands of times a year. Volunteers with the organization Musicians on Call visit patients at TriStar Centennial, guitar in hand, and perform right at the bedside for patients, families, and staff.
One volunteer, Alex King, first played for a patient named Penn Pennington during his leukemia battle, and the moment went viral. Another volunteer, Allie Lamb, brings her guitar on rounds a couple of days each month and encourages patients to sing along. Patient Mayra Martinez said the performances help her stay positive. All told, the group performs more than 3,000 times a year in Nashville.
For those of us on the Suncoast, the story raises a good question. We have a deep pool of musicians here, from retirees who’ve played their whole lives to young players gigging around Sarasota and Bradenton. Volunteering that talent in a local hospital or care facility could mean just as much here as it does in Tennessee. Do you play an instrument? Where would you want to share it?
