Blog - Surgical Serenity Solutions

Jul Jul 6, 2025

Dr. Veena Graff and Dr. Stephanie Cheng: Music and Surgery

By DrAlice|July 6, 2025|Anesthesiologists talk about Music with Surgery|0 Comments

Dr. Veena Graff is a highly respected anesthesiologist who believes in the many benefits of music during surgery. The majority of surgeons and anesthesiologist are aware of the benefits of patient-selected, rhythmic entrainment music during the perioperative period, but not everyone knows how to best provide this music for the patient.

Having brilliant young physicians, like these two women, is critically important to spreading this awareness to all surgeons and anesthesiologists. Today, there are so many wonderful podcasts on every topic imaginable. Here is a link to all of the podcasts I’ve been on recently to talk about the importance and benefits of music with surgery! http://www,surgicalserenitysolutions.com/podcasts

Dr. Veena Graff relates a story about a study she conducted. The doctors realized that music of the research suggests listening to music for 15-25 minutes prior to the surgery. She said that because that would be a luxury, expecially in a surgery center, they compared how fast the music lowered anxiety compared to how fast midazolam lowered anxiety. To their surprise, they found that it was actually about the same amount of time!! And many doctors and patients have found that music has the very same effect as a dose of Valium or Xanax, with none of the risks of addiction that benzodiazepines carry!

patient listens to soothing jazz while waiting for cataract surgery Our protocol involves giving the patient their preloaded headphones or MP3 player, in the genre of their choice, as soon as they enter the pre-op area. As they are getting their gown on and perhaps an IV, they are listening to our Surgical Serenity music and their vital signs are calming and moving toward homeostasis.

Many patients are in the pre-op area for more than 30 minutes because of unexpected snafus with doctors, other patients, or equipment. Rather than keeping the patient chemically comfortable, they lean back, close their eyes, and listen to our beautiful therapeutic music.

If your hospitals is ready to get on the cutting edge of medicine by adding Music Medicine to the precedure, just go to www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/MP3players to get started! We are always here to answer your questions and help you get the best items for your patients.

The MP3 players can be co-branded for your hospital and given to the patient after surgery for their continued recovery at home.

So many options!!

Jun Jun 10, 2025

My victorious return from the International Van Cliburn Competition

By DrAlice|June 10, 2025|Entrainment|0 Comments

I just returned last evening from the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and WOW, what an amazing experience of a lifetime that was!

Describing what I heard in words is difficult but I’ll do my best to share some of my impressions.

First of all, the competitors were all between 19-30 years old. Of course that has its pros and cons. This year, the six finalists were all male. That’s not usually the case, but that’s what happened this year. Originally there were 36 semi-finalists who had been chosen from over 90 pianists who had submitted videos of themselves for entry into the competition. The 36 semi-finlists came to Ft. Worth, Texas last December to play in person for the panel of 8 judges. There, they were reduced to 12 competitors.

Choosing the Six Finalists

On May 23rd, the 12 finalists arrived in Ft. Worth to play lengthy solo recitals, including a new piece that had been commissioned for The Cliburn (as it is known) and by June 1st, they had chosen the six finalists. I arrived on June 5 and on the evening of the 7th the winner was announced: Aristo Sham, age 29, from Hong Kong. His education for the past 10 years was in the United States and he studied at Harvard, New England Conservatory, and The Julliard School.

In the finals, each pianist played two concertos in contrasting styles, with the Ft. Worth Symphony under Marin Alsop. I heard Aristo Sham perform the Brahms 2nd piano concerto on Friday evening and it was gorgeous. This has been one of my favorite concertos since I was 15 years old and got a recording of Van Cliburn playing it with the Chicago Symphony under Fritz Reiner.

Entertainment vs. Entrainment

I was a piano performance major in college and received Bachelors and Masters degrees in performance under Lee Luvisi. I also studied in Italy with Mme. Ilonka Deckers. Going to an international piano competition like this is something I never though I’d be able to do. There was a time when I thought I wanted to be a contestant in this sort of competition but those days of opportunity flew by pretty quickly. But being in the audience was absolutely thrilling!

Music like this is totally engrossing and a joy to listen to.

As you know, I sell specially curated music to reduce anxiety and pain perception during surgical procedures and other anxiety-provoking medical/dental procedures. However, music of the type I heard at The Cliburn, while wonderful, would not have the desired effect. Instead, the appropriate music will stablize the vital signs and reduce anxiety.

Whether you’re a medical professional wanting to help your patients have a better experience or you’re undergoing surgery yourself, I think you should check out our …

May May 19, 2025

How to start a Surgery with Music program in your hospital

By DrAlice|May 19, 2025|How to start using patient-centered music in surgery|0 Comments

18089763 © Jhdt Stock Images Llc | Dreamstime.com

Two surgeons preparing for surgery

Everyday I hear from surgeons, anesthesiologists and other O.R. personnel who have read the latest research about the benefits of soothing, therapeutic music for surgical patients and others. It’s an ancient concept, delivered by 21st century technology.

Unfortunately, many O.R.s are taking the easy, un-scientific way out and just streaming Spotify or Apple Family Sharing to the room.

Why is this the wrong approach?

Spotify and Apple Family Sharing are not therapeutic music

Scientifically: One of the primary components of therapeutic music for surgery is that it must engage rhythmic entrainment to pair the patient’s vital signs with the music. We have a proprietary method for doing this. Choosing something just because patient or surgeon “likes” it is not likely to incorporate rhythmic entrainment.

Musically: My research has shown, and my research reflects, that music that does not engage the intellect or emotions is best. We don’t want the patient to being thinking and anlayzing and probably reminiscing. Instead, we want the patient to relax.

We’ve done it for you, after years of research

Good news! We’ve already created this music for you!

Surgical Serenity Solutions offers five, hour-long playlists in five different genres so that patients can easily find one that has the style of music they prefer.

TECHNOLOGY: As you see in the photo to the left, we have 3 distinct methods for delivering our music. The pre-loaded headphones were the original method and allowed lightweight, cordless headphones to deliver the music to the patient, starting in pre-op and continuing through recovery room.

The pre-loaded MP3 players were next because we found that hospitals had limited storage space and headphones took up more space. Also, the MP3 playlists could be co- branded with the hospitals and and given to the patient to take home when patient is discharged from hospital! This has been a big hit, as you can see if you zoom in on photograph of MP3 player.

And finally, our music is available in streaming format so that the hospital can license our music for multiple areas of the hospital, surgery, labor and delivery, chemo, pain management and more! OR patients can download from the App stores any one of the playlists for only $9.99 and take their phone into surgery (which 99.9% of surgeons allow) and then use their own earbuds or headphones.

If YOUR hospital or clinic is ready to step into the cutting-edge use of music with their surgical patients, the time is NOW!

May May 4, 2025

The Thrill of the Interview: MusicMedicine

By DrAlice|May 4, 2025|music medicine podcast|0 Comments

Using music during surgery

I’ve always loved to perform and honestly, I’m not sure why. I really believe that we are born with certain abilities and personality traits. They can all be developed or left alone. In my case, both of my parents chose to develop the performer ability and extrovert personality that they recognized.

According to my parents, I was very small as a child but had a big personality, a big smile, and lots of curls! I loved to sing for people and I loved sweets so they would literally stand me on the checkout counter at the grocery store and I would sing my heart out for candy, suckers, gum and probably a few pennies!

Jump to 50+ years later, and now I love to speak about the healing power of music and Surgical Serenity Solutions to audiences of all sizes. I love to demonstrate on the piano as I go along, if possible.

I was just interviewed recently for a podcast that focused on MusicMedicine and the creation of Surgical Serenity Solutions. Talking about this MusicMedicine innovation and how it can help so many people in surgery, especially, is such a huge thrill for me. For many years I was a college music professor and a private piano teacher. I performed in chamber music groups and did some solo work but I was not a speaker and never even thought about being a speaker.

However, my father was a United Methodist minister and I definitely heard him preach multiple times per week. I loved hearing his calm, confident, persuasive voice, but never dreamed that I might be able to do the same thing, delivering talks on Music Medicine and the healing power of music.

My entry into speaking about music healing

Dr. Cash delivering a lecture at International Music Medicine conference All of this changed when I was hired by the University of Louisville School of Medicine to do research into Music Medicine and the healing power of music. Within months I began getting invitations to speak to local medical and lay organizations and almost from the beginning, I LOVED it! (Yes, at first I was nervous because I thought I had to memorize a speech, but later I found out that I could speak from an outline and that literally changed everything!) I guess I’m a storyteller and when I think back to my earliest memories and experiences with music–from my father singing to me as a baby, being in the church nursery and singing songs, to hearing a piano for the first time and finally beginning lessons at age 8–the stories begin to flow!

Joining the National Speakers Association and learning to craft a key-note, organize and incorporate stories properly made a huge diffeerence. I highly recommend this organization if you have completed Toastmasters!

Speaking on Podcasts

NOW, in the era of podcasts I have been getting invitations from all kinds of interesting people to talk about how music helps in surgery and in other areas of the hospital. When I am interviewed by a podcaster I realize that I really don’t even need any notes because all of this information is stored in my brain. There is almost nothing I’d rather do than talk about the healing power of music and I’ve now done it around the world, including western Europe, South Korea, Hawaii, and Canada!

Everywhere I go people are eager to ask great questions and relate their own stories! I have heard fascinating audience stories from Maui, about how an elderly grandma with Alzheimers would only get up if her son would say “Mama, let’s do some Hula!” to people in Boston who could go to sleep when listening to specific Early American lullabies that they were sure they had listened to before they were born!

How it works

Most of the podcasters either send me a list of questions that they want me to answer or they ask me to send them a list of questions that I think would be interesting to their audience. I love their questions and eagerly answer them and then expand on them. All but one of these podcasts has been video and audio but one of them was audio only. I prefer having video too because I believe I get lots of information from people when I’m watching them talk, like body language and facial expressions. Maybe that’s because I am also now a psychotherapist and I do this every day.

How to book Dr. Alice for a podcast

Photo by Vladislav Anchuk on Unsplash

If you’re interested in hearing my next podcast interview, it will be at the end of August and should be VERY interesting and somewhat different from the others I’ve done so far. It will be with Julie Ryan who is a well-known holistic healer, intuitive physician and self-proclaimed smorgasboard psychic. She also holds couple of US patents on surgical devices like I do. I’m really looking forward to this one! To learn more about her visit her website at www.askjulieryan.com. I know you’ll enjoy it!

To view all of my recent podcasts, go to www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/podcasts

If you don’t already know about my preloaded headphones and preloaded MP3 for surgery, go to www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/headphones or www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/MP3players.

The music has been specially curated by a clinical musicologist to have the maximum beneficial effects on the patients vital signs (heart-rate and breathing rate.) When that happens, the patients anxiety level and perception of pain decrease. In other words patients awaken feeling calmer, and oriented to their surroundings and often require less medication.

We also have the same 5 playlists of music that you can stream from our app. To hear samples, go to www,surgicalserenitysolutions.com/calm

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and experiences! Leave a comment below or send me an email at DrAlice@SurgicalSerenitySolutions.com.

Mar Mar 31, 2025

Did you know there are Music Medicine apps?

By DrAlice|March 31, 2025|medical apps|0 Comments

waiting for colonoscopy while listening to jazz colonoscopy. No benzos needed! I’m not sure that the average person who is waiting for surgery knows that there are medical apps that can reduce anxiety and pain perception. My Surgical Serenity Solutions app has been in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for awhile now and it is free to download, listen to the samples, and then choose your preferred playlist for $9.99, a one-time payment.

But more people need to know about it and benefit from it.

Music Medicine Apps are available in App Store and Google Play Store

I would love to understand why more people don’t know about it, so that I can do something about it. With all of the computer viruses out there I can understand how some people might be afraid to click on a link they’re not sure of, to download an app that they haven’t heard of. Maybe that’s one reason it can only be downloaded to a phone or a tablet.

But in the long run, every new action must be decided by the pros and cons of the new action. Let’s take a look at the pros:

Pros and Cons of Music Medicine Apps (Hint: there are no cons!)

Soothing, calming music, through headphones or earbuds have been shown to reduce patient anxiety, cortisol levels, and pain perception
Patients who are listening to to our therapeutic playlists often get out of the recovery area sooner as well as the hospital sooner. (there is a $$$ meter running in the recovery area and patients are billed for every 15-minute segment they’re in there!)
When patients are stressed out and anxious, their bodies create a hormone called cortisol. This hormone is damaging to your organs and is intended for brief episodes of fight or flight. When it continuously circulates through your body, organs are damaged. Soothing, calming music can help!
Patients who have used our playlists tell us that they will never have surgery again without our music!
According to our recent study, patients who listened to our playlists through headphones or earbuds typically needed less anxiety and pain medication.

Are there really any CONS to using music in a medical setting through headphones streaming from an app?

There are some doctors who might object to bringing a smart phone into an operating room. But, most do allow it and sometimes they put it into a rubber glove.
Obviously if the surgery is around the head, having headphones or earbuds might not be possible.

Can you think of any other “cons” or reasons not to? If so, please leave a comment. Here’s the link: www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/calm

Mar Mar 22, 2025

Anesthesiologist adds SSS app while waiting to go into operating room!

By DrAlice|March 22, 2025|Our App is ready to go|0 Comments

Yesterday I was at a local outpatient hospital with a friend who was getting a colonoscopy. The anesthesiologist stopped by her cubicle for just a brief conversation about the procedure and what anesthesia they would use.

She had already told the surgeon that she wanted to listen to our special music through her phone app but was told that it would be up to the anesthesiologist.

When the anesthesiologist arrived he was very open to the idea and was aware that there is more and more research documenting the benefits of therapeutic music as an adjunct to anesthesia. I explained to him that Surgical Serenity Solutions has a free app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store that can be downloaded in minutes.

Once the app is downloaded the patient-or anesthesiologist in this case- can choose one of five playlists and purchase it for $9.99. The anesthesiologist did this on the spot and said that he though this would be so much better than just playing Spotify on speakers in the OR.

My friend had her colonoscopy and the earbuds were still in her ears and Jazz playlists playing when they brought her back to recovery after the procedure. She remained asleep for another 10 minutes or so but the music was still playing and she looked very peaceful.

Finally the nurse came in, called her name and she woke up with a smile on her face, asking if it’s over. Nobody really wants a colonoscopy but it’s a valuable procedure that can give you an early alert if you have colon cancer. Hopefully my friend is fine thought they did find a polyp that was removed during the procedure.

The anesthesiologist stopped by once more and said that he was so glad to know that this existed and that he planned to let all of his colleagues know about this and encourage them to get it.

The great thing is, hospitals can have this waiting for each patient in the OR by licensing all 5 playlists and giving the patients a choice when they arrive at the hospital that morning. Hospitals can provide high quality bluetooth headphones and use disposable earpiece covers.

OR, if hospital doesn’t want to offer this, they can tell patient about the playlists at their final pre-surgery visit and allow the patient to bring their own Iphone into surgery with the playlist already on the phone, ready to go!

To learn more, go to www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/calm.

Mar Mar 19, 2025

Why your hospital can’t just use Spotify or Apple Family Sharing with patients in hospital!

By DrAlice|March 19, 2025|Apple Family sharing, Healthcare License to play music|0 Comments

Are you a healthcare facility, or are you affiliated with a healthcare facility? Does your healthcare facility play music for its patients as part of surgery, MRI, or other procedures? Are you currently using a Pandora, Spotify, or Apple Family Sharing account? If so, STOP! You are subject to large fines, UNLESS you purchase a healthcare license from ASCAP or BMI.

https://www.ascap.com/~/media/files/pdf/licensing/classes/healthcare-license.pdf

Now that more and more hospitals are seeing the research studies documenting the power of soothing music through headphones for the patient, it’s really important to know that you’re getting music that is already licensed by the company who is selling the pre-loaded headphones.

Here are the BIG differences between Surgical Serenity Solutions playlists and Spotify, Pandora, or Apple Music:

Surgical Serenity Solutions music has been curated and sequenced specifically for purposes of engaging rhythmic entrainment for the anxious patient entering into surgery or another medical procedure.
Playlists and other music from Spotify, Pandora or Apple Music is intended for entertainment or perhaps relaxation but there is no way to know whether it will produce the desired effect or calming or engaging rhythmic entrainment.
Surgical Serenity Solutions music is already licensed by and to Surgical Serenity Solutions. It is owned by us and is either commissioned by us or performed by Dr. Alice H Cash, a clinical musicologist and concert pianist.
Playlists and other music from Spotify, Pandora, or Apple music requires a healthcare license from ASCAP or BMI. What you will pay for this license is just for that license and doesn’t include any type of player, headphones, earbuds or specific therapeutic playlists.

Waiting for a C-section.

For the patient of course you always have the option of creating your own personal playlist. But a physician of any kind cannot create a playlist and use it with his patients, without a license to play this music from ASCAP or BMI.

I have met with physicians recently who confirmed that they had no idea this law exists and of course want to use the licensed Surgical Serenity Solutions. To talk with us, please go to www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/contact-us.

When I had the idea to create pre-loaded headphones back in 2005, I learned about how medical facilities were mainly using music chosen by the surgeons for the surgeons. I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give the patient soothing music through headphones. Some surgeons knew intuitively that this was a good idea but most surgical staffs did not have the time or the know-how to create playlists that would be soothing and comforting for the patient and would take them through pre-op into surgery, through surgery, and then into recovery.

And then music became digitized and MP3 players or iPods were an option. And then Pandora and Spotify and Apple Family Sharing came along and some hospitals had music therapists or nurses or even surgeons who started making some playlists for surgeons. For a decade or more this was a growing phenomenon. During that time Surgical Serenity Solutions was marketing to patients and they were buying our pre-loaded headphones and taking them in to their surgeries.

Around 2018-19, just before Covid hit, Surgical Serenity Solutions started marketing primarily to hospitals and in the course of making that switch, I learned that ASCAP, the national organization that licenses all music, had decided to create a healthcare license that hospitals could purchase for a nominal fee in order to create their own playlists to offer patients. As of January 1, 2019 hospitals were required to purchase a healthcare license in order to use Pandora, Spotify or Apple Family Sharing.

The problem with this option is that music therapists usually don’t have the time and surgeons and nurses don’t have the know-how to choose music that will result in reduced anxiety and pain perception.

Elderly patient wearing headphones after surgery

Woman relaxed wearing headphones before surgery

So a great alternative is to purchase Surgical Serenity Solutions (SSS) pre-loaded headphones because:

the music is legal to use because it is commissioned and owned by SSS, in the public domain, performed by myself, a concert pianist, or already licensed by me for sale.
the music is scientifically chosen and shown to engage rhythmic entrainment, reduce anxiety and lower pain perception.

Of course if you want to buy a license for your hospital or Ambulatory Surgery Center, you can do that. But most busy surgeons simply don’t have the time to do that and music therapists typically don’t work with surgical patients by creating playlists for them to use in the perioperative period.

If YOUR hospital or center wants to learn more, you can go to https://www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/preloaded-headphones-for-hospitals/

For a white paper that I wrote for physicians about the benefits of music for patients, go to https://www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/4-reasons.

If you have any questions at all please contact me immediately by filling out the form at https://www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/contact-us/. We look forward to answering all of your questions and helping you and your patients to understand the benefits of music during surgery and provide you with ready-to-go pre-loaded headphones that have already been proven effective to hundreds and thousands of patients. Our music is also available to license for hospital so that patients could bring their own bluetooth headphones and stream our surgical playlists. You can go HERE to hear samples of this music.

Step into the future of music with surgery and hospitals providing the best in scientifically curated and sequenced music! Surgical Serenity Solutions is the future!

And NOW: SSS announces our Pre-loaded MP3 players for Hospitals

Our MP3 players are each pre-loaded with one of our proprietary, therapeutic playlists! Because they are more cost-effective when purchased in bulk and co-branded for each hospital, hospitals can afford to GIVE each patient their own MP3 player to take home for continued recovery in the comfort of their own home. Clear HERE to fill in your hospital’s information so that we can set up a call to provide you with the very best package for your hospitals!

Feb Feb 11, 2025

It’s not just for surgery anymore!

By DrAlice|February 11, 2025|Surgical Serenity Music Uses|0 Comments

Two surgeons preparing for surgery

When we first started creating preloaded headphones and curating our soothing, therapeutic playlists, our focus was exclusively on the perioperative period, pre-surgery, during surgery, and after surgery. We knew that it would probably also help with dental work, but the primary target was anxious surgery patients.

I remember vividly the first time I stood up at a business meeting to talk about my idea for about 2 minutes. As soon as I finished, the room started buzzing with people telling me all of the uses that immediately came to mind for them, including dentistry, detached retinas, and childbirth!

That was in 2009. Today, not only are we helping patients through chemotherapy, kidney dialysis, ketamine infusions and simple blood draws. Basically, anything that increases a patients anxiety before a procedure.

Why do you get so anxious before these procedures? Let me count the ways:

Fear of pain
Fear of medical mistakes
Fear that procedure won’t help
Fear of pain
Fear of making it worse
Fear of embarassing self
Fear of pain

So you see that anticipated pain is the biggest reason usually. In the case of surgery, people are afraid of going under general anesthesia for fear that they will never wake up!

Our therapeutic playlists work by using curated music that engages rhythmic entrainment. When the process of rhythmic entrainment kicks in, a person’s muscle begin to relax, the heart rate slows and stabilizes and the breathing slows and becomes deeper and more rhythmic.

The patient needs to have their own music, coming through preloaded headphones or earbuds and utilizing either the music already on their headphones or MP3 player or streaming with bluetooth from our app.

Interested in getting this system going in your hospital? Just go to this link and fill out the form and we’ll set up an appointment right away!

From a recent customer:

“Dr. Alice Cash has created a simple but effective device allowing anyone having surgery to have a better preoperative experience -typically experiencing less pre-operative anxiety, the need for less anesthesia, and subsequently less post-op pain and anxiety. Both individuals and medical facilities are now utilizing her unique surgical serenity pre-loaded mp3 headphones. As a surgery nurse, I can definitely recommend Dr. Cash and her products.”

Susi Roos,Evicting Cancer, Lake Villa, IL

Dec Dec 4, 2024

Why music during surgery is different from other uses of music

By DrAlice|December 4, 2024|Hearing vs Listening|0 Comments

Understanding why music for surgery is different from other uses

Music during surgery is different from other uses of music in the hospital. So much of the reason that patients use music in a hospital is for comfort, decreasing anxiety, and lowering pain perception. When patients are listening to music before surgery they experience comfort, lowered anxiety and pain perception, but DURING the actual surgery the patient is not listening to the music but they are hearing it and their body is responding to the tempo and rhythm of the music because it is coming directly into the brain through headphones.

During surgery, is the patient actually hearing the music?

When a patient is under general anesthesia, they aren’t really “listening” to the music, but they are definitely hearing it. Their body is responding to it through a process called rhythmic entrainment and rhythmic entrainment helps to keep the heartbeat and breathing stable and steady. When these body rhythms are stable and steady, the muscles are relaxed naturally and the body doesn’t require as much anesthesia or anxiety medication.

At what point does patient begin hearing the music again after surgery?

music through headphones during hip replacement surgery

Patient awakening from surgery using the surgical serenity headphones

When the patient is coming out of anesthesia they wake up hearing the same soft, soothing, and steady music that they went to sleep to and it orients them immediately. Many times patients wake up for surgery and are confused and sometimes combattive because they don’t know where they are and they feel unsafe. Especially if they should wake up prematurely, it can be frightening and terrifying. Hearing soothing music that is somewhat familiar (by then) can help patient either go back to sleep or wake up calming. This alone is a huge benefit.

Elsewhere in the hospital, music is being used to calm and comfort that patient. Most patients receiving actual music therapy and interacting with a music therapis are conscious and not in acute pain. Music therapists tend to use music that is familiar for each patient. Occasionally they use improvisational techniques with the patient.

Will an operating room actually allow a live musician to play during surgery?

Dr. Harvey plays piano during eye surgery for his friend. Surgery is a different process and requires a different approach. Very few operating rooms would allow a music therapist in the room while a patient is being put to sleep, operated on, or slowly brought back to consciousness. This is where Surgical Serenity Solutions comes in. Our music has been specifically curated and sequenced to go through the surgical process, the perioperative period, with the patient. Our music has been curated to engage rhythmic entrainment from the moment the patient begins listening through headphones or earbuds. If you are interested in know more about this or are ready to order for your hospital or clinic, just go to www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/contact-us.

Nov Nov 11, 2024

Veteran’s Day and the Importance of Music

By DrAlice|November 11, 2024|Veterans and Music Therapy|0 Comments

Veteran’s Day and the importance of music

Veteran’s Day is SUCH an important holiday and observance for the USA. The men and women who have fought and labored in many other way for the peace and prosperity that our country enjoys, deserve to be honored on this important day.

Music has always played an important roll in the military and every branch of the military to this day has their own band, orchestra, chorus and smaller specialty groups like jazz bands, Big Band style bands and even classical chamber music ensembles.

The Robley Rex V.A. hospital here in Louisville, KY has a brass band ensemble composed of various surgeons, and physicians at that hospital. They play at parties, graduations and other functions and call themselves Top Brass. I think this is so clever and they really enjoy getting out of their medical scrubs and entertaining both colleagues and patients.

The Birth of Music Therapy

The modern-day field of Music Therapy actually began in a Veteran’s hospital in Kansas. It was toward the end of WWII, late 40’s, and in this Veteran’s hospital were many men suffering from what was called “shell shock” or “battle fatigue.” Today, these same men might be diagnosed with major depression or PTSD.

Each week, volunteers of various kinds would come to visit the men and try to engage them in calming, social interaction. Apparently the only volunteers that were successful with the Veterans were the musicians who came with Big Band music ensembles and played the music that brought back very positive memories of a happier time.

This behavior did not go unnoticed. When the musicians would come, men who never raised their heads or their eyes, would raise their hands, looks toward the musicians, sometimes smile, and sometimes would even sing along, or sway to the music! The nurses and doctors were astounded by this phenomenon but it happened weekly and was a dependable moment of healing and progress for the veterans.

With a few years, there was a new rehabilitation specialy in medicine; it was called Music Therapy!

Veteran’s Hospitals and Surgical Serenity Solutions team up to help Veterans

In 2014 Veterans Hospitals began doing business with Surgical Serenity Solutions. Our first product purchased by the hospitals was our preloaded headphones for surgical patients. Our first hospital VA customer purchased 100 of these headphones, loaded with the Classical Playlist. The patients understood that this music engaged rhythmic entrainment better than other music they might have thought they preferred such as popular music or country music. We educated patients and staff about the fact that purely instrumental music with a slow, steady pulse works best to get the patient through surgery with the least anxiety and least amount of pain perception.

MP3 Player with Jazz Playlist and hospital branding Music for Memory Care Ten years later, in 2024, Surgical Serenity Solutions has gotten into Veterans Hospitals around the country. We now have 5 distinct playlists and 4 paths to provide our music to hospitals, surgery centers, birthing centers, chemotherapy, dialysis centers and pain clinics. Our playlists include Classical, Jazz, New Age, Lullabies, and Memory Care.

Patients can access our music with the original preloaded headphones, small MP3 players, downloadable apps, or each playlist can be licensed for a one-time annual fee.

A personal note

Every year when Veteran’s Day comes around I remember my dear father and how much our country meant to him. Although he survived WWII and the Battle of the Bulge, he was wounded and had a long and difficult recovery in the hospital in London.

Music was one the things that got him through, I think, and he loved teaching his children the songs that they sang while marching through Europe. We children loved hearing about his adventures and learning the songs they sang like “Do Your Ears Hang Low?” and “A Capital Ship.” I later learned that one of the reasons that soldiers sing while they march is because it keeps their energy level high and helps them to march in sync for very long distances.

My great-grandfather, James Grier White

Because my dear father, and my great-grandfather on his mother’s side were proud veterans and because of all the work we do with V.A. hospitals around the country, veterans will always have a special place in my heart.

How to get our Surgical Serenity Solutions music and products into YOUR hospital or clinic.

If you’re not sure which products might be best for your patient populations, please fill out this form

www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/contact-us

To see all of the hospital products go to

www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/hospitalheadphones

www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/mp3players

To download one or more of our playlists and hear samples of each, go to www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/calm

To all the living Veterans, thank you for your service!! To all the fallen warriors, thank you for paying the ultimate price for our freedom!!

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