Melanie Ambler

Musical Rounds has a two-fold mission:

1. To bring live music to critically ill patients and their loved ones

2. To best prepare musicians on how to incorporate social impact in healthcare as a component of their careers. We hope to build a thriving community for those interested in music medicine.

  • The Live Sessions tab explains more about our in-person multi-site mixed methods study, which took place during 2024-25. We interviewed patients experiencing serious illness about something meaningful from their lives. Then, a musician improvised the musical soundtrack to the story that was just described. The entire session was recorded and given back to the patient and family as a way to build legacy and discuss what’s important in life. We found that these sessions improved patient-reported pain, stress, anxiety and comfort, and family-reported stress, anxiety and comfort.
  • The Training Program tab offers information for musicians that are interested in pursuing social impact work in healthcare. During this 2-hour zoom training, we use the medical education principles of didactic and experiential learning to understand how to best adapt performance from a large audience, to a one-on-one individualized concert.
    • Sign up for Musical Rounds Community Chats here! We hold monthly meetings aimed at connecting individuals interested in music medicine across institutions, disciplines, and generations.
Live Sessions
Training Program

*Musical Rounds is not music therapy. Board-certified music therapists have been involved and consulted in the development of the program. We hope to amplify and expand the accessibility of the full spectrum of music offerings in medical systems, while encouraging music therapy as a gold standard for specific therapeutic goals*

For specific questions about Musical Rounds, please contact us here.

Supported by: Stanford School of Medicine Medical Scholars Program, Stanford Community Public Health Equity grant, Stanford Medicine and the Muse, Honeywell Arts Fellowship, Arnold P Gold Foundation Student Summer Research Fellowship