Why Music? It’s tough to be a kid in the hospital. Kids are often scared of both medical procedures and dealing with their illness; lonely being separated from family and friends; and bored with all the waiting time. It’s also a stressful time for caregivers and family members. Over the last several decades, numerous studies have shown that music has many health benefits (1). 
Music has been shown to:
- Lower blood pressure
- Alleviate & improve pain tolerance
- Improve mood
- Reduce stress
- Access & express feelings
Pickleberry Pie programs do not replace music therapy programs, rather they enhance them. “Music can be used to validate the whole person within healthcare systems.” (2) A recent study on the impact of live music for pediatric patients and their caregivers (3) show that musical intervention helped children and their caregivers focus on something beside the illness. It created a space where families could interact without the anxiety and stress normally elicited by a hospital stay. In other words, kids can be kids instead of patients, and families can playfully interact. In fact, music has been shown to benefit the whole hospital environment including patients, family members and hospital staff (1).
- Iyendo, Timothy Onosabwo Jr., “Exploring the Effect of Sound and Music on Health in Hospital Settings.” August 2016 International Journal of Nursing Studies.
- Foster, Bev, “10 Domains of Music Care: A Framework for Delivering Music in Canadian Healthcare Settings.” October 2016 Music and Medicine, an Interdisciplinary Journal.
- Preti, Constanza & Graham F. Welch, “Music in a Hospital: The Impact of a Live Music Program on Pediatric Patients and their Caregivers.” 2011 Music and Medicine, an Interdisciplinary Journal.
