This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than No Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the underexplored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid, the story of the sport's most consequential driver's strike, and plenty of other mishaps, scandals, and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to No Grip on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Amanda Knox, and in the new podcast, Doubt, the case of Lucy Letby, we unpack the story of an unimaginable tragedy that gripped the UK in 2023. But what if we didn't get the whole story? I've just been made to fit. The moment you look at the whole picture, the case collapsed. What if the truth was disguised by a story we chose to believe? Oh my God, I think she might be innocent. Listen to Doubt, The Case of Lucy Letby on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Special Agent Regal, Special Agent Bradley Hall. In 2018, the FBI took down a ring of spies working for China's Ministry of State Security, one of the most mysterious intelligence agencies in the world. The Sixth Bureau podcast is a story of the inner workings of the MSS and how one man's ambition and mistakes opened its vault of secrets. Listen to The Sixth Bureau on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton Eckerd. In 2022, I was the lead of ABC's The Bachelor. But here's the thing. Bachelor fans hated him. If I could press a button and rewind it, all I would. That's when his life took a disturbing turn. A one-night stand would end in a courtroom. The media is here. This case has gone viral. The dating contract. Agree to date me, but I'm also suing you. This is unlike anything I've ever seen before. I'm Stephanie Young. Listen to Love Trapped on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Taking a walk Nashville. Hi, I'm Sarah Harrelson, your host of Taking a Walk Nashville. And today I'm here at the Musicians on Call office with Melinda LaFollette. Melinda is the director of PR and events at Musicians on Call, a nonprofit organization that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients, families, and caregivers in healthcare environments since 1999. I'm grateful to be a volunteer musician with this organization since 2015, performing for over 19,000 hospital patients, and I have truly seen the healing power of music, volunteering with MOC. And I'm excited to talk about all things Musicians on Call today. So Melinda, thank you for being here on Taking a Walk Nashville. Absolutely. Thanks for having me. Of course. So how did you get involved with this organization yourself? Well, I learned about Musicians on Call before I moved to Nashville in 2011, and I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. just loved the idea of bringing music, which I love so much, in the hospitals and being able to help people in their times of need in those areas. And the beauty of Musicians on Call is you don't have to be a musician, which I am not. There is a role for people who are not musically inclined. And so I knew that I really wanted to sign up for it. So as soon as I moved to Nashville, I filled out an application and started volunteering as volunteer guide and then got involved in our Young Professionals Committee and was just very passionate about everything that we do in our mission. And so then when an opportunity came up to join the staff and lead our PR efforts and our live events, I was like, please sign me up and have been on the staff now for almost eight years. So it's been really, really wonderful to just be a part of all aspects of the organization. Yeah, that's great. And a great point that you bring up, you don't have to be a musician to be involved. If you love music, you can be a guide and guide musicians around to different rooms in the hospital. I actually started off as a guide because there is a wait list to be a musician. So I guided for a year before I transitioned to a volunteer musician. So if maybe musicians are listening in, they want to get involved in whatever city they are located in. Is there usually a wait list to be a volunteer musician? It really depends. It depends on how many different programs we have going in that particular city and how many hospital partners we have. Obviously, the more hospital partners we're able to bring in and the more frequently we're able to go into the hospitals, then we can bring more musicians and more guides on board to make sure that those spots are filled. But so for the cities that might have multiple programs, there could be more opportunities. And for those who might have a more limited opportunity, then yeah, the list does kind of get long because once people get involved in it and they know how much they love it and they see the impact that the music is having in the hospitals, they don't want to stop. So we really don't lose volunteers. You know, once somebody signs on, they're on for a good long time. So we are always actively working to really expand our programs to make sure that the more people that want to be involved can be. Yeah. And Musicians on Call has expanded tremendously over the years You not just in Nashville You partner with hospitals in major cities like Boston New York Los Angeles Miami pretty much all the major cities How many states and hospitals are you affiliated with now? Well, we're in about 21 different markets. So that's different cities, like you said, coast to coast. And then we have about 60, a little more than 60 hospital partners. So within all those markets, we might have one to three different hospitals that we go in visiting a lot of different demographics. of patients. We'll play for adults and children. We visit oncology units. We go to veterans facilities to perform for hospitalized veterans. We might be at a hospice center, a behavioral health center. So there's a lot of different types of people that we can perform for. And not just in person, but you have a virtual program as well. So if someone's not located near one of these cities, they can volunteer virtually, correct? Absolutely. Yeah, that just requires a camera to be able to log into Zoom and it all goes from there. And so the guide and the musician also don't have to be in the same city to be on the same shift so they can log in from where they are. And then the hospitals will tune in directly to those Zoom links as well. And so then they'll be performing for patients all over the country, too. And it's just a really great way to bring a lot of people together at one time who can't physically be together. Yeah, especially during the pandemic, it was a great way for us to still reach patients. And we can't see the patients on Zoom, but we know they're tuning in through their iPads or even on their TVs through Seacrest Studios because they'll type in their song request. Yeah, song request questions. I love to get to know the musicians and, you know, the music they like and things they like to play. So it's really a fun way to engage with folks. It is. So what are some moments you have had with musicians on call where you have experienced the healing power of music? Oh, so many. getting to go into the hospital for so long. You know, even just small things from seeing patients who had kind of a shiver going on just as a reaction to medication. Then when we come in and playing music for them, like halfway through the song, it just stops and their body physically responds to the music and calms down. And the one time that I remember that happening, the person said that that was the first time that day that they had stopped having that kind of shiver. from what they were experiencing. So the music did that for them. And I've also seen, you know, I remember being in a room with a mom and her daughter. And the daughter was the patient. She was laying in bed and she was very open to hearing the music, but you could tell she was just tired and not feeling great. And throughout the song, the musician started to play a song that she knew really well. And she just kind of sat up in her bed and actually started singing along with the musician. and that just brought the mom to tears because you could tell that that was something that the daughter really needed and then the mom really needed to see her daughter just feeling better in that moment so you know it's it's really miraculous the things that music will do and how it brings people together um and how like a musician might end up playing a song that means something to the couple that's in the room it could have been their wedding song or a song they first heard when they first started dating and it just brings back those memories and they're able to share that happy time together, even in the hospital environment. So it's really magical what might come out of the song choices that the musicians can make, whether it's based on a request or just completely out of the blue, they picked in their mind the right song. And all the songs that take people back to those moments of where they heard those songs or reminds them of why they love those songs. And that just changes the mood for them. And music, you know, there are studies that show music has these physical and emotional and mental benefits for patients and their caregivers and their family members who are in the hospital. It can do things like improve blood pressure and just their overall outlook, and it helps them manage their stress. And so it's really important that all of those folks, the patients, their families, and the caregivers really get to experience the music, which is why I like to bring it to all of them. Yeah, and I do love when it happens out of the blue. You know, you have some patients or family members that will give you song requests, but it's always so special when, you know, the patient tells you, play anything you like, and you play them a song that is really meaningful for them. That's always a special moment. Yeah, absolutely. And like you said, it's so great for not only the patients, but it's meaningful for the family that's in the room, the caregivers, The nurses who are in the hospital working long shifts. Music is definitely something special for them. And I've witnessed myself people, you know, in a coma-like state who have, you know, slightly moved their hands when the music starts playing. So you never know how it's going to affect someone. And this isn't, you know, music therapy where a music therapist comes in, but it still brings so much joy and healing just by performing a song for a patient. Yeah. And it's very brief, too. You know, it's just one song, so it's just a few minutes. But in that very short amount of time it can just completely change somebody experience completely just change their day and really help put them on a better path in their healing And like you said with the caregivers it can help them just kind of reset their long long shifts and long hours they putting on their feet taking care of other people and just being able to take a moment to think about something else and take a breath. And we've done our own studies that have shown that the music really helps even the relationship between the patient and the caregivers. It kind of helps benefit them because they get to experience it together. So this is something that they get to then enjoy together and it really helps their experience and working together too. Yeah, it definitely brings just great connection by being in person there with someone playing a song. But, you know, when there's not programs going on, you also have in some facilities musicians on call iPads, correct, where people can listen to playlists of healing music? Yeah, our streaming program. So we will provide pre-programmed tablets in the facilities and noise counseling headphones. And so if they need some music, then they can kind of check it out almost like at a library and bring it to their bed and just sit and listen. And the playlists that are on there are really curated, especially for things like calming or just helping with anything they might be experiencing. They can pick what mood they might be in or what type of music they want to hear and just be able to sit and listen to it and take a break. That's wonderful. And we have listeners all across the nation. Some might even work in the medical field and let's say a nurse or someone is listening in and they're like, I'm not really sure if the hospital I work at has a musicians on call or live music program or has the streaming service if they are interested in maybe getting in touch with musicians on call to bring that to the hospital they work at or facility they work at. What's the best place to reach out to you? On the Musicians on Call website, which is musiciansoncall.org, there is a whole section dedicated to hospitals and hospital partners so they can see which hospitals and which areas we might be in. And then if we're either not in their facility or if they can't find the information they're looking for, there is a form that they can fill out to bring music to their facility. And that kind of puts them on our radar and lets us know they're interested and what their capabilities are and helps us in our planning with our expansion and bringing our music programs into different facilities where the interest is. And the interest is growing. We're getting requests, hundreds of requests all the time for other facilities that want us to come there. So we definitely want to come as quick as we can, and we're working really hard to make it happen. But, yeah, letting us know of the interest is definitely very helpful. That's great. Yeah, and you can also apply to be a volunteer through MusiciansOnCall.org as well, right? You can, yes. And so I can also talk a little bit more about the volunteer guide and give a little bit more information on that. But that role is meant to be like the eyes and ears of Musicians On Call in the facility during those shifts. So they will go into the rooms first to introduce the program and introduce themselves and ask the patient if they want to hear music. It's very important to us that the patients feel like they have a choice in it because sometimes people are just really not feeling well. They could be in the hospital for any number of reasons and really just need time to rest. And so we don't want to interrupt that. So the guide can come in and find out if they're interested first. And if they are, then they'll bring the musician in and introduce the musician. and the musician then gets the opportunity to play. But if they're not, then the guide just says, well, thank you so much and can move on to the next room. And so they will escort the musician all around the unit. They learn the hospital. They're trained on hospital protocol. And so then they really just work within the same unit each time they volunteer and bring in all the different musicians. And then the musicians, yeah, are just really wonderful people who love music and love performing and want to bring those joys to others. And so anybody that is interested in either of those roles, there's another section on our website all about volunteering. And it has a link to our application that they can fill out and let us know a little bit about them and where they are and their interests. And for musicians, we love for them to send us some clips of their music so we can kind of hear what they do and then go through the process from there. Are there any particular cities where you are in need of volunteers right now? We have a number of them, yeah. Out on the West Coast, we could use some help in San Francisco, San Jose area, Las Vegas. We have programs there that we'd love to grow some more. We had just this year launched programs in Tampa and Orlando and Richmond. And so we're definitely looking to grow those some more. But really, we definitely want to know where everybody is and that they're interested in volunteering. So no matter if we have already some really steady programs in the city or not, we always welcome new volunteer applications. Yeah, that's great. And usually, you know, we see musicians come in with an acoustic guitar, but we've also seen musicians with keyboards that they roll in or a banjo. There's all sorts of instruments the musicians can play to volunteer with MOC. Yeah, absolutely. We've had people play violins and it just really, whatever your talent is, we want to know. We want to know how we can help use it to brighten up people's days. Yeah absolutely So what is next for Musicians on Call Is the program going to be expanding even further or is there upcoming events in the new year people can be a part of yeah next year is going to be a great year for us we definitely like I said we have so much interest from other facilities throughout the country So we working really hard to try to expand into new markets through a really great collaboration and partnership with HCA Healthcare. We're looking to start programs in Asheville next year and just want to continue building those relationships with facilities so that we can be starting up more programs all over. And we'll have two major fundraising events next year, one in Nashville and one in New York. So we'll be heavy into planning those. Nashville will be in the spring and New York in the fall. So those will be just really great opportunities to celebrate our programs and the impact that we've had and give people an opportunity to get more involved. That's wonderful. Yeah. And everyone can head to the website to not only look at applications for volunteering, but donate if they want to contribute to the cause as well. Yes, yes. We love to have people help us expand through financial donation and because we don't want to have to have this be a financial cost to the hospital. So we want to be able to provide these programs and pay for the onboarding of the volunteers ourselves and not put that cost on the hospital. Yeah. And besides the volunteers, Musicians on Call has a ton of special visits where they'll bring in celebrity guests to hospitals. And it really is just special to see these clips where patients see their favorite artists come into the room and play a song bedside for them. And that's a very special program as well. Yeah, you can imagine seeing, you know, your favorite rock star come into your room and just, you know, talk to you and play for you. It really does just, it's life changing for them and creates a really incredible memories. And we have so many wonderful artist partners who give their time, whether they're on tour and want to stop into one of our facilities or come and see anybody here in Nashville. It's just the network of folks that we get to work with. It's really amazing. Yeah, it's very special. Well, Melinda, my last question for you is a question I always ask my guest. Since we're on Taking a Walk Nashville, do you have a favorite place that you like to take a walk in Nashville? Oh, that's a great question. When I lived in the city, I loved walking around Bicentennial Park and then hearing the bells chime every half hour was really always really nice. But anymore, I love just walking around my neighborhood and getting to just be in the fresh air and in the fall, especially with all the leaves changing. It really is great to really just get out there and connect with nature and even get to wave at neighbors as we're walking by. So it's a nice, calming place to be. Yeah, there's so many great parks in Nashville. And it's also just special to take a walk in the hospitals here in Nashville and bring joy to patients at their bedside. So that's one of my favorite places to be as well. But I hope everyone listening in will head to musiciansoncall.org if you're interested in volunteering, donating, or be a part of an upcoming event. event. Melinda, thank you so much for being on Taking a Walk Nashville today. Thanks for having me. It was so much fun. Thanks for listening to Taking a Walk Nashville with singer-songwriter Sarah Harrelson. And check out our other podcasts, Music Save Me, Comedy Save Me, and Taking a Walk. Available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than No Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the underexplored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid, the story of the sport's most consequential, driver's strike, and plenty of other mishaps, scandals, and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to No Grip on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Amanda Knox, and in the new podcast, Doubt, the case of Lucy Letby, we unpack the story of an unimaginable tragedy that gripped the UK in 2023. But what if we didn't get the whole story? I've just been made to fit. The moment you look at the whole picture, the case collapsed. What if the truth was disguised by a story we chose to believe? Oh my God, I think she might be innocent. Listen to Doubt, The Case of Lucy Letby on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Special Agent Regal, Special Agent Bradley Hall, In 2018, the FBI took down a ring of spies working for China's Ministry of State Security, one of the most mysterious intelligence agencies in the world. The Sixth Bureau podcast is a story of the inner workings of the MSS and how one man's ambition and mistakes opened its vault of secrets. Listen to The Sixth Bureau on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton Eckerd. In 2022, I was the lead of ABC's The Bachelor. But here's the thing. Bachelor fans hated him. If I could press a button and rewind it all, I would. That's when his life took a disturbing turn. A one-night stand would end in a courtroom. The media is here. This case has gone viral. The dating contract. Agree to date me, but I'm also suing you. This is unlike anything I've ever seen before. I'm Stephanie Young. Listen to Love Trapped on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.
