McGovern MUSIC Club strikes a chord with patients, community

For members of the McGovern MUSIC Club, connecting with patients doesn't always require a stethoscope. Sometimes, all it takes is a guitar, a familiar melody, and a few minutes of music.

Founded just a few years ago by a group of students hoping to share their passion for music, the club has grown into an organization that brings performances to patients, families, and healthcare professionals while giving medical students an opportunity to pursue their creative interests outside the classroom.

Known as MUSIC, short for Musicians United in Song and Impactful Care, the student organization at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston has approximately 30 members with musical backgrounds ranging from rock and alternative music to classical instruments.

One of the club's most visible activities is its monthly performances in the hospital atrium, where students entertain patients, visitors, and employees passing through.

"We'll have a lot of people passing by, whether they're coming to the hospital for treatment or they're there as an inpatient, and they'll stop and watch and listen," said Joey Aldrich, a second-year medical student. "They really enjoy it."

The performances provide an opportunity for students to share something they love while offering a welcome distraction from the challenges that can accompany a hospital visit.

"It's also fun to see people take time out of their day," Aldrich said. "Even providers will stop for a little bit and listen to some of the music. It really lights up that moment of their day."

The club's efforts extend beyond live performances through a partnership with Purple Songs Can Fly, a program associated with Texas Children's Hospital and The Periwinkle Foundation that gives pediatric patients an opportunity to explore music and songwriting.

Through the partnership, club members volunteer at a recording studio within the hospital's hematology and oncology clinic, helping children create and record their own songs. The club also raises funds to support the program.

For Aldrich, who volunteers in the studio weekly, the experience has offered a different perspective on connecting with patients.

"I'll go in once a week with the kids in the studio, and I'll get to help them write a song," Aldrich said. "You get all these avenues of connecting with patients in ways that you could never do if you didn't have music under your belt."

That connection between music and patient care is central to the club's mission.

While medical students spend much of their training learning to diagnose and treat disease, their experiences with the MUSIC Club reinforce the importance of understanding patients beyond their medical conditions.

"McGovern Medical School does a good job of encouraging us to look at the whole patient instead of just their lab values," Aldrich said. "I think music is another way that we can bring care to a patient other than just the pharmacological route."

Hunter Martin, also a second-year medical student, sees a similar connection, noting that music can help establish common ground between physicians and the people they care for.

"It offers an outlet to relate to your patients and bring you to their level," Martin said. "It opens up a sense of comfort."

The similarities between music and medicine also extend to the skills required to succeed in both fields.

For Martin, who began playing music at a young age, the discipline of learning an instrument closely resembles the preparation required of a physician. Both demand repetition, patience, and a willingness to improve through practice.

"One of the key details about music or learning an instrument is repetition, getting reps in and practicing, practicing, practicing," Martin said. "I think in order to be a really good physician, you also have to get reps in and practice your methods."

Aldrich sees another lesson in the process of learning difficult pieces of music. When a musician encounters a challenging passage, the solution often involves slowing down and approaching the problem differently. He believes the same principle can apply to difficult conversations with patients.

"Let's slow things down. Let's sit down. Let's talk about other things before we get to these parts of your care that could be more sensitive," Aldrich said.

Beyond its potential influence on their future careers, the club provides students with a creative outlet amid the demands of medical school.

For Martin, continuing to play music offers a chance to explore something outside the subjects he studies each day.

"It's something different and unique, adjacent to medicine, where I get to learn something new that's not part of a textbook," he said.

The club has also introduced students to classmates they might not otherwise have met. Members come from different backgrounds and musical experiences, but their shared interest has helped build friendships that extend beyond rehearsals and performances.

"The most rewarding part to me so far is the mix of people I've been able to meet because of it," Martin said. "We've got medical students who are part of all different groups and all different backgrounds who have one common thing, and that's music."

Looking ahead, the club hopes to expand its performances to additional healthcare settings, including the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and Ronald McDonald House. Members are also exploring opportunities to collaborate with other student organizations on a cultural music event featuring different instruments and musical traditions.

For Aldrich, the goal is to continue building on the club's early success while creating more opportunities for students to share their talents with the community.

"We hope to keep doing performances, get out there, and serve the community the best we can," Aldrich said.

And as members prepare for careers in medicine, they hope the opportunities to make music won't end when they graduate.

"I like the outlook for where our careers are going, where we will have those opportunities to keep playing, either in the hospital as future physicians or even as residents," Aldrich said. "I think that's really exciting to see where music is going within the medical community."