Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine

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Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine

We seek to bring music and medicine together by 1) making music and rhythm an integral part of treating illness, and 2) improving the health of musicians.

Music as Medicine. Medicine for Musicians.

12/08/2025

✨ Week 2 Your Brain on Music Challenge – Memory & Melody ✨

Make a 5-song “memory playlist” where each track is tied to a specific moment in your life. Listen once and jot down the memories it brings back. You’re exercising autobiographical memory networks!

Share your experience in the comments below ⤵️

Stay tuned for next week’s challenge!

ID: Winter-themed graphic is bordered with snowflakes and greenery, with the Johns Hopkins logo and the text “JOHNS HOPKINS Center for Music & Medicine” in the top right. Across the top it reads “December YOUR BRAIN ON MUSIC Challenge.” A dark rounded box labeled “WEEK 2” contains the instructions: “Create a 5 song memory playlist.” Below, two sections read: “Each song should be tied to a specific person, place, or moment.” and “Listen once this week and write down one memory each song brings back.” The bottom center of the graphic displays “.”

12/01/2025

This December, we’re inviting you to try one small relational music activity each week. Research suggests that novelty, memory, movement, and social connection all play a role in brain health!

✨ Week 1 Challenge – Try something new ✨
Listen to a piece of music you’ve never heard before. Notice what surprises you and how your body responds. Did you tap your feet? Sway? Sit still?

Share your experience in the comments below ⤵️

Stay tuned for next week’s challenge!

ID 1: The winter-themed graphic features snowflakes and greenery around the border, with the Johns Hopkins logo and the text “JOHNS HOPKINS Center for Music & Medicine” at the top right. Across the center it reads “December YOUR BRAIN ON MUSIC Challenge.” Three circles display the phrases “4 WEEKS,” “4 experiences to keep your brain active,” and “WITH MUSIC!” with small music note icons nearby. At the bottom is the text “.”

ID 2: Same winter graphic around edges with JH CMM logo. Across the top it reads “December YOUR BRAIN ON MUSIC Challenge.” A rounded box labeled “WEEK 1” contains the instructions: “Pick 1 piece of music you’ve never heard before! Listen all the way through and notice:” followed by two prompts in separate sections: “What surprised you?” and “What did your body do?” At the bottom appears “.”

11/24/2025

: Teamwork in movement disorders clinics 🚶‍♂️‍➡️🎵🍂

Our Neurologic Music Therapist Kyu and physical therapy team collaborate to use Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS®) during patient visits at our outpatient clinic for atypical parkinsonian disorders. During the 10-meter gait test, we measure the patient’s cadence and jointly determine whether a faster or slower tempo would best support their walking. We also provide a home-based RAS® guide so they can use a metronome outside of the hospital when in an appropriate and safe environment.

ID: The graphic features an autumn theme with illustrated fall leaves along the borders. At the top left, text reads “Fall into rhythm,” and the Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine logo appears in the top right. The center shows a photograph of three people walking in a clinical hallway: a woman on the left holding a smartphone displaying “110,” an older man using a walker in the middle, and a healthcare professional in light-blue scrubs on his right offering support. Below the image, bold text reads “CLINICAL APPLICATIONS:” with the subtitle “Collaborating through RAS®,” and more autumn leaves decorate the bottom of the graphic. is bottom center.

11/17/2025

Can music therapy help our bodies ?

A new systematic review from Flater et al (2025) explored how music therapy affects vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) — a measure of how well the body regulates stress and relaxation.

Across 28 included studies, 14 showed statistically significant increases in vmHRV during or after music therapy, often alongside improvements in mental or physical health (like lower anxiety, better mood, or improved recovery). Four studies revealed non - significant increases, and three reported non -significant decreases in vmHRV.

These findings suggest that music therapy can help activate the body’s calming parasympathetic system — quite literally helping the heart find a healthier rhythm. 🎶

Read more here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167876025007846

ID: White graphic titled “Fall into rhythm” features autumn leaves and brown horizontal lines with quotation marks. The subtitle reads “Research reflections” and a quote from an article (Flater et al 2025) is between the brown lines and quotations marks. “This systematic review indicates an inclination towards increases in vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) during music therapy interventions....[which] can lead to improved health outcomes and reduced stress as indexed by vmHRV.” At the bottom, the handle appears. The Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine logo is in the upper right corner.

11/14/2025

As the weather cools, our rhythms shift too. 🍂 We’re exploring the ways music and rhythm can help regulate and ground us through periods of change.

Try drumming on your body, breathing with the wind, or listening closely as leaves crunch underfoot. These small ways can help you this season.

ID: White graphic titled “Fall into rhythm” features autumn leaves and a small drum illustration in the bottom right. The subtitle reads “Regulation & Grounding for the Colder Season.” The text lists 3 grounding ideas: "Drumming on your body to music for rhythmic grounding: Gently tapping your legs, chest, or cheeks; Mindful deep breathing with the wind: Breathe in as wind breezes past; Pay attention to how your chest rises and falls; Listen to the leaves crunch as you walk: What do you hear? How does one step sound different from the other? What other sounds are happening around you?" At the bottom, the handle appears. The Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine logo is in the upper right corner.

11/12/2025

The start of a new season reminds us that every change has its own rhythm. This month, we will share insights from our clinician team and the research literature designed to help you . Join us as we explore the different ways music can support health, mood, and well-being!

ID: A graphic with a white background features autumn leaves and musical notes. At the top right is the Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine logo. In the center, large text reads “Fall into RHYTHM.” The word “RHYTHM” is in bold navy blue capital letters, while “Fall into” appears above it in a brown cursive font. Surrounding the text are scattered orange and brown leaves, small gold stars, and floating musical notes. Along the bottom edge are overlapping fall leaves in shades of red, orange, and yellow. The text appears below the main title.

11/05/2025

One month away: Music workshop for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers hosted by Sibley Memorial Hospital on Saturday Dec 6 at 10am!

ID: White and blue graphic with treble clef made of ice and snow. Navy text reading, “Winter Rhythms: A Workshop on Music, Self-Care and Togetherness for Cancer Patients, Survivors and Caregivers. Join Amanda Rosado, LPMT, MT-BC, Music Therapist, for a music workshop to explore the lessons of winter through music listening, discussion, and instrument exploration. Learn about ways to utilize music for stress management, mindfulness, and build community for this season. No musical skills or experiences are required to attend. Saturday, December 6, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. In-person at Sibley Memorial Hospital. For more information or to register, contact Margo Calkin at mcalkin2@jhmi.edu.” Sibley logo bottom center.

10/27/2025

Our Center for Music & Medicine team shared original research this fall at 3 major conferences! Team member posters highlighted the growing intersections of music and medicine in neurology, including our BEATs PD community-based participatory project in Parkinson’s disease, NMT and tDCS for Corticobasal syndrome, and sharing new guidelines for delivery of music therapy in neurocritical care.

To learn more or access these posters, please contact:
BEATs PD: rkhamis1@jhmi.edu and kdevlin5@jh.edu
TEMPO: kdevlin5@jh.edu
NMT & tDCS: kkang19@jhmi.edu

ID: A collage of photos showing Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine team members presenting research posters and digital presentations at multiple professional conferences. Logos from Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine, the Neurocritical Care Society, the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society, and the American Neurological Association are displayed, along with the text “Fall Conference Round-Up.

10/20/2025

Take the next 50 seconds to just breathe with us. Let the gentle guitar accompaniment played by pediatric music therapist Jamie guide the rhythm of your breath, and notice how your body and mind respond.

10/13/2025

A recent systematic review from de Witte et al (2025) in The Lancet’s EClinicalMedicine found that receptive music therapy methods, or combinations of receptive and active MT approaches, effectively reduced anxiety symptoms across multiple clinical populations. Their review cites numerous psychological benefits, including increased autonomy and quality of life, but highlights the need for greater understanding of music therapy’s effects on physiological and longer-term outcomes.

De Witte, M., Aalbers, S., Vink, A., Friederichs, S., Knapen, A., Pelgrim, T., Amit Lampit, Baker, F. A., & Hooren, S. van. (2025). Music therapy for the treatment of anxiety: a systematic review with multilevel meta-analyses. EClinicalMedicine, 84, 103293–103293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103293

Read it here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(25)00225-1/fulltext

10/10/2025

October 10th is World Mental Health Day. 🌷🧠🎶

Your mental health deserves attention, and we believe music can help. From stress relief to emotional support, music can play a key role in your well-being. At the Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine, we continue to explore how music therapy and music medicine can help people with neurologic diagnoses thrive.

ID: Watercolor blue graphic with Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine logo in top left, and a navy bar across the bottom with . A light blue heart contains a cartoon brain wearing headphones with music notes above. Text aligned with the edges of the heart reads, “World Mental Health Day.”

10/06/2025

Welcome to Rhea Vikas, who is joining our Center for Music and Medicine team over the next academic year as a Visiting Research Scholar! Rhea is pursuing her PhD at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, and has over five years of experience studying the intersection of music and medicine. With a background in public health, Rhea’s work explores how music can improve health outcomes for diverse communities.

We are so excited for Rhea to support our BEATs PD project and to visit Baltimore in November!

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600 N Wolfe Street
Baltimore, MD
21287

Website

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/center-for-music-and-medicine/index.html

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