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.

04/15/2026

Between the notes, music therapists are listening closely. Here’s what the JHH music therapy team is paying attention to in the diverse clinical contexts they serve.

ID 1: Graphic with the text “As Music Therapists, We Pay Attention To…” and “Between the Notes with the JHH Music Therapy Team,” alongside the handle.

ID 2: Text graphic featuring Dr. Kyu Kang describing attention to neural and behavioral responses, translating neuroscience and EEG-based research into meaningful, everyday music use for patients.

ID 3: Text graphic featuring Dr. Kerry Devlin describing attention to subtle musical responses in neurocritical care, such as eye gaze and heart rate, and their clinical and emotional significance.

ID 4: Text graphic featuring Jamie Shegogue describing attention to emotional reactions to music in her work in pediatric intensive care.

ID 5: Text graphic featuring Ali Deckard describing attention to observable connections—smiles, movement, tears, and words—to guide holistic music therapy care.

ID 6: Text graphic featuring Emily Mahoney describing attention to group safety, cohesion, and nervous system regulation in music therapy for individuals with Ataxia.

ID 7: Text graphic featuring Jason Armstrong Baker describing attention to rhythmic connection and pulse in group drumming with veterans and individuals with Parkinson’s disease.

04/13/2026

Music therapy is music...and more. Between the notes, music therapy is attunement, listening, and co-regulation. It is human connection, meaning-making, and responding in real time to the needs of patients and their families.

These are just some of the words our music therapy team uses to describe their work. What words would you add? Share in the comments below. ⤵️

ID: A graphic with a light background and dark blue and gold text reads: “MUSIC THERAPY IS MORE THAN MUSIC. IT’S…” Below, multiple white speech bubbles on a dark blue background contain the words: “ATTUNEMENT,” “LISTENING,” “NORMALIZATION,” “CO-REGULATION,” “LEGACY CREATION,” and “HUMAN CONNECTION.” The handle “” appears at the bottom. Small logos of the Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine and World Music Therapy Week appear within two of the speech bubbles.

04/10/2026

World Music Therapy Week (April 10–15) is a global initiative highlighting the depth and breadth of music therapy practice around the world. Music therapists are trained, certified clinicians who use music intentionally to support therapeutic goals in relationship with diverse patient communities and clinical practice settings.

This week, we’ll be highlighting the work of our team of music therapists at the Johns Hopkins Center for Music and Medicine and what happens “between the notes” in music therapy sessions.

ID: A graphic with a dark blue background and gold and white text reads: “APRIL 10–15 IS WORLD MUSIC THERAPY WEEK” with “WORLD” and “WEEK” in white and “MUSIC THERAPY” in gold. Below is the handle “” in light blue.

03/30/2026

NEW PUBLICATION from the Center for Music and Medicine! 🔊

Our team is exploring how rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) with and without melody may support gait in people with Parkinson’s disease with deep brain stimulation. This study protocol lays the groundwork for a deeper look at how auditory cues interact with brain activity during movement. This study will measure both behavioral changes (like stride and cadence) and real-time brain activity to better understand how rhythm works in the brain.

Read the article here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12998828/

ID: A graphic with a dark blue background and layered rounded shapes in teal and white. At the top, a large speech-bubble shape contains the text “NEW PUBLICATION,” with “NEW” in navy blue and “PUBLICATION” in gold. To the right is the Johns Hopkins logo and the text “Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine.” A smaller white rounded rectangle displays a snapshot of a journal article labeled “STUDY PROTOCOL” from PLOS One. The title reads: “Effect of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS)® with and without melody on Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with deep brain stimulation (DBS): A study protocol.” Author names are listed beneath, along with institutional affiliations including Johns Hopkins University and collaborators. At the bottom of the graphic, the handle “” appears in navy text inside a rounded white bar.

03/22/2026

March 22 is World Coma Day. 🌍 We invite you to join us later this week for a special session co-sponsored by our center called “Dignity in Silence: Systematic Approaches to Humanism & Ethics in Disorders of Consciousness.”

📅 March 24 | 1:00–2:30 PM ET
📍 Phipps Lobby at Johns Hopkins Hospital
💻 Hybrid option available

Topics include:
🧠 Identifying bias in prognostic conversations
🎶 Music therapy as a humanizing and diagnostic tool (presented by CMM MT Kerry Devlin)
📖 Embedding patient narratives in care
⚖️ Ethical dimensions of consent

ID: Graphic for World Coma Day featuring the Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine logo at the top right. Large centered text reads “WORLD COMA DAY,” with illustrated musical notes above and a line drawing of a brain below, half scribbled and half organized, connected by a continuous line. The handle “” appears to the right of the brain. Near the bottom, teal text reads “AWAKENING HOPE | MARCH 22.” A bottom banner from the Neurocritical Care Society includes a circular brain logo and the text “World ComaID: Graphic for World Coma Day featuring the Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine logo at the top right. Large centered text reads “WORLD COMA DAY,” with illustrated musical notes above and a line drawing of a brain below, half scribbled and half organized, connected by a continuous line. The handle “” appears to the right of the brain. Near the bottom, teal text reads “AWAKENING HOPE | MARCH 22.” A bottom banner from the Neurocritical Care Society includes a circular brain logo and the text “World Coma Day 2026.”

03/19/2026

Free hybrid event announcement!

Join us March 24 at 1pm for Dignity in Silence: Systems of Humanism for Patients with Disorders of Consciousness (DoC)! Center for Music and Medicine Senior Music Therapist Kerry Devlin is a featured speaker, and will be discussing how music therapy can reveal unique clinical insights in the care of patients with DoC.

Register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=OPSkn-axO0eAP4b4rt8N7JsjD-vij8BNvVR7yqqgStBUOE1CWTVGUVFKTU9BTVdYUEpVVzFCSzdMRy4u&route=shorturl

ID: A flyer with an image of a diverse group of people standing solemnly around a hospital bed in the background. Overlaid text reads: “WORLD COMA DAY” and “Dignity in Silence: Systems of Humanism for Patients with Disorders of Consciousness.” Event details: “1:00 PM – 2:30 PM ET, Tuesday March 24 2026.” Speakers listed: “Miriam Quinlan MD MPH MS and Susanne Muehlschlegel MD MPH – Identifying Bias in Prognostic Conversations in Severe Acute Brain Injury and Disorders of Consciousness; Kerry Devlin PhD, LPMT, MT-BC – Music Therapy as a Humanizing and Diagnostic Tool in Disorders of Consciousness; Adam Schiavi MD PhD – Ethical Dimensions of Consent in patients with Disorders of Consciousness; Elizabeth Tracey MS – ‘This is My Story’ – Embedding Patient Narratives into the ICU workflow.” Moderators: “Rohan Mathur MD MPA, Camelia Porto MD.” A QR code appears next to “Register here.” Bottom text reads: “No cost to attend. Lunch served in person. CME Credit available for Johns Hopkins Affiliates.” and “Supported by The Neurocritical Care Society Curing Coma Campaign, The Johns Hopkins Center for Humanizing Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Center for Music in Medicine.”

03/16/2026

A recent study in Neurocritical Care explored the impact of different auditory stimuli in critically ill patients with impaired consciousness, finding that clapping and calling a patient’s name was more effective at eliciting EEG reactivity than visual, tactile, and/or noxious (noisy) stimuli.

What might this mean for music therapists, families, and medical teams? Salient auditory stimuli, such as songs that incorporate a patient’s name, may stimulate neurologic responses.

📖 Read the article here:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12028-026-02457-8

Haksteen WE, Zandbergen LNK, Eleveld N, Horn J, van Rootselaar AF. Auditory stimuli most effective in eliciting reactivity in critically ill patients with an impaired consciousness. Neurocrit Care. Published online 2026. doi:10.1007/s12028-026-02457-8

ID: A graphic from features a stylized spiral-bound notebook with a dashed border and the large heading “Did You Know?” Inside the notebook it reads: “Clapping and calling a patient’s name was most effective at eliciting EEG reactivity in ICU patients with impaired consciousness” followed by “Haksteen et al., 2026.” In the bottom left corner appears the JOHNS HOPKINS CENTER for MUSIC & MEDICINE logo text, and in the bottom right corner there is an illustrated stylized brain.

03/09/2026

Ask us anything for World Coma Day 💬

World Coma Day (March 22) is a global awareness initiative dedicated to coma and disorders of consciousness, with the aim of connecting clinicians, researchers, patients, and families to advance understanding and care.

As our team gears up for World Coma Day, we're opening the conversation: What do you want to know about music, consciousness, and disorders of consciousness?

For example:
🎶 Can people in coma hear music?
🧠 How can music impact neurorecovery?
🎧 What role do music therapists play in neurocritical care and neurorehabilitation?

Drop your questions in the comments and we’ll respond throughout our World Coma Day series.

Learn more about World Coma Day 2026:
https://secure.qgiv.com/event/worldcomaday2026/

ID: Graphic with a light background featuring the Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine logo in the top right. Large bold text reads: “LET’S TALK:” with script text underneath: “Music, Consciousness and World Coma Day.” A blue illustrated brain appears in the center, surrounded by cut-paper style icons: three musical notes, a black heart, and a red exclamation mark. A speech bubble near the bottom left says, “Ask us anything!” At the bottom, the handle reads: “.”

03/02/2026

A powerful reminder from neuroscience thatmaking music doesn’t just feel good... it may actually help build cognitive reserve and support brain health across the lifespan.

This recent BBC Future article explores how active music-making strengthens neural connections, supports emotional memory, and promotes healthy aging.

Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260212-the-lifelong-benefits-of-making-music

Image Description (alt text)

ID: Graphic with the Johns Hopkins shield logo and text: “JOHNS HOPKINS CENTER for MUSIC & MEDICINE” and “.” To the right is a mock BBC article page with screenshot of the article with the headline: “‘You're not just recalling words, but an emotion': The lifelong benefits of making music,” dated “13 February 2026” by “Julia Hotz,” with “Share” and “Save” icons. Below is a photo of three older adults smiling outdoors with arms raised. Large quote text reads: “Lifelong engagement with music practice, and music in general, can not only improve neurological function, [it] can provide a greater reserve of cells and synapses that, in turn, may delay the onset of age-related neurological disease.” –Larry Sherman, Professor of neuroscience at Oregon Health and Science University. Decorative blue musical notes appear throughout.

02/23/2026

Heart health isn’t only physical!

Music can be a powerful tool to process big emotions like stress, grief, or change, offering comfort and a way to explore feelings that might be difficult to put into words.

What song speaks to your heart when you need it most? Share your song in the comments below.

ID: A white background graphic featuring a navy envelope with a torn paper note inside that reads, “What song speaks to your heart?” (the word “heart” is in red). The envelope is sealed with a gold heart-shaped wax seal and labeled “.” Musical notes are scattered around the image, and a pair of headphones with a heart icon appears in the top left. In the top right is the logo and text: “Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine.”

02/16/2026

This week, pediatric critical care music therapist Jamie Shegoge shares about her work in the pediatric cardiac ICU at @ . Swipe to learn more about how music therapy can support regulation, comfort, and connection for even the littlest patients with congenital heart disease.

ID 1: Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine logo on pink background. Title “Music Therapy for Congenital Heart Disease.” Subtitle “In the pediatric cardiac ICU with Jamie.” Music notes and anatomical heart graphic with handle.

ID 2: Same colors. Title “Physiological Stabilization — In the pediatric cardiac ICU. Soothing touch with music (for infants). Live music entrainment. Rhythmic drumming.” Monitor graphic and photo of Jamie playing guitar.

ID 3: Same colors. Title “Procedural Support — In the pediatric cardiac ICU. Music-Assisted Relaxation. Guided imagery with music. Music listening. Deep breathing.” Photo of Jamie in PPE at bedside.

ID 4: Same colors. Title “Neurodevelopment. Instrument play. Movement and dance. Singable books.” Photo of Jamie with books and developmental instruments like a tambourine and rainstick.

ID 5: Same colors. Title "Bonding & meaning making. Learning an instrument. Songwriting. Memory Making.” Photos of Jamie playing guitar, a songwriting lyric sheet for the song “Baby Beluga” and a ukulele with footprints.

02/09/2026

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in Open Heart by Kakar et al (2021) found recorded music listening was associated with lower postoperative anxiety and pain in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Because music is low-risk, accessible, and cost-effective, findings like these highlight music’s potential as a supportive addition to perioperative cardiac care.

Read more here: https://openheart.bmj.com/content/8/1/e001474?language[]=en

ID: Graphic titled “RESEARCH REFLECTIONS” from the Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine features the Johns Hopkins shield logo and name in the top right, with layered heart shapes and colorful musical notes decorating the design; centered on a dark navy panel is the quote, “Offering recorded music is associated with a significant reduction in postoperative anxiety and pain in cardiac surgery.” with “postoperative anxiety and pain” emphasized in bold, followed by the citation “KAKAR ET AL, 2021,” and the handle “” appears at the bottom.

Address

600 N Wolfe Street
Baltimore, MD
21287

Website

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

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