Heartbeat songs are a popular music therapy intervention in medical settings, and a fantastic legacy project that we are now able to offer our patients and their families in Southeastern Kentucky, thanks to a grant through the Berea College Appalachian Fund Folk Arts and Cultures Initiative. With help from the Mountain Arts Center, we were able to complete our first heartbeat song with a hospice patient this Spring.

"Since joining Bluegrass Care Navigators, one of my goals has been to implement a heartbeat song program as a legacy project offering to our patients and their families. Heartbeat songs are a popular music therapy intervention in medical settings, and I first learned about them during my internship at University of Kentucky Healthcare. To create a heartbeat song, a music therapist meets with the patient and their family to record the patient's heartbeat using a special stethoscope. During this visit, the family chooses a special song that holds meaning for them. The music therapist then takes the recording of the patient's heartbeat and pairs it with an original recording of the chosen song so that the heartbeat becomes the percussion, or "beat", in the background.

"I knew this would be meaningful to our patients and families, and I was so glad when we received a grant through the Berea College Foundation to implement the project. With help from the Mountain Arts Center (MAC), we were able to complete our first heartbeat song this quarter. 

"One patient had been a hospice patient for nearly two years when we met him and his wife. He had declined rapidly in the days leading up to our visit and was no longer able to interact. The patient’s wife spoke about her husband's love for music and chose a song that they had danced to at their wedding, "When You Say Nothing at All" by Alison Krauss. After several attempts and help from his nurse, Whitney, we were able to capture a clear heartbeat for the patient. We sent the heartbeat recording and the wife’s chosen song to the MAC, where it was recorded and woven together by their talented musicians and producers. The result was absolutely beautiful, and something that the patient’s wife and family will hopefully cherish for a long time.

"Completing this heartbeat song was a wonderful first step in implementing this project. While we are targeting specific referrals only in the Southeastern Kentucky areas right now, we hope to expand to all areas of service as the program grows. Witnessing the gratitude that the patient’s wife had for this meaningful project makes me excited to work with other families to build these legacy gifts that will keep the patient's memory alive forever."

Listen here.