Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Md.  –   The Sound of Music: Medicine for the Soul

Inside the quiet corridors of Walter Reed’s Center for Prostate Disease (CPDR), patients and their families sit comfortably in reception areas contemplating the next step of a medical journey requiring faith and strength.
A cancer diagnosis can often be one of the most feared and serious events that causes stress in individuals and families.

“I am the daughter of a cancer survivor who was treated here at the Murtha Cancer Center at Walter Reed, and one of the things that happened during my mother’s treatment was that there was a multi-faceted approach to patient care,” confided Dr. Anastasia Pike, a classically trained harpist.

Pike, a music faculty member in the Graduate School of Education at Columbia University, volunteers her time and talent at Walter Reed, lifting the spirits of others by playing her harp in designated areas throughout the America Building within the Murtha Cancer Center.

“There is growing evidence that music, when used as part of a multimodal approach, can play an important role in improving stress, anxiety and pain,” shared U.S. Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Gregory T. Chesnut, director of CPDR and the Urologic Oncology Department.

Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound

“If I’m playing a hymn for example, I am hearing those words in my head and I’m hearing them in my heart,” shared Pike, who played a powerful rendition of “Amazing Grace” during her recent performance at Walter Reed on April 5.”
During the recent unveiling of a limited edition 34-string Drake harp provided to Walter Reed by a generous benefactor, Pike played a beautiful repertoire of music that captivated patients and staff, including Walter Reed director, U.S. Navy Capt. (Dr.) Melissa Austin.

A Lifelong Love of Music

Pike received her doctorate from Columbia University and her master’s degrees from the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. She completed additional studies at the Julliard School, and has performed with renowned artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Renee Fleming, Arturo Sandoval, and The Irish Tenors at venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center and the White House.

Researchers believe that live music in particular helps create a mood of peace and relaxation, paving the way for patients to experience improved levels of comfort and express emotions in a therapeutic manner.
Pike witnessed the therapeutic value that music played in her mother’s cancer recovery. Her gratitude for Walter Reed’s role in saving her mother’s life produced a spiritual connection with this hospital, compelling her to bring joy to others by sharing her music.

Creating Community with Music

“We look forward to studying how we can help our patients with therapeutic music going forward and our team is designing ways to implement this into our clinical care,” explained Chesnut. “There is much interest in this in the wider medical community, and we have partnered to share our experience with others. In fact, we were invited to discuss music and medicine at a conference this Spring in Seoul, Korea.”

Chesnut and the CPDR community look forward to scheduling a series of concerts featuring Pike and the students she has mentored, which tentatively will occur on Wednesday and Friday afternoon clinics throughout the year.
“While many of us may never see a solo harpist in a professional orchestra, we are grateful that our patients, staff, and family caregivers can experience great music and be touched by it when they come here for their cancer care,” said Chesnut who is exploring other ways to share music throughout Walter Reed.

To learn more about the Murtha Cancer Center, visit this link: https://walterreed.tricare.mil/MurthaCancerCenter

For more information about Dr. Anastasia Pike, visit this link:
https://www.tc.columbia.edu/arts-and-humanities/music-and-music-education/studio-music-lessons/instructors/?fdw-10208591=1%3A%3A%25%3A%3AADJ%7C%7CHAR%3A%3A%25