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Israel Medical Center Unveils Music has played a major role in the healing process since the dawn of recorded history. For example, it is believed that the Romans used it in various forms of medical treatment, including as an anesthetic. But as medicine advanced with the advent of new technologies and advancing pharmacologic treatments, the role of music in medical care was pushed to the sidelines. In recent years, health care providers have once again recognized the healing powers of music. And this re-birth of music and its role in medicine is receiving major attention at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, thanks to the philanthropic support from the foundation established by one of the greatest names in American music history. On November 1, 2005, Beth Israel will celebrate the opening of the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to take place at 10:30am at the hospital’s Phillips Ambulatory Care Center (PACC) – 10 Union Square East at 14th Street. The principle mission of the Center will be to provide state-of-the-art music therapy care to complement medical treatment for children, teens and adults with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The gift also will be utilized to initiate a musician’s wellness center that will research and address the unique medical needs of musicians and artists in the New York metropolitan area. As part of the ribbon cutting ceremony, two of the jazz world’s finest trumpet players, Jon Faddis and Clark Terry, will, in tandem, perform Louis Armstrong’s “West End Blues” and “What A Wonderful World.” The Center is made possible by a generous $1.25 million gift from the David B. Kriser Foundation, directed to Beth Israel from hospital Trustee Richard Netter, with additional support from the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation (LAEF). The new center expands upon Beth Israel’s Louis and Lucille Armstrong Music Therapy Program – named for the legendary musician and his wife – which has been funded for more than a decade by a grant from the LAEF. In recognition of this gift and as a tribute to the legendary Mr. Armstrong’s contributions to jazz and his personal commitment to the
“Thousands of patients have been helped through difficult illnesses because of the support we have received from the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation over the years,” says Mr. Netter. “Our gratitude for their generosity runs very deep. This latest gift will allow us to reach many more patients with the healing and recovery that music can bring.” Since 1994, the Louis Armstrong Educational Fund has supported research and clinical music therapy services for infants, children and families who have been hospitalized at Beth Israel. The partnership initially began following a meeting between Mr. Armstrong’s former physician, Gary Zucker, M.D., and Phoebe Jacobs, executive vice president of the Fund’s board. “I was very impressed with the hospital’s sincere commitment to examine the role of music therapy in medical care, particularly in the field of pediatrics,” Ms. Jacobs said. The fund’s initial philanthropic gift 11 years ago helped Dr. Joanne Loewy create and name the Louis and Lucille Armstrong Music Therapy Program. Under the direction of Dr. Loewy, program director, it has grown with amazing success. In 1996, an additional grant expanded the program to treat outpatients and patients with HIV. Music therapy also is now incorporated into the programs and services in Beth Israel’s nationally renowned Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care, as well as the neonatal intensive care unit, The Department of Family Medicine and the hospital’s intensive care units.
The new Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine will involve a number of clinical and research projects. For example, Dr. Loewy and her team are investigating the effects of playing wind instruments in children and teens with asthma – a program also developed through the support of the Recording Academy. Beth Israel’s cardiology and pulmonology programs also are reconstructing and soundproofing space for music therapy, where therapists will research the use of winds, toning, synchronized singing and music visualization on adults with COPD. Dr. Loewy also plans on creating a Musicians’ Wellness Center at PACC where the diseases and ailments unique to musicians and artists, such as overuse injuries, depression and chemical dependency, will be addressed through music therapy in collaboration with medical teams. “Our team has seen the effects of music therapy on patients of virtually every age, from neonates through elder care,” said Dr. Loewy. “The generous donation from the David B. Kriser Foundation and the Armstrong Fund will make it possible for many more patients to integrate music into their medical treatment and recovery,” Dr. Loewy said. Beth Israel’s music therapy team is comprised of several music
therapists and four music therapy interns, who were carefully selected
from universities across the country. The program is affiliated with New
York University, Hahnemann Creative Arts Louis Armstrong, universally recognized as one of the founding fathers of jazz, created the Louis Armstrong Educational Fund in 1969 with $40,000 of his own money. Under the direction of Mr. Armstrong himself, the fund raised money through the use of his voice, face and papers to support programs devoted to music and education for children. In addition to the music therapy program at Beth Israel, the Fund also supports programs at Queens College, Brandeis University, the ASCAP Foundation, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. “When I asked him why he created a foundation to educate people about music, Louis told me he wanted to give back to the world some of the goodness he had received,” said Ms. Jacobs. “He was dedicated to making people happy.” Through the music therapy program at Beth Israel, made possible by his generosity, Louis Armstrong continues not only to make people happy, but also helps them to feel better.
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