Music-making in community is shown to be a positive health behavior. Benefits include reduced isolation and loneliness, boosted mood, and stress reduction.
Explore the music-based offerings below that are free and open to the community.
Gentle Movement & Music-making at Al'z Place
Bi-weekly music workshops for people with Alzheimer’s Disease or memory impairment at Al'z Place
Al’z PLace
available virtually only
StorySongs
In the StorySongs experience we take your stories or poems, individually and as a community, help with structure as needed, and then add music to create a song. Cathy DeWitt, Musician in Residence, leads this process, helping you choose the tempo, rhythm patterns, chord structures, major or minor key – all the components of composing a song. Everyone gets to participate in the process, hear the song, and sometimes even sing along! The experience inspires your creativity and broadens your understanding of the songwriting process. Selected songs are recorded and made available for download.
Shift Change Radio Hour
Shift Change is an hour-long radio program showcasing health care workers’ song requests, testimonies, dedications/shout-outs to other fellow healthcare workers, and exciting patient and AIM spotlights. The radio show connects healthcare workers, patients, and arts in health professionals both in the hospital and in the greater community.
Past Music-based Initiatives
Songwriting in Alachua County Public Schools
Musicians in residence led music and songwriting workshops for students at various Alachua County public schools.
Sickle Cell Songwriting Group
In January and February of 2025, Arts in Medicine musicians gathered with members of the Gainesville and North Florida community for a weekly workshop series. The community members, having identified as being affected by Sickle Cell Disease, joined the workshop series to learn songwriting and music production skills, as well as to gather together in a community that validated their lived experiences. The product of these workshops is an 8-song original album written solely by the group of attendees. Titled “Warrior’s Path”, the album explores the immense depths and unexpected joys of living with sickle cell.
Artful Life: Arts-based Workshop for Teens
6-week series of art workshops for teens aged 15–17 who created art together and explored their creativity, featuring visual arts, music, and movement.
