Minnesota Public Radio is compiling a classical music playlist to be made available to patients at hospitals run by Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.
The project builds on a growing body of research pointing to the health benefits that listening to music can bring. These include pain relief, improved quality of life and decreased anxiety.
Others have suggested that music also acts as an aid to physical healing, with one writer on NPR recommending the instrumental works of Bach, in particular his cello suites, and Mozart as good choices.
MPR’s playlist will include 17 hours of music that will be available to patients and visitors to Mayo Clinic’s facilities. Composers featured will be Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, among others.
Recently, we reported on how music can even have an impact on newborn babies when it is delivered as music therapy in hospital intensive care units by trained music therapists.