WHAT
WE DO
PROGRAMS & PRIORITIES.
Sharing Notes' mission is to improve quality of life for Chicago hospital patients through intimate, engaging, and uplifting live music performances. Volunteers play music and take song requests; performances are focused on serving each audience individually through careful music selection and personalized interactions.
Sharing Notes stands out in its ability to provide live, individualized musical experiences and coordinate with hospital partners ensuring performances are as beneficial for patients as possible, making the arts an accessible addition to the hospital’s comprehensive care program.
Individualized Experiences
Volunteers play music and take song requests; performances are focused on serving each audience individually through careful music selection and personalized interactions.
Improving Quality of Life
Feedback surveys show that our presence helps with stress management, provides valuable human interaction, allows quality family time, and improves moods for our hospital audiences.
Training Musicians
Through sensitivity training and mentorship, volunteers build community engagement skills and learn to effectively engage diverse audiences, all while expanding their perspective and how they see themselves as musicians in the greater context of the world.
Creating Access
A study in the Journal of Advanced Nursing found that listening to music can reduce chronic pain up to 21%, and depression by up to 25%, yet many hospitals lack regular live arts partnerships. Sharing Notes aims to fix this.
Serving our Community
We partner local arts institutions, musicians, and healthcare institutions to work together and make a difference in the city of Chicago.
Caring through
Music
We know music is a social balm for soothing anxiety, offering much needed consolation and enhancing community connections. Music can restore balance and reduce suffering. Sharing Notes programming provides distraction therapy breaking the monotony and frustration of illness and long hospital stays.
