New Lecture Series to Promote Benefits of Music in Wellness, Health Care
A new lecture series presented by mUsiKcare will highlight wellness and health care benefits of music programs like the UK piano courses for individuals 50 years of age and older. A transcript of this video can be found here. Video by Jenny Wells/UK Public Relations and Marketing.
University of Kentucky mUsiKcare, an adult music and wellness program that focuses on lifelong learning and social engagement through music, will present its inaugural program of the mUsiKcare Music and Wellness Lecture Series Jan. 17. The day of events will feature lectures by Dr. Barry Bittman, radio show host and CEO of Mind-Body Wellness Center, and Jo Ann Jenkins, COO of AARP, as well as a concert by celebrated pianist Mike Garson. All events, hosted by UK Arts in HealthCare, are free and open to the public.
Funded by grants from the Clay Foundation and AARP, along with assistance from the Yamaha Corporation, mUsiKcare began in the summer of 2013 with group piano lessons for adults ages 50 and up. Courses incorporate music theory, piano performance skills and music-based wellness techniques.
To highlight the many benefits of music in wellness and health care, mUsiKcare will present Grand Rounds with Dr. Barry Bittman. Bittman's "Creative musical expression and outcomes based research" will be presented at noon, in the UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital Auditorium.
A neurologist, Bittman is CEO of the Mind-Body Wellness Center and host of "Mind-Body Matters," a syndicated show on public radio. Bittman, whose work focuses treating the "whole person," has conducted research on the use of recreational music-making as a therapeutic strategy.
That evening, Jo Ann Jenkins will make her first visit to Kentucky as COO of AARP. "A conversation with Jo Ann Jenkins," which will include her thoughts on the importance of UK's mUsiKcare program and similar initiatives, will begin at 7 p.m. Joining Jenkins will be Lori Frazer, program specialist for Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute.
Jenkins is a proven innovator who oversees 10 of AARP’s key programs. She has led the organization’s development of social impact initiatives, including the "Drive to End Hunger." Under her leadership, the foundation’s overall donor base increased drastically.
Immediately following Jenkins' talk is a concert with pianist Mike Garson. "An evening with Mike Garson" will begin at 7:30 p.m.
A graduate of Brooklyn College, Mike Garson is a pianist who has worked with a wide range of musicians including David Bowie, Smashing Pumpkins and Free Flight. He studied with such noted musicians as Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock and Leonard Eisner of Juilliard.
All events will be held in the Pavilion A Auditorium in Chandler Hospital. Parking is available in the Hospital Parking Garage on the corner of Limestone and Transcript Avenue. Parking fees may apply.
The mUsiKcare program, presented under the direction of Lori Gooding, director of UK Music Therapy; Vicki McVay, director of the UK Piano Preparatory Program; and Olivia Yinger, assistant professor of music therapy, is housed in the UK School of Music at the UK College of Fine Arts. The UK School of Music has garnered national recognition for high-caliber education in opera, choral and instrumental music performance, as well as music education, composition, and theory and music history.
The UK Arts in HealthCare program highlights local, national and international artists' art in multiple forms and various initiatives to enhance the hospital's healing environment. The Lucille Caudill Little Performing Arts in HealthCare Program also supports, through the UK School of Music, a music therapy graduate degree program.
UK's mUsiKcare program will begin its third semester of group piano lessons for adults ages 50 and up in February. Both beginner and advanced courses are available. For more information, email Vicki McVay at vicki.mcvay@uky.edu or call 859-257-2863.
MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu