Part II. Health in the Spotlight: Artists and Leading Presenters Discuss Key Health and Community Initiatives

How to Fall in Love with Opera: Ana Patchett – Award Winning Novelist

• A novelist who had limited exposure to music growing up tells her story of how she learned to appreciate opera in order to write her next novel. Thanks to Renée Fleming, her novel, Bel Canto has become an opera itself. This is a great story about how far music can take someone.

Our Symphony Orchestra: The People’s Band and a Symbol of Civilization: Ben Folds – Artistic Advisor, National Symphony Orchestra

• The symphony orchestra is a fundamental symbol of civilization. It dominates big movie soundtracks because it’s effective. In order to keep it more vital, many efforts have been made to incorporate pop music and musicians. This is tricky, but it’s a good way to broaden the audience and introduce young people to the orchestra. There are also efforts to involve the musicians themselves in decisions so they are more likely to enjoy their work. Accordingly, Ben sees the orchestra as the people’s band and an essential part of life.

Art for Non-Arts Outcomes: Deborah RUtter – President, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

• Shortly after JFK was assassinated, the Kennedy Center was created to realize his vision regarding the arts as the standard bearer for our highest aspirations. One successful project that now exists in 60 schools is Turnaround Arts. The goal here is to master the core curriculum through music, movement, the visual arts, and creative writing. In addition to higher scores in reading and math, these schools have much lower suspension rates.
• A current focus is on using the arts to help students with disabilities. This is vital as one fourth of our population has a disability of some sort. Giving students lines to learn, for example, is a great way to motivate them to learn how to read better.

Musical Connections: What Can Music Do? Sarah Johnson – CEO & Director, Weill Music Institute, Carnegie Hall

• Her lullaby project has brought together song writers and expectant mothers to compose lullabies that the moms can sing to their babies. Nearly fifty organizations now bring this project to refugee camps, health-care settings, schools, universities, and correctional facilities. Children often request their lullabies and moms have made group recordings.
• Sarah has also brought the joy of music to the Sing Sing correctional facility in Ossining, NY. They started with Latin Jazz, but soon expanded their repertoire when they found out that many in their audience enjoyed classical music. The program expanded to involve inmates and ex cons in performances. Thus far no participant has gone back to prison after release.

Dance and Parkinson’s: Finding Humanity Through a Musical Road Map by David Leventhal – Director, Dance for PD, Mark Morris Dance Group

• David is the creator of dance experiences for people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). It is a degenerative neurological condition that can cause slowness of movement, balance impairment, tremors, and rigidity. Dance seems like an ideal treatment as it develops strength, stamina, and balance. It is a cognitive activity that involves expression, creativity, and problem solving.
• Dance has been shown to slow both motor and non-motor PD symptoms. You can find Dance for PD classes in more than 300 communities in 25 countries. Dance for PD has also entered the field of tele-health. Many people now find great joy as they share their dance experiences with a global online community.

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