When you walk through the door, your attention succumbs to curiosity.
There’s a melody in the air.
The bow glides across the strings.
Fingers dance across piano keys and tickle your ears from the lobby’s corner.
People stop abruptly.
They listen for a moment and flash a smile as they continue on to visit their loved ones.
Betty Monahan and Jo Ann Hudson have performed together at Exempla Lutheran Medical Center for eight years.
Monahan, a violinist, and Hudson, a pianist, play at the hospital every other Monday.
The two musicians perform for patients, their families, doctors, volunteers and hospital staff.
The notes from their instruments provide a level of entertainment but also have a calming effect on those around them.
“It touches people’s hearts,” said Hudson. “God gave me this gift and I’m happy to share it.”
Between the two of them, they have known their instruments for 127 years. The violin that Monahan holds has become an extension of her since she was introduced to it 65 years ago.
“If you have a passion for music, which we do,” said Monahan, “it can last you a lifetime.”
Patients trickle down from their rooms and find a seat in their presence.
Individuals listen with grins on their faces and even request a tune or two.
A child’s inquisitiveness lures them to the balcony’s hand rail to peer through the slats and catch a glimpse of who is creating the sounds below.
Regardless of your purpose at the hospital and the worry that may be associated with your visit, Monahan and Hudson provide a momentary escape.
“Music is an international language and it speaks to a lot of people,” said Hudson. “We feel the music the same way.”
The melodies provoke memories and help transport people to another place in a brief instance.
The music communicates to them through their experiences and helps them recall a happier time when their senses first came across a particular tune.
This could be a wife’s first dance with her husband, a farewell to a family member in service or a mother’s recollection of a lullaby she once sang to her children.
“Music is healing,” said Hudson.
Monahan and Hudson enjoy playing but their satisfaction lies in helping people around them.
They love extracting smiles from frowning faces and initiating dance from a youngster’s feet.
Monahan leaves Hudson’s side at the piano as a new mother makes her way to the exit to take her child home.
She approaches quietly as the child sleeps and begins to softly guide the bow across the violin strings.
The mother smiles and looks at her daughter with a tear in her eye as Monahan plays “Brahm’s Lullaby.”
She stands before them in the middle of the lobby.
She delicately extracts the tones and welcomes the infant into the world.
This is the first encounter the child has had with music since taking her first breath on earth.
The memory may not etch itself in the mind of the baby but it will remain forever in the heart of the mother.