Music blogs
JoyRx is excited to welcome Texas Children’s Hospital – North Austin as our newest hospital location in Austin. On June 26, 2024, we launched live, bedside music for children and families in the hospital.
On Tuesday, June 25, JoyRx Music took to the stage to host a summer concert at Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel.
For children at Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel and Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, Bilingual Musical Storytime is more than just a chance to listen to music — it’s also an opportunity to learn more about their world.
We’re pleased to announce our newest hospital partner for 2024. Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, joined the JoyRx Music Network on May 7.
It’s been a fruitful fiscal year for JoyRx Music’s programmatic expansion across the country. From Portland to Austin to New York City to Memphis — we’re ending our 2023-2024 fiscal year at the end of April 2024 with 46 pediatric hospital and healthcare partners, including 10 new sites in our network.
Editor’s note: This special edition blog was written by JoyRx Music Manager Elke Downer.
What a week! JoyRx Director of Partner Engagement Allyn Cripe and I recently attended and presented at the forty-seventh annual APOSW (Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers) conference, which took place in Chicago, Illinois, from April 8 to 10.
When asked to describe five-year-old Randy, Irene’s face always lights up, and her answer is immediate: “He is brave and strong and brilliant.”
As a PMHE survivor, fifteen-year-old Aaron knows the transformative power of music during difficult moments. That’s why he’s dedicated to giving back to kids like him through the gift of song.
JoyRx Music Digital Live has had a wonderful year of bringing joy to children nationwide through virtual concerts, special events, or one-on-one interactions via tablet.
At just thirteen years old, Connor is known for his compassion. He loves bonding with others, discovering new places, and meeting new friends.
“Connor has a heart of gold,” his dad, Steven, often says.
For JoyRx Music Volunteer Elaina, giving back to the community is a meaningful way to bring Joy to others. At just fifteen years old, Elaina is committed to creating what she calls “a positive domino effect” through her love of music, sharing personalized songs she writes for the children we serve.
November is International Arts in Health month – a time dedicated to promoting and celebrating the important impact that the arts contribute toward health and wellness – and JoyRx Music is getting involved by bringing the healing power of music to pediatric patients at UMass Memorial Medical Center – Children’s Medical Center for their second annual Arts in Health concert celebration.
“Olivia is certainly one of the most easygoing humans I have ever known,” Olivia’s mom, Kimmie, said.
It’s an apt way to describe Olivia: she’s a bright and optimistic girl who’s always ready to smile and cheer others on. She loves soccer, dancing, holidays, and her family. She’s always ready to greet others with a big hug.
JoyRx Music On Demand is evolving! We’re excited to announce that our On Demand music offerings are now available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, on any device, through our kid-directed YouTube channel: JoyRx Kids.
On August 8, JoyRx hosted an outdoor concert in the sunny courtyard at Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon, where JoyRx musicians, JoyRx-served teens, and guest performers took to the stage to bring Joy to the community.
On Monday, July 31, singer-songwriter Amos Lee joined JoyRx Music Specialists to surprise kids at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon. He treated the kids to a short concert and sing-along. The event left kids singing, dancing, and keeping to the beat with egg shakers.
July 4 is a special day not just because it’s one holiday — but two! It’s time to celebrate: Not only is it Independence Day, but it’s also recognized as National Country Music Day.
What can Joy do? In December 2022, Connor was admitted to Randall Children’s Hospital after experiencing a debilitating brain bleed. Once he’d undergone multiple surgeries, Connor and his family knew weeks of recovery were in front of him.
When Priscilla Islas-McGaughy was five months pregnant with her daughter, Kamari, she learned news that rocked her family’s entire world: Kamari would be born with a rare congenital heart disease, Truncus Arteriosus Type 2, and would require surgery once she was born.
Vice President of Programs at JoyRx, Maura Boyce, recently wrote an article for Healthcare Business Today on the power and importance of music as medicine.
For children who love playing and embarking on adventures, bumps and bruises are common and are often nothing to worry about. A parent can give their child a hug and an ice pack, and most kids are back on their feet ready to play again. However, for the now five-year-old daughter of Madiha, the bump on her finger was life-changing.
When Jaimi first reached out to JoyRx, her request was simple: a song for her four-year-old son, James. Located in Alaska, James wasn’t receiving his treatment at a JoyRx-served healthcare partner facility, but Jaimi heard about JoyRx though an online support group and hoped for a connection through our Digital Live offering.
Is there music played in hospitals? That’s a resounding yes! JoyRx celebrated the St. Patrick’s Day spirit with a concert just for Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas.
Like many 12-year-old girls, Zoa has pictures of her favorite band, Panic! At The Disco, plastering her walls. Unlike, many girls, Zoa is also battling Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), pre-leukemia bone marrow failure. When Zoa learned that Panic! At The Disco would be coming to Portland for a concert, she told her parents that more than anything, she wanted to see them live.
Veda is a charming young talent who is truly wise beyond her years. Both compassionate and polite, she’ll greet you with a handshake, a warm smile, and ask how you’re doing today.
Seventeen-year-old Jacob Daskalakis has a contagious smile and a zest for life that is apparent the moment you meet him. He loves riding his dirt bike, running, cheering on the Portland Trail Blazers, and making others laugh.
An experienced MyMusicRx Volunteer, Tim Uecker has played music for kids battling serious medical illnesses for over 15 years. He started volunteering in 2001 when he was working at a local music shop and heard about the MyMusicRx Hallway Harmonics volunteer music program.
In 2014, life threw McKenzie a pretty big curveball. She came down with what seemed to be a simple case of the sniffles — but was actually a rare virus that caused devastating polio-like symptoms. Twelve days later, she was paralyzed from the neck down.
At 18-months-old, Colton started having seizures. What began as a mere eye flutter, eventually escalated into 5-hour long episodes and a medically induced coma.
Marcella Mercado is a courageous young woman who dances circles around her cystic fibrosis — literally. She loves to dance, everything from hip-hop and lyrical to jazz and ballet. Although her disease requires her to take a few extra precautions, she refuses to let it get in the way of her life.
More joy here
Friends and supporters of JoyRx gathered together on Monday, August 5, 2024, at the beautiful Willamette Valley Country Club in Canby, Oregon, to tee off for the sixteenth annual CCA Invitational.
JoyRx is excited to welcome Texas Children’s Hospital – North Austin as our newest hospital location in Austin. On June 26, 2024, we launched live, bedside music for children and families in the hospital.
Today we’re sharing the news that Grace Holland will be stepping down from her role as Regional Executive Director, South, for JoyRx.
Create Joy with us!
Individuals and organizations can make a difference in the lives of the kids and families we serve through giving, volunteering, partnering, creating events, and so much more.