Music as Medicine: Training Pianists for Healthcare Settings

The Department of Piano hosts a guest lecture by Todd Van Kekerix, Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Houston and Artist-in-Residence, Center for Performing Arts Medicine at Houston Methodist Hospital.

What does it take to bring music to the bedside – and do it well?

Drawing on his work at Houston Methodist Hospital, Todd Van Kekerix explores the artistic, interpersonal, and practical skills pianists need to serve effectively in healthcare settings. Patient stories, video examples, feedback, and outcomes data make the work concrete while revealing what is rewarding, surprising, and challenging at the bedside.

The session considers repertoire flexibility, lead-sheet realization, on-the-spot arranging, emotional presence, and bedside manner, along with the practical realities of identifying hospital partners, understanding Artist-in-Residence structures, preparing for patient interactions, and navigating liability and logistics.

A live request-and-response demonstration will show how musical decisions are made in real time, followed by discussion of how these capacities can be cultivated through studio class, pedagogy coursework, and community engagement. The lecture concludes by asking how a broader definition of the pianist might reshape training and professional opportunity.