At Stanford-affiliated Musical Rounds, musicians sit beside seriously ill patients, listen to their stories, and improvise a soundtrack for the life in front of them — a one-of-a-kind piece, gifted to families as a keepsake.
There are moments in life — quiet, fragile, irretrievable — when words begin to fall short. It is in precisely these moments that Musical Rounds chooses to show up, instrument in hand.
Musical Rounds is a Stanford Medicine–affiliated programme that brings live, improvised music to patients and families navigating serious illness. Their work is built on a deceptively simple idea: music belongs at the bedside. Musicians sit with patients, listen to their stories, and then — in real time — compose a soundtrack for the life in front of them. No score, no rehearsal. Just attention, presence, and sound shaped to a single person.
What emerges is something more than a performance. It is a gift. As one patient put it: “I am so blessed you chose me. This will be a perfect gift to my family to remember me by.” Another simply said, “Beautiful. I never thought I was going to have this experience today.” The soprano Renée Fleming, who has championed the programme, observed that “we know when we’ve reached our audience and it’s silent afterwards.”
For a foundation like ours, Musical Rounds resonates on several levels. It honours the dignity of the individual story. It treats care as something that includes — not excludes — beauty. And it reminds us that meaningful impact does not always announce itself loudly; sometimes it arrives as a melody held in a quiet room.
Terry Hu, founder of the Peak II Foundation, is a personal supporter of Musical Rounds in his individual capacity. We are glad to help share their story here.
To learn more about their work, visit musicalrounds.org.
當音樂走到病榻邊 :關於 Musical Rounds
在與史丹佛醫學院合作的 Musical Rounds 計劃中,音樂家會坐在重病病人身旁,聆聽他們的故事,並即興譜出一段屬於他們的配樂——一份獨一無二、可以留給家人的禮物。
生命裡總有一些時刻——安靜、脆弱、無法重來——是言語也無法承載的。而 Musical Rounds 選擇在這些時刻出現,手中帶著樂器。
Musical Rounds 是一個與史丹佛醫學院(Stanford Medicine)合作的計劃,為正在面對重病的病人與家屬,帶來現場即興演奏的音樂。他們的理念簡單而動人:音樂,本就屬於病榻之側。 音樂家會坐在病人身旁,聆聽他們的故事,然後在當下、即興地,為眼前這個人譜寫一段屬於他自己的配樂。沒有樂譜,沒有彩排,只有專注、陪伴,以及為一個人而生的聲音。
這已經不只是一場演出,而是一份禮物。一位病人這樣說:「我何其有幸被你選中。這將會是我留給家人最美的紀念。」 另一位則只說了一句:「太美了。我從沒想過今天會有這樣的經歷。」 長期支持此計劃的女高音 Renée Fleming 亦曾說過:「當演奏結束後出現一片寂靜,我們就知道,音樂已經抵達了聽眾的心裡。」
對於我們這樣的基金會而言,Musical Rounds 在多個層面上都令人共鳴。它尊重每一個個體獨特的故事;它讓「照顧」這件事,不再排除美的存在;它也提醒我們——真正深遠的影響,未必總是聲勢浩大,有時,它只是一段在安靜病房裡輕輕響起的旋律。
崇嶺基金會創辦人胡勇敏先生以個人身份支持 Musical Rounds。我們很高興能在此分享他們的故事。
了解更多,歡迎瀏覽 musicalrounds.org