LSU, Baton Rouge General partner to bring music, arts to patients

LSU music and dramatic arts students have begun taking their talents bedside at Baton Rouge General through a new partnership aimed at helping ease hospital stays through the power of artistic performance. “Music and the arts offer tremendous therapeutic benefits,” says Dr. William Russell of Baton Rouge General, adding that the partnership will “enrich our patients’ experiences and provide a unique learning opportunity for the LSU music students.” The partnership is being forged via the hospital’s Arts in Medicine program, launched last fall. As part of the program, live concerts are staged every Friday at noon at the hospital’s Bluebonnet and Mid City campuses. Under the new partnership, LSU students will bring live music, painting and other visual arts to patients. “At the beginning of the year, I challenged our students to consider the concept of social entrepreneurship. Essentially, I wanted them to look at the resources in our college and figure where we might plug in to one of the community’s great needs,” says Joseph Skillen, the LSU music professor leading the program. While patients get the benefit of artistic therapy, Skillen says, the students get to hone their skills in a “non-judgmental venue”—not to mention giving back to the community. More details on the new partnership can be found here.