BLOG: Music is medicine for the soul, part 2 - Healio

After finishing rounding astatine Sparrow Hospital this afternoon, our inferior endocrine chap Palak Kachhadia, MD, and I approached the lobby and saw Kairo Noronha performing connected the expansive soft by the hospital’s cafeteria.

I had not seen Kairo for fewer months, arsenic helium was engaged applying to aesculapian schools. I introduced him to the fellow, who had heard Kairo’s communicative — I person been sharing his uplifting communicative with colleagues successful our division.

Saleh Aldasouqi, MD, FACE, ECNU, plays the soft arsenic his teacher, aesculapian pupil campaigner Kairo, looks on. Photo credit: Palak Kachhadia.

A twelvemonth ago, I wrote part 1 of “Music is medicine for the soul” astir Kairo’s imagination to larn medicine and go a doc and my imagination to larn to play piano. As I wrote successful that post, I was mesmerized erstwhile I heard idiosyncratic playing the expansive soft successful Sparrow Hospital’s lobby. I was eating luncheon astatine the adjacent cafeteria, and erstwhile I heard the soft performance, I took my tray and sat astatine a array adjacent the piano.

After the performer finished the opus helium was playing, I clapped and introduced myself. His sanction was Kairo, a talented caller assemblage postgraduate who was volunteering astatine Sparrow Hospital. He told maine astir his dream, and I told him astir mine. We agreed that helium would thatch maine soft and I would thatch him medicine. I told him I dreamed of play Yanni’s songs myself, particularly “One Man’s Dream,” “Felitsa” and “Until the Last Minute.

As I wrote successful the earler post, erstwhile I asked him astir his sanction and whether it came from Cairo, the superior of Egypt, helium said it did. He said his begetter had a large passionateness for the city. We past joked astir swapping the C for a K.

Last year, Kairo finished his undergraduate grade successful kinesiology astatine Michigan State University, and helium has since been moving successful a rehabilitation halfway arsenic good arsenic volunteering astatine Sparrow Hospital. After our gathering astatine the expansive piano, I benignant of “adopted” Kairo and became a mentor for him. I saw successful him a promising aboriginal doctor, who has this acquisition of music.

Kairo began learning euphony astatine property 5 years by his mother, a pianist herself. I deliberation an idiosyncratic with philharmonic passionateness volition marque a large doctor. I judge specified an idiosyncratic promises to person large empathy, an indispensable property that each doctors should beryllium good equipped with. I americium a beardown believer that “music is medicine for the soul.”

I added Kairo to my probe team, and helium participated successful an ongoing survey we were conducting astatine our endocrine clinic. He past took the MCAT and scored rather well. He is present interviewing astatine aesculapian schools, and I spot helium volition beryllium accepted into a bully one. He asked for a missive of recommendation, and I anticipation the missive volition resonate with prospective aesculapian schools helium is applying to.

The idiosyncratic connection that Kairo wrote successful his aesculapian schoolhouse exertion was truthful powerful. He talked astir immoderate hard societal experiences successful his puerility that shaped him into a forward-looking, self-built and hard-working young man, with a large imagination — to beryllium a doctor. He spoke truthful highly astir his parents and their pivotal roles successful his upbringing. I spot that this statement, positive Kairo’s qualifications, aspirations, experiences and utmost professionalism volition entreaty to aesculapian schools arsenic an perfect aesculapian pupil candidate

In return, Kairo kept his committedness to maine — teaching maine music. He gave maine a fewer soft lessons connected his piano. I had ne'er played before, and helium gave maine important philharmonic tips. I did not person immoderate cognition of speechmaking expanse euphony oregon terminology. Music is simply a blase theoretical science. It was similar rocket subject to maine but adjacent much hard to apply. Too galore things to coordinate: the eyes connected the notes and staffs, fingers connected the keys, and memorizing the alphabets CDEFGAB and vice versa, which is counterintuitive to the alphabet that starts with A. The astir hard task is to maestro the letters connected the lines and staff: A celebrated mnemonic is Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, for the letters connected the lines successful the treble clef, the close hand’s fingers, starting with the mediate C moving toward the close up the higher transportation keys!

I know, a batch of weird terminology and concepts — and determination are overmuch much to learn.

I became much determined to larn piano, truthful I enrolled successful MSU’s Community Music College. I person learned the euphony sheet, and I tin present play elemental songs and pieces, similar Jingle Bells, Ode to Joy, Friends, etc, songs that kids and beginners larn to play.

But my dream, arsenic shared with Kairo, was to play Yanni’s songs, particularly “One Man’s Dream.”

As I wrote successful the earlier post, I had thought that the portion Kairo was playing was a Yanni song. Kairo told maine aft our instauration that it was a opus by Yiruma. But past helium agreed that Yiruma’s portion had a portion akin to a portion successful “One Man’s Dream.”

When we met again today, Kairo said that helium volition soon person much clip to thatch maine much piano, arsenic helium volition decorativeness interviewing astatine aesculapian schools. He told maine that it is present clip that I larn to play “One Man’s Dream.” I said, “No, that is difficult.” But helium past helium taught maine to play near manus repeated introductory notes, portion helium played the higher notes with his close hand. We collectively played the archetypal portion of “One Man’s Dream,” and it was truthful fulfilling!

Finally, I asked him to perceive to the portion that I person focused connected learning, the “Lullaby” song. I pulled retired the expanse euphony from my pouch and I played it, and I was arrogant of myself. Lullaby is truthful peculiar to me, arsenic it reminds maine of my girl Jinan, who passed away aboriginal successful beingness owed to a uncommon congenital encephalon disorder, arsenic I elaborate successful an earlier post.

The chap was amazed to spot her attending play the piano, and she took the photograph successful the figure.