In the Fall of 2013, the Miamians started a new outreach program. Members from the Miamians began to make visits to several of the area’s children’s hospitals to sing and entertain ailing children. Calling themselves “The Miamians Music Medics”, so far more than 40 chorus members learned a complete repertoire of children’s music for these visits.

Working hand in hand with the dedicated professionals of the “Child Life” departments of these institutions, between four and eight of our Barbershop singers visit the children in the rooms, Pediatric Intensive Care Units and hospital play rooms, bringing some “musical medicine” to brighten their day. As you can see in the pictures, the “Music Medics” appear in the traditional “hospital scrubs”, as they bring their own brand of musical healing to their young listeners.

So far, we have sent our performers to entertain at the Miami Children’s Hospital, the Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, and beginning in April, Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Even in its brief existence, members of the Music Medics have made dozens of hospital visits and brought smiles to the faces of hundreds of our area kids.

The “Medics” have been a huge hit with both the young patients and the medical staff. The singers have received many blessings, kind words of appreciation and blown kisses and have gotten to see a whole lotta happy kids shimmying in their hospital beds!!!

The Music Medics and the entire Miamians Barbershop Harmony Chorus wish to express their heart-felt thanks to STRATEGIC PARTNERS, INC., manufacturers and distributors of the “Dickies” brand of medical uniforms, for the generous donation of the medical “scrubs” that the Music Medics wear on their visits.

What Music Medics means to the children

The children we sing to may respond by smiling or even clapping  But sometimes, we get feedback.

This is from one of our Music Medics:

I have to tell about my “Medics Moment” today. 

We were singing “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” to one of the kids. The dad from a couple beds down asked if we’d sing the same thing to his little boy, who was 4 or 5 years old. He was with the nurse, had a tourniquet on his arm, and was about to get a big old needle in his arm for what I assume was big blood work. 

Poor little guy was terrified. Crying, clinging to his mom, doing his best – but scared in a way only a little kid under those circumstances could be. His dad got him to focus on us, and we sang. While he never completely calmed down, he stopped crying while he watched us and the nurse was able to do her thing. By the time the song finished, the needle was in and taped down, and he was able to be held by his parents. Dad videoed part of our song, and was very, very thankful for us helping his boy through the procedure. 

And that, my friends, is why we do this.