From the Foreword by Dr. Bernard Lown
The older I grow, the more convinced I become that the miracle of life is that miracles do happen. For example, this very book, Scales to Scalpels, is a tale of the miraculous that awes the reader with a profound insight: when people devote their lives no merely to the quest for self-fulfillment but also to a communal quest for worthiness, the miraculous is close at hand.
How else to explain the phenomenon--nay the miracle--of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra, a volunteer group of more than one hundred health professionals who have been performing classical concerts for nearly thirty years. These are overachievers whose every moment is at a premium, who continuously forage scarce teim in pursuit of medical and musical excellence. They perform without fiscal reward, without much personal recognition, investing hours in rehearsal as they aim for an elusive musical perfection. The musicians share each performance with a healthcare or community organization that responds to the needs of the underserved, the abandoned, and the forgotten. Every concert thus makes an enduring difference. The music-making is not limited to orchestral performances: the LSO also offers on a monthly basis outreach programs featuring small ensembles that play in senior centers, hospices, rehabilitation centers, homeless shelters, and hospitals....
The LSO is more than an orchestra. It is a community organizer. By bringing music to the most needy, it not only heals what ails people physically but also fills a spiritual void. To the alienated in the rough and tumble of urban anarchy, the LSO serves as a role model of how the meaning of existence is nurtured by serving others. As the consummate physician essayist Lewis Thomas wrote in Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony, "I am inclined to assert unconditionally, that there is one central, universal aspect of human behavior, genetically set by our very nature, biologically governed, driving each of us along...it can be defined as the urge to be useful. This urge drives society along, sets our behavior as individuals and in groups, invents all our myths, writes our poetry, composes our music."
In coupling music-making with communal engagement, the LSO is following in the footsteps of Dr. Albert Schweitzer, humanist, physician, musician, and scholar. Schweitzer expressed his reverence for life by doctoring those living in Lambarene, Gabon. The modern-day troubadours of the LSO, by melding music with healing, foster emotional connectivity and spirituality in the cathedral of our turbulent urban space.
Bernard Lown, M.D.
Professor, Harvard School of Public Health
Senior Physician Emeritus, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston
Foreword by Dr. Lisa Wong
FOREWORD (excerpt)
Scales to Scalpels
I have spent my life sharing the healing arts of music and medicine with patients and audiences. Contrary to what you might think, there are strong parallels between the two. Both require high degrees of training, passion, focus and the sharing of humanity. When a musician looks at a piece of music the notes are just dots on a page--a visual representation of an aural experience. Once analyzed, digested, and understood, and once the musician adds his or her own voice, experience and creativity, those dots can miraculously transform into wrenchingly beautiful or heartbreakingly passionate music.
As doctors, we similarly see that a medical diagnosis cannot come strictly from a set of lab tests or stack of X-rays. Medicine is as much an art as music: we incorporate knowledge of anatomy and physiology, add experience and creativity-- and arrive at an elegant diagnosis that is unique to the patient. Just as we listen to the music, we must listen to the patient.
Lisa M. Wong, M.D.
Pediatrician, Musician and Author
www.drlisamwong.com
Scales to Scalpels
I have spent my life sharing the healing arts of music and medicine with patients and audiences. Contrary to what you might think, there are strong parallels between the two. Both require high degrees of training, passion, focus and the sharing of humanity. When a musician looks at a piece of music the notes are just dots on a page--a visual representation of an aural experience. Once analyzed, digested, and understood, and once the musician adds his or her own voice, experience and creativity, those dots can miraculously transform into wrenchingly beautiful or heartbreakingly passionate music.
As doctors, we similarly see that a medical diagnosis cannot come strictly from a set of lab tests or stack of X-rays. Medicine is as much an art as music: we incorporate knowledge of anatomy and physiology, add experience and creativity-- and arrive at an elegant diagnosis that is unique to the patient. Just as we listen to the music, we must listen to the patient.
Lisa M. Wong, M.D.
Pediatrician, Musician and Author
www.drlisamwong.com
