Healthcare professionals face growing challenges of isolation and burnout, made worse by heavy workloads, lack of resources and the increasing complexity of care. Institutional wellness initiatives often focus on individual resilience, and do not address the system issues that exist and contribute to burnout. Less attention has been paid to shared, creative experiences that foster belonging and provide opportunities for collective renewal within organizations. Music, particularly communal music-making such as singing in a choir, has been shown to promote emotional bonding, synchrony, and empathy through shared rhythm and harmonies. Engaging in musical activities can reduce cortisol, our primary stress hormone. Studies have also demonstrated that group singing releases oxytocin and endorphins, chemicals that enhance trust and connection. Qualitative research studies highlight the sense of shared purpose and emotional release participants experience in musical groups.

This pecha kucha presentation will use rhythms to explain the impact of music on our brain and bodies and describe how music can serve as a bridge for connection with colleagues within and across disciplines. Drawing on personal experiences and evidence from psychology, neuroscience, and arts-in-health scholarship, it makes the case for integrating musical opportunities within healthcare organizations, such as workplace choirs or music reflection groups, and how this can meaningfully contribute to wellbeing, collegiality, teamwork and moral resilience. By bringing voices together, both literally and metaphorically, music offers not only solace but also a means to restore harmony within ourselves, the teams we work in, and across our communities of care.

Dr. Wendy Stewart is a paediatric neurologist and medical educator whose work centers on the health humanities, especially the transformative role of music and visual art in care, learning, and wellbeing. As Assistant Dean Preclerkship, Director of Faculty Development, and Director of Humanities at Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick, she integrates arts-based methods into curricula, leading initiatives that use music and visual arts to strengthen clinical reasoning, teamwork, and professional identity. Her scholarly work focuses on the use of the arts to promote health and wellbeing and advance humanities-informed education and equity. She is classically trained in accordion and can personally attest to the power of music in her own life. She is passionate about teaching and has been recognized with multiple teaching honours—including the DMNB Silver Shovel and Best in Class awards.

COI Disclosure: I do not have an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with any for-profit or not-for-profit organizations