Foundations Helping Musicians On Call Bring Music and Healing During COVID-19

Musicians On Call is honored to highlight the valuable efforts and critical contributions of these foundations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their support of MOC programming is providing a vital line of funding to ensure that music does not disappear for those patients, family members, and caregivers on the frontlines in hospitals across the US.

Les Paul Foundation

The Les Paul Foundation is providing an instrumental source of support for MOC’s COVID-19 response through a national Virtual Bedside Performance Program partnership. This partnership is enabling MOC to open virtual doors and reach patients, caregivers and healthcare staff in 8 US states with recurring live music performances amongst the challenges and weight of pandemic hospitalization.

Using livestream technology, closed circuit TV systems, and tablets inside patient rooms, each program features live music, including requests from patients, and can safely accommodate hundreds of participants while musicians broadcast from their own homes. This partnership will also provide special Les Paul virtual programs to deliver the healing power of music and Les Paul’s own one-of-a-kind story of perseverance to inspire and encourage a joyful experience for hospitalized children.

The mission of The Les Paul Foundation is one that “inspires innovative and creative thinking by sharing the legacy of Les Paul through support of music education, recording, innovation and medical research related to hearing.” Les Paul’s own life of innovation and dedication to music led to his invention of rock and roll’s signature guitar, hit songwriting, and pioneering modern music recording; landing him seats in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and National Inventors Hall of Fame. And, even before Musicians On Call was born, Les Paul himself was visiting hospitals, among the stops of his sell-out national tour of #1 hits, to deliver the healing power of music to patients.

Through the thoughtful action of the foundation, Les Paul’s legacy will now enable Musicians On Call to continue using virtual technology to transcend the obstacles of this unprecedented crisis; bringing comfort and relief, through the healing power of music, to patients, family members, and caregivers in hospitals across the country.

North Texas Cares – Communities Foundation of Texas

The responsive and generous action of Communities Foundation of Texas, through North Texas Cares, is helping to ensure that Musicians On Call can continue to serve the needs of Dallas hospital patients and their caregivers through this historic health crisis. This network of North Texas community stakeholders and leaders is galvanizing the resources and support of the region to meet the needs of five critical community priorities: Health, Economic Security, Safety & Wellbeing, Education, and Social Justice.

As the COVID-19 virus continues to induce limitations on in-person visitors and volunteers, patients and caregivers have few options for connecting with peers or engaging in positive activities that can improve mood and support recovery, which is needed now more than ever. Through this partnership with North Texas Cares, Musicians On Call is responding to this critical need by delivering its Virtual Bedside Performance Programs across multiple Dallas hospital partners.

This support comes at an integral time as MOC’s COVID-19 response continues to look to serve thousands more Dallas patients and caregivers who are experiencing the harmful social and emotional impact of isolation and disconnection brought on by the pandemic. These funds are ensuring that necessary virtual program technology and program management needs are met to continue operating these live music programs and deliver the mental and emotional relief to those in most need on the frontlines.

To learn more about Communities Foundation of Texas and North Texas Cares please visit their site here.

The Anschutz Foundation

From the onset of Musicians On Call’s launch in Denver, The Anschutz Foundation has been an instrumental partner for enabling the growth of MOC’s mission and for ensuring that the love of music is celebrated and cultivated in Denver hospitals.

As the threat of COVID-19 merged into a present reality, Musicians On Call faced the most significant disruption and threat to its programs in its history of serving the Denver region. Fortunately, through the support of integral community partners like The Anschutz Foundation, MOC had years of cultivating strong and adaptable partnerships with local hospital facilities and had built the essential infrastructure to continue on its mission through the Virtual Bedside Performance Program.

As 2020 continued to unfold its challenges, The Anschutz Foundation stepped up, again, to contribute instrumental support to carry on the impact of MOC’s Virtual Bedside Performance Program in Denver. Leveraging high quality online streaming technology, and MOC’s network of talented volunteers and musicians, this partnership has enabled the organization to transcend the barriers and isolation brought on by this historic health crisis and ensure that thousands of children’s hospital patients, their family members, and caregivers across Denver are able to continue receiving the emotional support and mental health benefits of live music programming.