Humanizing the hospital space through music

Thinking of the human encounter as a key element in the hospital environment, more than a humanization challenge, is an exercise in shifting concepts. Caring as something that transcends medical procedures needs to be incorporated by health professionals. Within the humanist movement, we have the Person-Centered Approach, formulated by C. Rogers. When using this approach, the importance of the empathic encounter in a relationship of mutual growth becomes clear. Music, from this perspective, is seen as something capable of promoting encounters, re-signifying environments, opening up channels of communication and aiding rehabilitation processes. In this book, two musical experiences in two hospital contexts are described. The first talks about the use of music in hospital visits promoted by "MedClown" (the Program for Humanizing Medical Training). The other refers to "Musicando a Brinquedoteca", a project where hospitalized children experienced musical activities. In both experiences, moments of playfulness and imagination led to unique moments of musical enjoyment and human encounter.