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May 27, 2007

"Are we not formed, as notes of music are,
For one another, though dissimilar?" --Percy Bysshe Shelley

Songs of Love: Music as Medicine

Seven-year-old Ronald Sterling of New York City loves baseball, hot dogs, doughnuts with sprinkles and Sesame Street. This week, Ronald, who has a serious genetic disorder that affects his immune system, received a special treat. Bob McGrath of Sesame Street along with 15,000 schoolchildren recorded a song all about him at Shea Stadium. The event marked the 12,000th song produced by the Songs of Love Foundation, a non-profit group that creates personalized compositions for children and teens who are chronically or terminally ill, disabled or otherwise disadvantaged. Each song has its own melody and lyrics that describe the child's interests, family, friends and pets. John Beltzer founded the organization after the loss of his twin brother to suicide. Songs of Love was the title of a piece his brother had written two months before his death. Excerpts of Ronald's song and more here.