Pianist helps soothe the pain
Pianist Miu Shimizu has been using her skills as a music therapist to help ease the pain of terminally ill patients at Meadow House Hospice.
Miu began volunteering with the hospice last year and the sound of music fills Meadow House once a week when the musician plays a mixture of pop, jazz and rock songs depending on the mood.
One of her favourite pianists in Elton John who himself paid a visit to the Ealing Hospital site to open a new ward in the 1990s.
“We open up patients’ doors so they can hear me play,” says the Tokyo born musician who came to the UK several years ago to study.
“I do take requests and patients and families often ask for a music with a particular mood rather than a specific artist or song title. I’ll often find myself chatting to patients about music and how it makes them feel.”
Miu will be performing a fundraiser for the hospice at 2.30pm on Friday July 12 with her landlady and fellow musician and bassoonist Joanna Burley, flautist Nanako Nakamura, and singer Sophie.
Joanna added: “We are quite a musical household and I’m a great believer in music’s ability to positively influence mood and feeling. This is especially important when people are going through tough times.”