Vital Sounds with Melanie Ambler
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What is the premise of Melanie Ambler’s memorable Zoom cello concert?
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You're listening to The Nocturnists, stories from the world of medicine. I'm Emily Silverman. Today we speak with medical student Melanie Ambler, who is also a cellist and shares a story about the most memorable cello concert she's ever performed, which happened to be over Zoom with an audience of only one person. In addition to her medical studies at Stanford, Melanie works as a musician on call for Project Music Heals Us, which you'll hear more about in the conversation that follows her story. She graduated from Brown in 2019 and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to study music and dementia in France. Melanie told her story live at the Nocturne Show in San Francisco in June of 2022. And then, as you'll hear in our conversation, again in Chicago in September 2022 at a special show that we did at the Women in Medicine Summit.
And it's that second performance that you will hear in this episode today. In the conversation that follows, we'll talk about Melanie's love of her instrument, her experience working with innocrinous story coaches, and a bit more about the work that she's doing at the intersection of music and medicine. I know you'll enjoy Melanie just as much as I did. Here is Melanie's story.
It's been a bad week. I've had this lingering cold for over three weeks and I've been coughing so much and every time I cough people think I have COVID. So I've been holding in my cough. And because of that, my entire body hurts. My abs have literally never been this defined in my life. It's also my first week of exams in medical school. I've never been this stressed in my life. I have no idea what is going on. I don't know how to study, and I'm terrified. My crush is also fully leading me on. He's being incredibly problematic, saying, Oh, I'm just not ready right now. And I'm like When's now gonna happen? Is it gonna be sooner rather than later? I have no idea. And in my one moment of joy. I'm sitting in class.
My friend tells me a joke. I laugh. And my rib pops. It quite literally pops out. Goes back in. And in my very limited medical knowledge, I know that that's probably not supposed to happen. And so I've spent the past few days. Sitting on my couch, hugging a pillow. Watching Zoom lectures Eating a lot more Ben and Jerry's than I care to admit. Just trying to get by. But it's reached Wednesday of that week. And I have a virtual concert to give. I started playing virtual concerts for critically ill patients at the start of the pandemic. And every Wednesday I sign on. Um I connect with the veterans affairs hospital in Denver, Colorado. And I play one on one concerts for patients.
How did Melanie’s personal challenges lead to the decision to perform a virtual concert?
Нормалі, із абсолют хилет о майк. Десь. I am dreading signing on. But I've made a commitment. So I get up off the couch. Put my spoon in the sink.
Ha ha ha.
Go grab my cello of seventeen years. Her name is Shelby. Longest relationship I've ever been in. Um open my door, walk into my room, go into that familiar corner between my bed and my wall with just enough room for my bow to pass. I open up my computer, plug in my little USB microphone and click that familiar Blue Zoom logo. And immediately Tim's face fills the screen. Tim is the pulmonary critical care doc that I've been working with for the past two years on this project. And he is the most wonderful human being mentor role model in my life. And not even his smile can cheer me up that day. So instead he goes into telling me a little bit about the patient that I will be playing for. says Melanie. Uh Mr.
N is the first patient that we found for you today. He's been here for a while. But he's actually going home today. And he would really love to hear some music.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the premise of Melanie Ambler’s memorable Zoom cello concert?
0:00–3:54
2
How did Melanie’s personal challenges lead to the decision to perform a virtual concert?
3:54–14:51
3
What inspired Melanie to start playing music for critically‑ill patients during the pandemic?
14:51–29:22
4
How did the collaboration with story coach Charlie shape the narrative of her performance?
29:22–45:27
5
What was the audience’s reaction and how did the room’s energy change during the Chicago show?
45:27–45:28