Singing nurse connects with QEII patients

With days to live, one man listened to his favourite song from his hospital bed at the QEII’s Halifax Infirmary, his wife sat by his side. The sound didn’t come through headphones or a speaker, but rather, from Brody McGee, a registered nurse. Fully dressed in scrubs, his voice filled the room with James Taylor’s Fire and Rain, as he strummed his guitar.

Brody started working at the QEII after graduating from Dalhousie University in 2014. Six months later, playing music for patients became a regular part of his routine — visiting patients before and after shifts, and during breaks. “It took some courage at first. I’d never seen it done and wondered if it would be accepted by staff, especially the other nurses. I just decided one day to try it, to bring my guitar to work,” he says.

He started by practicing in the break room and was quickly encouraged to play for patients. He begins by asking what kind of music they like, and then uses an app on his phone to read the guitar tabs while he plays.

Music has helped Brody connect with his patients and hear their stories. One woman requested a song that reminded her of her late husband — one they shared together years ago. “It was the first song he asked her to dance to,” he says. When he played it, she cried.

Music has been a lifelong passion of Brody’s, as he grew up singing in church and playing the clarinet. When he’s not working, he spends a lot of time writing and recording music with friends in the city. “Music is my whole life, aside from nursing,” he says.

Brody believes in the healing power of music. Research suggests music therapy improves communication skills, promotes independent mobility and helps people process complex emotions. It also facilitates learning and improves self-esteem.

QEII music therapists work with veterans and patients in palliative care and the rehabilitation centre to restore, maintain and improve mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health — enhancing quality of life. While Brody isn’t a music therapist, he sees an opportunity to positively impact patients in an acute care setting, beyond the services he provides as an RN.

“It helps people stay calm. I’ve seen patients with dementia sing along, which is really cool. With the right song, they connect to memories from when they were younger,” he says.