Nebraska Heartbeats and the Healing Power of Music

Mary Perkinson, D.M.A., an award-winning artist, associate professor, and community leader, brings together the power of music, service, and research to contribute to the greater good through the program Nebraska Heartbeats.

Perkinson’s inspiration comes from the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s HeartStringsÒ program, a music therapy-informed program that brings live, interactive presentations to healthcare and residential facilities.

“I thought, how cool would it be to model that program in Omaha,” Perkinson says, “I wanted to focus on one group of culturally underserved individuals and get to the heart of a best practice by working with experts in the field.”

Perkinson, a University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) music professor, founded Nebraska Heartbeats in 2018. “Our mission is to engage individuals with dementia in meaningful ways through music that's joyous,” Perkinson says. “The music listening and engagement brings about a sense of well-being for the listeners and caregivers alike.”

Nebraska Heartbeats is a platform for musicians to engage with their community in ways that build relationships and make a difference. The curriculum was developed by Vaishali Phatak, Ph.D., ABPP-CN (neuropsychologist/UNMC); Steven Wengel, M.D. (geriatric psychiatrist/UNMC); the UNO Maverick Quartet (Gregory Clinton; Mary Perkinson, D.M.A; Brian Sherwood; and Olga Smola, D.M.A.); and Bridget Shevlin, MT-BC (music therapist).

Dementia deteriorates the mind in stages; it can develop to the point of patients becoming non-verbal. Nebraska Heartbeats seeks to connect with patients through all stages of dementia, which makes music a vital stimulant.

“Music has a unique durability that individuals at all stages of dementia are able to enjoy,” Perkinson says.

Through the power of music, patients with dementia become more energetic and active when they hear their favorite songs from the past.

“Someone will be relatively non-verbal, but when they hear a song that they remember from their 20s or 30s, all of a sudden their eyes will just light up, they become more energetic and alert,” Perkinson says. “Music has the ability to tap at the tip of the iceberg of exploring music and memory research.”

Thanks to support from the UNO School of Music, College of Communications, Fine Arts & Media, Office of Research and Creative Activity, the Great Plains IDeA Clinical & Translational Research Pilot Grant, Nebraska Arts Council, and the NU Collaborative Initiative Grant, Perkinson, and her colleagues have collaborated on research with Dr. Vaishali Phatak, a neuropsychologist in the Department of Neurological Sciences at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Nebraska Heartbeats launched their pilot program via Zoom in 2020 with Hillcrest Health Services, and in January 2024, they will begin their in-person programming. During sessions, UNMC researchers will study music and memory while UNO faculty and students engage with participants through music-making, listening, and reminiscing.

“The Zoom program was so much work, but it was also so rewarding to see the benefit the program was having,” Perkinson says. “Seeing the joy it brought the individuals involved was the impetus to keep us pushing forward with the project.”

“Long-term, I would love to see students in our School of Music engaging more with individuals with dementia through music,” Perkinson says.

In addition to Nebraska HeartBeats, Perkinson founded Sound Health: Bringing Music to Medicine in 2009, a program that gives music majors the opportunity to contribute to the environment of care through live music. Hundreds of UNO Sound Health students have given dozens of performances throughout Omaha healthcare facilities since 2015.

Perkinson remains steadfast in her passion for service and research, and Nebraska Heartbeats demonstrates that passion.

“I want musicians to be educated about the dementia community so they can work with individuals in ways that are joyful and effective,’’ Perkinson says. “What Nebraska Heartbeats comes down to is contributing to the greater good in meaningful ways through music and research.”

The UNO Maverick Quartet performs at Nebraska Medicine’s Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center’s lobby most Tuesdays at 12:15 P.M., and Sound Health performances occur once a month at the same time and location. An up-to-date schedule can be found here.