Music is Medicine (MiM) at University of Oklahoma

 
 
Testimonials OU
TESTIMONIALS

“My time with MiM was an unforgettable one that allowed me to grow as a leader while getting to help others in an unconventional manner. Having the opportunity to lead their largest charitable event was an incredible privilege, especially since the event was in honor of one of our member’s sister, who passed away from Alagille Syndrome. Through honoring Mary, I quickly came to realize that MiM was more of a family than an organization. With its unique mission and focus, I believe that KAP will unite all those of different backgrounds and talents that the University of Oklahoma offers to continue making a difference in people’s lives.”

-Quan Nguyen, OU Lip Sync Battle Chair 2017

TESTIMONIALS

“The Lip Sync Battle was an epic event where there was a fun group of people who wanted to compete. People offered to help each other with make-up, and everyone complimented each other’s routines. Although it was a competition, the fun, amusement, and inspiration all brought people together. MiM was an important volunteer/leadership cause for me because I was able to feel like I could give back to others by being a part of MiM. I think music inspires and motivates people to be their ideal selves, and it can heal them too. My favorite memory was singing with other group members at Children’s hospital. It felt like a way where people could provide emotional support for patient’s without crossing any boundaries. I think music provides a platform for people to emotionally relate and support each other without overstepping any boundaries”

-KC Poe,Marketing Coordinator, Lip Sync Battle Winner 2016

TESTIMONIALS

“Prior to joining Music is Medicine (MiM), I volunteered with hospice and connected with many patients through music. I composed piano songs reflecting my patient’s livelihood and played it for them. I understood the value of connecting with patients and bringing them joy through music. When I learned about MiM, I was excited to meet people with the same passion that I had. Joining MiM, I received the opportunity to lead the organization’s largest philanthropy based on using music and creativity. I also gained my favorite memory by volunteering at the Children’s Hospital. The patients sang and played various instruments that outshined their illnesses. MiM provided opportunities to develop leadership skills and volunteerism. I have no doubt that Katie’s Art Project (KAP) will continue to expand MiM’s mission by not only using music but other forms of art to better the lives of children facing medical challenges. I cannot wait to see how well KAP will grow and the light it will bring to children.”

-Patricia Truong, OU Lip Sync Battle Chair 2018, PA Student OUHSC

TESTIMONIALS

“It all started with just a passion, a group of compassionate and hard-working students, and a college campus, and the rest was history. Co-founding a non-profit organization on a school campus was never something I thought I would be able to do, and it turned out to be one of the coolest things I did in college. I can’t speak for all the other amazing individuals that helped laid the foundation for the founding chapter of MiM on our campus, but for me it was so inspiring to realize that opportunities as such and the tools to make our ideas come to fruition often exist within ourselves. We just had to give ourselves the chance to try. MiM did more than intertwine art, leadership, and volunteerism for us, it brought friends, students, patients, and communities together and created many creative outlets for all the individuals involved. May it be event-planning, talent-sharing, volunteering, or mentoring, a project like KAP would surely be a place for students to challenge and enrich themselves in many ways MiM had motivated and inspired its members and communities.”

-Min Xiao/Co Founder, President, President Music is Medicine at OU

TESTIMONIALS

“Isn’t is amazing how one decision can lead to so many new opportunities if you just put one foot forward and jump right in? I never imagined myself starting a chapter on campus and at the time I almost said no. There’s no certainty that goals will succeed but the biggest thing you can do is to take your passion and apply it! Leadership can be daunting at first, especially when you are brainstorming ways to start up an idea/goal from scratch. However, with a great group of students and my founding committee, we learned how to have fun and make an impact on our patient population in small ways. It’s amazing to be a part of an idea that has the potential to grow. Even with our shortcomings, these memories and lessons I’ve carried on to help me start the next part of this journey. My team and I learned from each other and applied new experiences to widen our perspective! To this day we all call ourselves a MiM Family! This is the exact sentiment I hope to see continued with KAP Campus Chapters: A network of diverse student leaders bringing talent, leadership, and volunteerism together for a great cause that encompasses art and patients in many new ways”

-Clara Thomson, Former Music is Medicine at OU Founder/President /Current Executive Director of KAP Campus Chapters

FOUNDING TEAMFrom Left to Right: Front Row: Min Xiao, Josie Simmons, Derek Lehman, Autumn McCullough, Clara Thomson, Athena Nguyen/ Back Row: Samuel Wang, Jessica Shenoi, Olivia Gordon, Garrett Bryant, Jordan Stafford/ Not in picture: Latricia Woodw…

FOUNDING TEAM

From Left to Right: Front Row: Min Xiao, Josie Simmons, Derek Lehman, Autumn McCullough, Clara Thomson, Athena Nguyen/ Back Row: Samuel Wang, Jessica Shenoi, Olivia Gordon, Garrett Bryant, Jordan Stafford/ Not in picture: Latricia Woodward, Emylea Adams,

History: When Music is Medicine (MiM) existed as a separate entity, one of its goals along with its songwriting program was to create student chapters that would help spread their mission. One student chapter that attempted to go above and beyond and remained fairly active was the chapter at the University of Oklahoma that started in 2014. This chapter has grown through trial and error and made small but memorable impacts in the patient and student population in Oklahoma. They are the inspiration of our vision to expand Campus Chapters through Katie’s Art Project after Music is Medicine dissolved as a nonprofit and became an official division under KAP! We hope you can look at these memories to gain insight, inspiration, and ideas on what your KAP campus chapter can also do! Visit or contact campuschapters@katiesartproject.org for more information! Revisit the KAP CAMPUS CHAPTER GOALS here!

Past Presidents

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Founder/President 2014-2016: Clara Thomson 

Clara started this chapter as a junior at OU and is currently a medical student at OU Health Science Center! Her decision to join the Music is Medicine cause has led her in the amazing journey from MiM to KAP that continues to inspire her everyday. She is currently the Executive Director of KAP Campus Chapters and participated in the Music is Medicine program. She describes herself as an extroverted introvert and loves to think BIG regardless of the outcome! 

Favorite Quote: (too many, but in the top 20) “Music is really business.. you have to be using all of your senses at the same time, and you have to be dancing with the circumstance and evolving” -Bradley Jacobs 

Read her full bio at the TEAM page here: https://www.katiesartproject.org/the-team


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President/cO-fOUNDER 2014-2017: Min Xiao

Min Xiao grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and studied Microbiology at the University of Oklahoma (OU). She co-founded OU’s Music is Medicine in 2014 and served as Vice President and later President from 2015-2017. Her passion for music started in 6th grade with the violin and grew as she taught herself to play the guitar and the ukulele. When her grandma got sick and had to live under constant care at a nursing home, she would bring music to her grandma and other residents inside the nursing home. Her orchestra class back in high school also regularly performed for senior homes and share their love for music as well. Those experiences led her to see that music and service can go hand in hand to help patients and are what ultimately attracted her to bring about Music is Medicine to her college campus. Moving forward in her career in medicine, she hopes to stay rooted in her passion for music and service and use them to bring joy and comfort to those affected as much as she can. More importantly, she wishes to encourage more students to give themselves the chance to try out their ideas, even if they may seem like a long shot at first.

Favorite Quote: “the greatest failure is the failure to try.”-William Ward

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President/Vice President 2016-2018: Autumn McCullough

Autumn McCullough joined the founding team of Music is Medicine in 2014 and had the privilege of rising from Event Coordinator in her freshmen year to President her senior year. Autumn spent much of her time working for a residential home for individuals with developmental disabilities as well as nursing homes for the elderly. During her time in each establishment she witnessed the power music had on the mental state of patients. This began her intrigue with the human mind and choosing to pursue a career in neurology.

When not studying Autumn is busy traveling, cooking, and creating content for her personal business.

Favorite quote: “So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” – Morrie Schwartz


Past Activities

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OU LIP SYNC BATTLE

Fulfilling KAP Campus Chapter Goal #2 

The OU Lip Sync Battle was created as the annual fundraiser to raise money for Music is Medicine programming and a medical cause of their choice. In 2016, they raised over $1000 for Music is Medicine and another $1000 for the Diamond Blackfan Foundation through a social media challenge. The OU LSB brings 6-7 contestants together that compete similar to the famous tv show in front of a group of judges. The idea of these fundraising projects that will be continued in KAP Campus Chapters is to bring student artistic talents together of any form to raise money for the KAP cause and other local medical causes, impacting patients albeit indirectly but still making a difference!

OU Daily Excerpt:

http://www.oudaily.com/a_and_e/ou-music-is-medicine-hosts-second-annual-lip-sync-battle/article_81712b8a-f871-11e6-8663-4bc1708e70f5.html

Check out this article from a former member of MiM at OU, and the lip sync battle winner of 2016, KC Poe.

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/how-lip-sync-battle-changed-my-life-music-is-medicine

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MUSIC IN THE ZONE

Fulfilling KAP Campus Chapter Goal #1

Their first “Art Project”

The zone is a large play area at OU Children's Hospital, that is open to all pediatric patients admitted in the hospital. This was a program the students arranged, where undergrad students could bring their instruments, perform songs, and make homemade instrument crafts for the patients that came by once every month. The medical student at OUHSC participated as well on occasion. This is our idea of an art project that brings the student artistic talent  directly to the patient population! Music, painting, writing, etc.  Art is creativity and we want YOU to be #creatorsofArt for a great cause.

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MEETINGS

Fulfilling KAP Campus Chapter Goal #3

During small general body meetings, members were updated on future events or we had speaker meetings where we invited music therapists to speak to us. Some meetings we created videos that were sometimes shown at OU Children’s Hospital’s in house tv channel

Here are a few  memorable ones:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4Ch_gESLto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_MRmG0dUTY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rktqyZL7dMA

This social media challenge called #musicHealsDBA was held in conjunction with the OU Lip Sync Battle of 2016, inspired by a patient Audrey Nethery. We encouraged lip sync battle contestants and the executive team of that year to post a lip sync video and nominate three other people to do the same, all while donating any amount to the gofundme they created for the Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation.

Check out a compilation of all the students who raised money and made lip sync videos for the cause that year! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erQUeST_jYg

 The Kick off video: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=musichealsdba&epa=SEARCH_BOX