First filmed in February 2020, this video shows how 24-year-old medical student Iain Forrest performs Cello concerts for patients at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Iain has always known that his passion is playing the cello, but he didn’t know that he wanted to be a doctor until he started going to Mount Sinai Hospital to play music for pediatric and oncology patients. “I thought I was going to major in music, I thought I was gonna go and join an orchestra and be the next Yo-Yo Ma,” Iain said.
Iain saw how the music uplifted the patients, which is what really inspired him into exploring medicine. “In medicine and music, you really have to connect with the human beings in front of you,” Iain remarked.
One patient said that “[Music] definitely helps. It makes you forget that you’re in a lot of pain. If you close your eyes to something like that, you’re going to at least get taken somewhere.”
Tamara Solly, nurse manager at Mount Sinai Hospital, says that “It’s proven that when the patient feels better, they will be more engaged in their care. They’re able to speak better and communicate better with the team.”
Iain’s cello performance locations are not limited to the hospital—Iain is known to hold concerts in various sorts of unexpected places. To learn more about Iain and his cello performances, check out this video.
