Participating Artists
Harmony & Healing Basics for Artists
Basic Information for Participating Artists
What Is Harmony & Healing? (Watch this Video!)
Harmony & Healing believes in the power of music to bring light and comfort, especially during life’s most tender moments. That’s why we connect talented, compassionate artists with hospice and hospital patients and their families, offering live musical performances filled with joy and connection.
Our artists perform one-hour musical visits, generally in-person and occasionally via Zoom from their home studios to patients at hospice, hospital, and rehabilitation facilities.
Think of yourself as going on a special “musical visit” – sharing stories behind the music, and then filling the space with your beautiful sound.
Performances can be soloists or small groups. It’s easier to schedule with solo artists, and we pay a flat rate per “visit,” so more musicians in your group may not necessarily be what you’re looking to do.
In-Person Musical Visits
Today, the vast majority of our musical visits occur in-person at healthcare facilities. We work with rehabilitation centers, hospices, and hospitals throughout our service area, bringing live music directly to patients and their families.
If you know of a qualified hospice, hospital, or rehabilitation facility interested in hosting musical visits, we warmly invite you to connect them with us at Harmony & Healing. By establishing a relationship with the facility, there may be opportunities for you to be scheduled for in-person visits with corresponding compensation.
Please encourage the facility’s Recreation Director, Entertainment Director, or Activities Director to reach out to us directly at hello@harmonyandhealing.org. We look forward to exploring how we can collaborate to bring the healing power of music to their community.
Musical Genres We Welcome
Harmony & Healing welcomes artists across a wide range of musical genres, including classical, jazz, folk, pop, rock, country, and more. Our patients come from diverse backgrounds with varied musical tastes, and we value the unique connection each genre creates. Classical musicians bring a particularly calming presence that many patients and families deeply appreciate.
Age Requirements
Artists must be at least 18 years of age to participate in our program. Minors interested in bringing music to healthcare settings may wish to explore volunteer programs offered directly by local hospitals or hospices, which often have their own youth volunteer frameworks with appropriate supervision.
About Song Requests
Song requests from patients at facilities are uncommon, though they do happen sometimes. Overall, you should only expect to play reasonably well-known pieces within your genre. Classical musicians might receive a request for Beethoven or Mozart; jazz musicians might hear a request for something upbeat or mellow. You are never expected to know songs outside your repertoire or genre. The goal is connection through your music, not the ability to play anything on demand.
How Facility Scheduling Works
Harmony & Healing maintains relationships with healthcare facilities throughout our service area. Once you’re accepted as a Participating Artist, we match you with facilities based on scheduling availability, location, and musical fit. You do not need to find your own facilities, though it’s a great way to get more Harmony & Healing visits on your schedule, and if it’s a good fit, we welcome introductions to new partner organizations.
What to Expect at In-Person Musical Visits
In-person visits typically occur at healthcare facilities during weekday afternoons. You’ll perform for groups of patients, their families, and staff members in a common area or designated performance space.
We’ll equip you with essential information about the facility and any specific requests they might have regarding musical preferences. As with all our visits, you should interact warmly with patients by taking song requests and sharing musical stories or experiences. However, you must never ask their names, why they’re receiving care, or any other personal information due to HIPAA considerations (patient privacy).
Performance Setup
For in-person visits, you’ll need:
- Your instrument(s) and any necessary amplification
- A portable sound system if performing in larger spaces (discuss with facility)
- Professional appearance and demeanor
- Flexibility to adapt to the facility’s space and patient needs
Musical visits run for an hour, giving you time to really connect with your audience.
Virtual Musical Visits via Zoom
While most of our visits now occur in-person, we continue to offer virtual performances via Zoom when circumstances require. These visits serve patients who cannot attend group gatherings or when facilities request remote performances.
Essential Technical Requirements
If you’re accepted as a Harmony & Healing Visiting Artist for virtual visits, you’ll need:
Minimum Equipment:
- A stable internet connection suitable for clear video streaming
- Professional quality microphone (AKG or Shure condenser mic, Shure SM58, SM7 or equivalent)
- Audio mixer (especially important if using accompaniment tracks or multiple instruments)
- Access to the Zoom platform
- Good lighting in your performance space
Audio Considerations: If you can carry the performance with your voice and instrument alone, that’s excellent. Backing tracks can add welcome fullness, particularly for vocalists who don’t accompany themselves.
To use backing tracks with Zoom, you’ll need a mixer so Zoom receives a single, clean audio source. Playing tracks through a speaker in the room generally sounds tinny and unprofessional.
A quick test-recording on Zoom beforehand will reveal any technical issues. Simply record yourself and play it back to ensure your setup sounds professional.
Conducting Virtual Visits
Virtual visits are typically scheduled on weekdays, either late morning or early afternoon. You’ll receive essential information about the patient and any specific musical requests beforehand.
During virtual performances, interact with patients by taking song requests and sharing musical stories, but never ask personal information due to HIPAA privacy requirements.
Updated Artist Compensation (October 2025)
Artists with at least one year of experience working with Harmony & Healing are compensated for their hard work by Harmony & Healing with a fee of $175 per successful (it actually happened and wasn’t canceled) Zoom musical visit, or $250 for an in-person visit (which are happening more and more lately!) If you are a new Participating Artist, the fee is $150 for Zoom musical visits and $200 for in-person visits.
No payments are made for canceled visits. Payments are typically made quickly via Zelle or PayPal. You’ll receive complete information before you do a musical visit.
Training and Support
Harmony & Healing is dedicated to providing our artists with the necessary support and resources. This includes training sessions to prepare you for your virtual performances and access to a supportive artist community. We’re here to help you every step of the way.
Time Commitment
We understand that our artists have varying schedules. However, we do ask for some regular availability, typically weekday afternoons. You may perform once per quarter, once a month, or more often.
Typically our Participating Artists can expect to perform several times per year or month, depending on the number of requests, number of open facilities, and the genre of music requested.
Specifics of this will be discussed during the onboarding process and prior to each musical visit.
Code of Ethics and Professionalism
As a representative of Harmony & Healing, we expect all artists to uphold a high standard of professionalism and ethical conduct. This encompasses respecting the privacy and dignity of our patients, adhering to our guidelines for suitable content and interaction, and punctuality for scheduled performances.
What Are You Waiting For?
Together, we can make a profound difference in people’s lives through the universal language of music. If you’re ready to use your musical talents to enhance someone’s life journey, we look forward to welcoming you as a Harmony & Healing participating artist.
Founded in January, 2019, Harmony & Healing is a hospital and healthcare facility music charity, and an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) charitable organization, founded by San Ramon resident and former BOSTON band member, David Victor.
Our EIN is 83-3162389 and our mailing address is:
HARMONY & HEALING
11040 Bollinger Canyon Road Suite E-938
San Ramon, CA 94582
Our phone number is: 925.364.4517
See our non-discrimination policy here.
Learn more about how Harmony & Healing started here.