How STROKESTRA harnesses music’s healing power for stroke survivors in Central Florida

07/11/24 • 23 min

Explore the healing power of music for stroke survivors and their families in this episode of the Inspiring Wholeness podcast, presented by AdventHealth in partnership with the Orlando Business Journal.

Rich Moats, music therapist with AdventHealth, joins Rachel Moalli and Alana Jackson, two leaders with the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, to discuss a groundbreaking community project that unites professional musicians, certified music therapists, stroke survivors and their caregivers to make music and improvise together. It’s called STROKESTRA®. To bring the international rehabilitation program to Central Florida, these two organizations joined forces with the world-renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, who pioneered the program in the UK.

“We may use musical exercises to work on cognitive functioning — like executive functioning, attention reasoning, memory — or we might use singing to be a bridge to the injured part of the brain that's responsible for communication,” Moats said. “What I love about this is it's not music therapy, but it's not a performance either. It's landing somewhere in the middle, but it's so much more than all of these separate parts.”

Tune in to this episode to learn more about:

How the partnership between the Dr. Phillips Center and AdventHealth began — when they built a performing arts center together (0:54)
The effect music has on the brain after experiencing a stroke (4:30)
What STROKESTRA is like and the impact it’s making on everyone involved (5:41)
How the arts can benefit whole-body health (13:38)
The possibility that the arts could be prescribed or recommended in a medical context (15:27)
What inspired the Dr. Phillips Center to delve into the world of health care (16:48)

“When we think about health, it's something that happens in every aspect of our lives — where we live, where we work, where we play — and it's really important the arts and culture are involved and considered as part of an integral part of the fabric of what it means to promote health and well-being,” Jackson said.

Disclaimer

AdventHealth and the Orlando Business Journal are providing this podcast as a public benefit. This podcast is not intended to b

AdventHealth has provided whole-person care for 115 years. Today, our services, including cancer, cardiac, neurosurgery, orthopedics and a dedicated women’s and children’s hospital are rated among the nation’s best. Learn more at feelhealthyfeelwhole.com.
Disclaimer
AdventHealth and the Orlando Business Journal are providing this podcast as a public benefit. This podcast is not intended to be a substitute for any professional advice or medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is neither a legal interpretation nor a statement of AdventHealth or the Orlando Business Journal policy. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by AdventHealth or the Orlando Business Journal. The views expressed by our guests are their own. Their participation in the podcast does not imply an endorsement by them or any entity they represent. AdventHealth and the Orlando Business Journal hereby disclaim any and all liability to any party for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequence of damages, arising directly or indirectly from any use of the content in this podcast, which is provided, as is, and without warranties.

Tune in to this episode to learn more about:

How the partnership between the Dr. Phillips Center and AdventHealth began — when they built a performing arts center together (0:54)
The effect music has on the brain after experiencing a stroke (4:30)
What STROKESTRA is like and the impact it’s making on everyone involved (5:41)
How the arts can benefit whole-body health (13:38)
The possibility that the arts could be prescribed or recommended in a medical context (15:27)
What inspired the Dr. Phillips Center to delve into the world of health care (16:48)

Disclaimer

AdventHealth and the Orlando Business Journal are providing this podcast as a public benefit. This podcast is not intended to b

Previous Episode

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and AdventHealth’s Doug Harcombe explore the “hospital of the future” and growth in Lake Nona

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer joins Doug Harcombe, CEO, AdventHealth Central Florida South Market/AdventHealth Lake Nona, to explore plans for the “Medical City.” They talk population growth, access to care, health tourism, innovation and the power of collaborative endeavors.
Lake Nona is the perfect community for AdventHealth’s new “hospital of the future,” which is expected to open in 2026, according to Harcombe. “If you want the world’s most recognized physician or high-quality health care, you don’t have to go anywhere else. You can stay right here in Central Florida, he said. “And we’re designing Lake Nona and our health system network connectivity to help deliver on that.”
Listen to this episode of the Inspiring Wholeness podcast, presented by AdventHealth in partnership with the Orlando Business Journal, to learn about:

How Lake Nona evolved from cow pastures to one of the fastest growing health and life sciences clusters in the nation (1:07)
AdventHealth’s goal to become a health care destination for patients from around the world (4:55)
Integrating innovative technology, from surgical robotic platforms to incisionless surgeries, into patient care (7:20)
How Orlando leaders in government, academia and industry work together to achieve community-focused goals (13:32)
Partnerships that are designed to help businesses thrive while strengthening the quality of life for everyone (e.g., UCF’s Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion) (14:25)

“Our secret sauce here in Orlando — we partner and collaborate better than just about anywhere in the country,” Dyer said.

Next Episode

Central Florida’s housing challenges and the health of homeownership — with Habitat for Humanity Orlando & Osceola and AdventHealth

“Nine out of 10 people in Central Florida can’t afford to buy your average-priced single-family home,” according to Catherine Steck McManus, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Greater Orlando & Osceola County. She said it would take building about 90,000 homes tomorrow to help house everyone in need of one in Central Florida.
In this episode of the Inspiring Wholeness podcast, presented by AdventHealth in partnership with the Orlando Business Journal, McManus joins Brad Hillmon, chief operating officer AdventHealth Orlando, to discuss affordable housing challenges and the health of homeownership.
Listen to this episode to learn about:

What it takes to own a Habitat for Humanity home, from the application process to receiving the keys (2:51)
How Habitat U’s free financial literacy program prepares people to be “home ready” (7:30)
The roles the Orlando Magic, Habitat for Humanity and AdventHealth played in one family’s journey to homeownership and a secure future (10:08)
How stable housing impacts the health and well-being of families far beyond the walls of its physical structure (16:05)
Measuring the success of Habitat for Humanity’s housing projects (17:22)

“It's a place to heal, a place to maintain health. It's a place to build and maintain relationships. All of these are crucial aspects of life that are made more difficult if you don't have a secure place to live,” Hillmon said.