Mayo Clinic artist in residence Tane Danger and researcher Angela Lunde discuss how improv and music help engage patients with dementia. Photo: PBS NewsHour
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August 28, 2026
What if improv and music could reach patients that medicine alone cannot? At the Mayo Clinic, artists and researchers are weaving the arts into dementia care. Students explore the idea of "music as medicine" and the science behind it.
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The medical community is trying many approaches to help push back against the advance of Alzheimer’s and dementia. One leading institution is taking a different and unconventional approach to supplement the traditional treatments: incorporating the arts and humanities into patient care, including improv and music.
View the transcript of the story.
Short on time? Watch the video and complete the following See, Think, Wonder questions: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?
Dementia — umbrella term used to describe a variety of neurological (brain) conditions that affect the brain and worsens over time, including the loss of the ability to reason and remember and reason
Humanities — academic discipline that includes the study of human society and culture, including arts, music, literature, history, philosophy
How do the think the arts including improv and music help patients with serious medical conditions? Were you surprised by anything in this story? Explain.
Media literacy: Take a look at the graphic below. How significant do you think it is that the Mayo Clinic has invested resources into using the arts to help medical staff better care for people with dementia and other neurological issues?
Can you think of a scenario in which the creative arts and music have helped you or someone in your life get through a difficult time? What do you think of the idea of "music as medicine"? How about improv's "Yes And" approach? Write down some thoughts and share with a classmate or your class.
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Republished with permission from PBS News Hour Classroom.
