What do DJ's do to help during the pandemic?

While this is a tough time for all of us, perhaps no one has felt the effects more than the doctors, nurses, and healthcare administrators who are on the front lines of the current pandemic. They interact daily with the sick, trying to manage the increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19. Plus, they still have to take care of all their “normal” patients, from heart attack sufferers to accident victims.

And at the same time, they’ve faced the same toilet paper, cleaning supply, and grocery shortages as the rest of us. Talk about stressful.

So what could we do to help at Maryland’s DJ? None of us can sew masks, and you definitely don’t want us cooking. 

That’s why we were so pleased when we received a message from LifeBridge Health in Baltimore, asking if we’d like to provide a little morale boost to the frontline healthcare workers at Sinai Hospital in the only way we know how — through music.

We jumped at the chance, and chose Maryland’s DJ Steve Hartka as the man for the job. 

Steve went out to LifeBridge Health on Monday, May 11th and Friday, May 15th to DJ both the morning and evening shift changes. The idea is to provide a little cheer in what is otherwise an incredibly difficult job. We wanted the hard working hospital staff to experience a few moments of encouragement as they start their day, and a quick celebration as they finish a hard shift.

We asked Steve how he approached the project. “I am playing mostly softer upbeat music,” Steve said. “Not exactly dance stuff. So think soul music, soft rock. The response has been great! It’s been a hit.”

Some of the most popular songs? Fantasy by Earth, Wind & Fire and Grazing in the Grass by The Friends of Distinction. Not only great tunes, but positive, encouraging lyrics too: 

Our voices will ring together until the twelfth of never,

We all, will live forever, as one

• “Fantasy” by Earth, Wind & Fire

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Do we think that hearing some great soul tunes on the way in or out of the hospital is making this situation easy on healthcare workers? 

No. 

But research has indicated that upbeat music can help people to feel more optimistic and relieve stress. Even if the effect only lasts a few minutes, it’s a small bright spot in an otherwise weary day. 

We’re looking forward to the time we can celebrate with you all again. Weddings and parties are what we love, and we’re going to have a lot to celebrate when we can get back together.

But in the meantime, we’ll be looking for other ways to give back to the community in the only way we can — through our favorite music