Melanie Ambler

Music and Medicine

The impact of music on the human brain is only beginning to be fully understood. Recent research has revealed surprising insights into how music affects everything—from our physical and emotional well-being to our ability to reason, remember, and solve problems.

Melanie Ambler is a fourth-year medical student at Stanford School of Medicine and she is a professional cellist. Her work lies at the intersection of music and medicine where explores how the fundamental elements of music—rhythm, melody, harmony, and timbre—engage the brain, influencing healing, well-being, and human connection.

Blending science and art, Melanie works with critically ill patients and advocates for integrating music into modern medicine. Her insights illuminate music’s transformative potential in healthcare.

Track 02 of Melanie’s recording opens with an excerpt from The Face of God by Karen Drucker.

In Track 02, Melanie references her grandmother, Vivian Perlis, whose oral history is featured in the SPI Music collection.

Photos (left to right): Melanie as a young cellist, the emotional impact of music made visible, playing for nursing home patients in France, and making her Musical Rounds.

Music and Medicine

by Melanie Ambler

Download “Creating a Playlist with Healing in Mind”

Click to view the documentary “Alive Inside.”

Click to view Gabby Giffords Finding Voice Through Music Therapy

Learn more about Melanie here.

Return to All Biology - Plant & Animal >

Return to Arts - Music >

1:16

01. Intro to recording

Melanie Ambler
7:26

02. Background

Melanie Ambler
5:35

03. Overview: The Effect of Music on the Brain

Melanie Ambler
6:58

04. Moving into Medicine

Melanie Ambler
3:22

05. Virtual Concerts for Critically Ill Patients

Melanie Ambler
5:19

06. Music Medicine vs. Music Therapy

Melanie Ambler
4:35

07. Targeting Specific Neurological Issues

Melanie Ambler
4:35

08. Musical Rounds

Story Preservation Initiative
4:36

09. Research and Data Analysis

Melanie Ambler
5:09

10. Bonus Track / Full Improvisation

Melanie Ambler