Purple Songs Can Fly Celebrates Its 300th Song

Texas Children's has a lot to celebrate lately, especially with the opening of the Pavilion for Women. Within the Periwinkle Arts In Medicine Program, we recently reached a significant milestone as well — the 300th song has been written in our Purple Songs Can Fly program (PSCF), which started in March 2006. PSCF is an in-house recording studio where 3 singer-songwriters work with patients and siblings in the Cancer Center outpatient clinic.

Just this year they have expanded and now have a portable system that allows them to work at bedside both on the 9th floor and in our Bone Marrow Transplant unit. Anita Kruse, the program's founder, initially intended for the children's hopes and dreams to fly through the creation of their unique recordings, but Anita has found many ways for their songs to literally soar. Songs have traveled on 2 different space shuttle missions with Astronauts Scott Parazynski and Heidi Stefanyshyn-Piper. The have been carried on tour with The Rolling Stones, played under the ocean at the Aquarius NOAA Research Center, and taken to the top of Mt. Everest. They have also been played on Continental Airlines in-flight play lists and now on United Airlines.

The creation of songs by our patients and their siblings is a way for them to express their thoughts and feelings in a way that is new, creative and long lasting. The parents have expressed appreciation for having their child’s voice recorded; and the children have taken the opportunity to share their songs with friends through school assembles, proms, rodeos, cook offs, horse shows, concerts and conferences. In this, the 300th song, Anita, along with song writers Aaron Kaufman and Tricia Fox, worked with patients, Dominic and Jesus as well as many members of the Cancer Center staff to get their thoughts on the number 300.

"I've always believed that every child has a song inside, just waiting to be heard and we continue to be amazed by the songs the children write and look forward to more and more new Purple Songs!" says Anita.

Listen for PSCF this June and July on the in-flight play list for United Airlines.

As Texas Children’s continues to reach new milestones, Purple Songs Can Fly continues to look for new ways to make a difference in the lives of the children we see in the Cancer and Hematology Centers.