If you happen to walk through the front doors of Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, near Chicago, and think you hear the Windows startup music, or the themes for Universal Studios or Warner Bros. being played on the piano, don’t second guess it. Odds are it is Guido Calcagno, registered nurse, warming up to play melodies for patients, staff and visitors.
Calcagno is one of the volunteer musicians who play live music for visitors in Good Shepherd’s lobby Monday through Saturday.
When volunteer pianist Renee Mullaney is working the 88 keys in the lobby, she has a tendency to keep her eye on the entryway. If she spots a child coming into the hospital, she may play a Disney song or “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” If a veteran walks in, she will play a patriotic song. Her reasoning: Hospitals can be scary and intimidating, and if the people recognize a familiar ditty in the air, maybe that one little thing will put them at ease.
