Using music to help comfort our smallest patients

Jenny Kaufman spends her workdays supporting some of the most vulnerable patients at Ascension St. Vincent in Indianapolis – babies in the NICU and high-risk mothers. As a board-certified music therapist, she uses her talents to bring moments of calm and comfort into what can often be a stressful environment. “Using music helps patients and families build resilience and feel less alone,” Jenny said. “Music really connects people.”

The role of a music therapist at Ascension

Jenny, along with other music therapists across Ascension, uses evidence-based practices to weave music into personalized patient care. 

“Music therapy can help people through hard times,” Jenny said. “It can help with language development, strengthen parent and infant bonding, and reduce anxiety. Research even shows it can help babies go home sooner.”

In the NICU, Jenny’s care includes providing: 

• Human connection for babies who may not have family members consistently at their bedside.
• Support for infants withdrawing from medication. 
• Group creative therapy for NICU parents. 
• Developmentally appropriate sounds and music for baby’s cognitive development.

“Babies hear constant sounds in the womb,” she explained. “When they’re suddenly in a quiet NICU, we try to recreate some of that familiar experience in a very unfamiliar environment.”

A personal connection to NICU care

Jenny’s work took on deeper meaning when she became a NICU parent herself. After her son was born and required time in the NICU, her perspective changed. 

“That experience grew my passion for supporting parents,” she said. “Having a baby in the NICU adds another layer of difficulty.” 

That personal journey also strengthened her understanding of postpartum anxiety and depression, which affect many mothers, including those with babies in the NICU.

“When I talk with moms and share that I work in the NICU, I can see relief on their faces,” Jenny said. “They realize there are people here who will sing to their baby, who care deeply. You see hope in that moment, hope that their baby is going to be OK.”

A calling to lead through care

More than a decade ago, Jenny launched the music therapy program at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital. As her career evolved, she gained experience at other healthcare organizations. In 2024, she returned to Ascension to lead the program at the new Ascension St. Vincent Women and Infants Hospital, supporting NICU babies and high-risk mothers.

“It felt like this position was made for me,” she said.

Today, Jenny values the opportunity to provide truly family-centered care.

“It's what brings me back to work every day,” she said. “I believe in this work. I see the difference it makes, and the teamwork here is amazing.”