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Musical Rounds

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by Melanie Ambler and Shelby the cello

5.0(13 reviews)

11 episodes

Updated Daily

Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸

Podcast Overview

Musical Rounds is a podcast where people with serious illnesses share their life stories, and we transform them into live, improvised soundtracks at the hospital bedside. Co-hosted by resident physician Melanie Ambler and her cello named Shelby, each episode is a session with a patient receiving palliative care recorded live in a single take: an unscripted story, a cello score improvised in real time. 75 of the first 100 patients asked for their stories to be shared. They wanted to reach people they may never meet. This series honors that ask. New episodes every Tuesday.

Language

🇺🇲

Publishing Since

5/26/2026

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Recent Episodes

July 7, 2026

Footprints in the Sand

When I walked into this woman's hospital room, I discovered she was awake and intubated, which meant a machine was helping her to breathe and, as a result, she wasn't able to speak. Instead, she communicated with me by writing on a whiteboard. Together with her mother at her side, she shared about her devout faith, and her love for the beach. In a beautiful allusion to the poem, Footprints in the Sand, her mother described being carried by God through the most difficult stretches of life.Musical Rounds is a podcast where people with serious illnesses share their life stories, and we transform them into live, improvised soundtracks. Hosted by cellist and resident physician Melanie Ambler (and her cello Shelby), this series began as a year-long research project while she was a medical student at Stanford University School of Medicine. The people you will meet in this series are receiving palliative care, a field of medicine focused on comfort and dignity near the end of life. Their stories hold love, loss, and laughter. Their music carries the rest. Melanie entered these rooms not as a physician but as a musician. As such, she had little to no information as to why this patient was in the hospital — and nor will you. What you will hear is what they wanted to share with you directly.During bedside sessions in palliative care at three hospitals in the Bay Area, patients share unscripted stories from their lives while Melanie improvises a cello score that moves with them. Each conversation is recorded live, in a single take, in the hospital room.Seventy-five of the first hundred patients asked for their story to be shared with the world. They wanted to reach people they would never meet. This podcast is our way of honoring that ask.Website: <a href="https://musicalrounds.org/">⁠⁠⁠musicalrounds.org⁠⁠⁠</a>Hosted by Melanie Ambler. Original music composed and performed by Shelby the cello. Produced by Grace Carroll and Chase Morano. Audio engineering and mixing by Michael Shofi. Cover art and animations by Janice Tjan. Made possible in partnership with the <a href="https://peak2foundation.com/">⁠⁠⁠⁠Peak II Foundation⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://www.healinghandsscrubs.com/">⁠⁠⁠⁠Healing Hands Scrubs,⁠⁠⁠⁠</a> <a href="https://med.stanford.edu/medscholars.html">⁠⁠⁠⁠Stanford MedScholars⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://www.honeywellartsacademy.org/">⁠⁠⁠Honeywell Arts Academy⁠⁠⁠</a> and the <a href="https://www.gold-foundation.org/">⁠⁠⁠⁠Arnold P. Gold Foundation⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>. With deepest gratitude to the patients and families who entrusted us with their stories.

June 30, 2026

Something Sweet

Allie never thought of herself as sweet. Her sister knows exactly why: she knows everyone's name, walks up to strangers, makes every person feel like they belong. Her whole family lives within ten minutes of each other. Her Zumba friends dedicated a class in her honor. Three songs fill the hospital room, the last one inspired by her loving character. "Something sweet," Melanie says. "For a sweet person." Musical Rounds is a podcast where people with serious illnesses share their life stories, and we transform them into live, improvised soundtracks. Hosted by cellist and resident physician Melanie Ambler (and her cello Shelby), this series began as a year-long research project while she was a medical student at Stanford University School of Medicine. The people you will meet in this series are receiving palliative care, a field of medicine focused on comfort and dignity near the end of life. Their stories hold love, loss, and laughter. Their music carries the rest. Melanie entered these rooms not as a physician but as a musician. As such, she had little to no information as to why this patient was in the hospital — and nor will you. What you will hear is what they wanted to share with you directly.During bedside sessions in palliative care at three hospitals in the Bay Area, patients share unscripted stories from their lives while Melanie improvises a cello score that moves with them. Each conversation is recorded live, in a single take, in the hospital room. Seventy-five of the first hundred patients asked for their story to be shared with the world. They wanted to reach people they would never meet. This podcast is our way of honoring that ask. Website: <a href="https://musicalrounds.org/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠⁠⁠musicalrounds.org⁠⁠⁠</a> Hosted by Melanie Ambler. Original music composed and performed by Shelby the cello. Produced by Grace Carroll and Chase Morano. Audio engineering and mixing by Michael Shofi. Cover art and animations by Janice Tjan. Made possible in partnership with the <a href="https://peak2foundation.com/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠⁠⁠⁠Peak II Foundation⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://www.healinghandsscrubs.com/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠⁠⁠⁠Healing Hands Scrubs,⁠⁠⁠⁠</a> <a href="https://med.stanford.edu/medscholars.html" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠⁠⁠⁠Stanford MedScholars⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://www.honeywellartsacademy.org/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠⁠⁠Honeywell Arts Academy⁠⁠⁠</a> and the <a href="https://www.gold-foundation.org/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠⁠⁠⁠Arnold P. Gold Foundation⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>. With deepest gratitude to the patients and families who entrusted us with their stories. *this patient’s family consented to names being used in the episode.*

June 23, 2026

Sunlight through the Trees

A man meets Shelby the cello and decides he wants to go somewhere he's never been: a canyon in New Zealand, hunting red stag. As the low tones carry him into the landscape, he lifts his binoculars instead of his rifle, watching the stag rather than taking the shot. From there it's a walk through a pine forest, soft underfoot, sunlight breaking through the trees. Musical Rounds is a podcast where people with serious illnesses share their life stories, and we transform them into live, improvised soundtracks. Hosted by cellist and resident physician Melanie Ambler (and her cello Shelby), this series began as a year-long research project while she was a medical student at Stanford University School of Medicine. The people you will meet in this series are receiving palliative care, a field of medicine focused on comfort and dignity near the end of life. Their stories hold love, loss, and laughter. Their music carries the rest. Melanie entered these rooms not as a physician but as a musician. As such, she had little to no information as to why this patient was in the hospital — and nor will you. What you will hear is what they wanted to share with you directly.During bedside sessions in palliative care at three hospitals in the Bay Area, patients share unscripted stories from their lives while Melanie improvises a cello score that moves with them. Each conversation is recorded live, in a single take, in the hospital room.Seventy-five of the first hundred patients asked for their story to be shared with the world. They wanted to reach people they would never meet. This podcast is our way of honoring that ask.Website: <a href="https://musicalrounds.org/">⁠⁠⁠musicalrounds.org⁠⁠⁠</a>Hosted by Melanie Ambler. Original music composed and performed by Shelby the cello. Produced by Grace Carroll and Chase Morano. Audio engineering and mixing by Michael Shofi. Cover art and animations by Janice Tjan. Made possible in partnership with the <a href="https://peak2foundation.com/">⁠⁠⁠⁠Peak II Foundation⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://www.healinghandsscrubs.com/">⁠⁠⁠⁠Healing Hands Scrubs,⁠⁠⁠⁠</a> <a href="https://med.stanford.edu/medscholars.html">⁠⁠⁠⁠Stanford MedScholars⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://www.honeywellartsacademy.org/">⁠⁠⁠Honeywell Arts Academy⁠⁠⁠</a> and the <a href="https://www.gold-foundation.org/">⁠⁠⁠⁠Arnold P. Gold Foundation⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>. With deepest gratitude to the patients and families who entrusted us with their stories.

11 total episodes available

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What is Musical Rounds?: Musical Rounds is a podcast where people with serious illnesses share their life stories, and we transform them into live, improvised soundtracks at the hospital bedside.

Co-hosted by resident physician Melanie Ambler and her cello named Shelby, each episode is a session with a patient receiving palliative care recorded live in a single take: an unscripted story, a cello score improvised in real time.

75 of the first 100 patients asked for their stories to be shared. They wanted to reach people they may never meet. This series honors that ask.

New episodes every Tuesday.
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.

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