Pianist Soothes Weary Souls at Evergreen Hospital

Whether it is a classical piece or an upbeat song from a musical, live music can be a healing force, and at , Barbara Deitrich delivers that soothing medicine for many patients and their families.

The former Northshore School District music teacher is one of many talented volunteers who play the grand piano in the hospital's galleria, ministering to patients from the elderly, to those being treated for cancer, to expectant moms and dads pacing the halls.

Dietrich recalls a new mama holding a tiny wrapped bundle thanking her for providing the baby’s first concert.

Dietrich began playing the piano at the age of six, a time when most of us got a wiggly tooth or were learning the days of the week. She was a fourth grade teacher in Massachusetts before moving to the Northwest to teach music. Like many musicians, her love of music motivated her to share it, and she began teaching piano lessons at 35.

Now, forty-seven years later, Dietrich, 82, says, “It’s more fun than it has ever been. The kids and the parents are great.”

Having been in the area for so long, Dietrich, who lives in Kenmore, has certainly seen huge changes. The diversity of the population has blossomed magnificently, particularly due to the proximity of the global corporation Microsoft.

“I feel like I have a little ‘League of Nations,’” says Dietrich of the multiple nationalities represented by her students. Exclaiming on how wonderful the people are, she adds that, “It’s very reassuring about all the countries these people are from.”

One can’t help but feel warmth and acceptance emanating from this piano teacher’s demeanor. Her voice sounds like a smile as she speaks. She feels that teaching piano connects her with the community in a special way.

The sentiment was something that she shared in common with her husband Ernest Dietrich, who passed away in 2005. As a law enforcement officer, he viewed himself as a “keeper of the peace,” also connecting with the community as a Scouts volunteer. They raised three children in the area, who have since multiplied into 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

“When you’re a great-grandmother, you’re the mother of a grandmother,” Dietrich says with a laugh, pointing out how age sneaks up on a person as the years slip by.

A few years before he passed, Ernest spent some time at Evergreen Hospital, where he had open heart surgery. The grand piano beckoned to Barbara, who decided she would like to play her part bringing music to the patients. She had majored in composition in college because she wasn’t comfortable performing in front of others. By taking the step toward live performance, she was filling in the missing piece in her life.

“It has been a sparkle in my life, particularly since my husband passed,” says Dietrich, who now regularly plays on Wednesday mornings at the hospital.

Beginning with a bit of improvisation from familiar melodies like “On Golden Pond,” she then moves into happy-sounding classical numbers like Bach’s “Andante in F major.” The set usually ends with songs from musicals such as “When You Walk Through a Storm,” “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” and various songs from the “Sound of Music.”

Though the set is about an hour, Dietrich pokes fun at herself saying, “Then it’s interesting to see how long it takes me to get up!”

Dietrich claims she is still studying music, in the fashion that most musicians swear there is always something more to learn. She has discovered that she need not worry about performing for this unique audience; there is no judgment from the patients at Evergreen.

What there is in abundance, however, is gratitude for providing a moment of reprieve from pain or an auditory exclamation of joy.