Interview with Orbital Groove
Yasmin Meghdadi, 2T8
Q: What is Orbital Groove and who are you?
Jon: Orbital groove, as the name suggests, is a groovy orbit. Orbital Groove has been around since the early 2000s. They performed at clerkship socials as a way to have music in the community. But unfortunately, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the band kind of died with the lack of in-person interactions and the two or three years of online life. Essentially, the handover tradition was interrupted.
I found out from upper-year MD and MD-PhD students who had joined Temerty in 2016 or before, that there was this band called Orbital Groove. We reached out to the original founders who helped us revitalize and share their vision of what Orbital Groove used to be and the events it participated in.
Sador, Paul, and I thought there was a lack of music engagement within medicine, especially back in first year. We wanted to kickstart Orbital Groove to promote music, creativity, and wellness in our spaces while giving students a chance to perform, get more stage confidence, and experience working within a band.
Paul: Orbital Groove is a band made up of medical students for the community. It’s an opportunity to cultivate the musical talents seen within our peers and showcase them to the world. This band has evolved from a long-existing tradition among previous medical students who appreciated the musical arts. We are very privileged and grateful to be able to revive it moving forward.
Q: How do you put your individual twist to a continued band? What is orbital orbital groove? And who are you?
Jon: The Groove’s music has reflected the interests at the time. There are YouTube videos of Orbital Groove rehearsing in MSB 3:153 and different bars around Toronto performing a lot of rock and roll and metal with two or three guitars on stage. Our vibe has manifested as playing a lot of groovy music, as we have been very inspired by jazz and some funk. We also take pride in our band’s versatility. For example, some of our sets have been Sam Smith-heavy and others are more “chill” and “vibey” songs. We have also performed fun throwbacks like “I Will Survive” and “Lordship” at events like the 2T7 formal.
Sador: Our band changes from year to year depending on who the pre-clerkship students are. It was fun hosting auditions at the start of this year and seeing who the new students are and what their musical passions would bring to Orbital Groove. We have loads of people who are into jazz and others into soul. It’s been great to cater our performances to our members and audience. It doesn’t surprise us that the band will continue to change in the years to come as well.
Q: How has art impacted your journey to medicine?
Nethmi: Personally, music was a part of my life before I decided to pursue medicine. Music was always integrated into my family—that’s how I started to sing in the first place. My parents then put me in piano lessons, and this journey had a lot to do with the people closest to me. I started performing with my sister and friends from school and the rest is history.
Music is really important to me because it brings us together. Getting to medicine has been challenging, and the necessary sacrifices didn’t always leave us with a lot of time. But music genuinely allows me to take the time and come together with like-minded people. It lets me connect to my inner child and the people who understand me.
Jon: I look forward to the things that we have planned as a band. We can disconnect from everything else—all the stress from work and school. We have impromptu jam sessions after rehearsals and it’s such a nice space to disconnect and recharge.
Paul: I think on my journey to medicine, music as an art form has always been a solace, a place of rest, a place to really reflect and take some time away from all the hustle and bustle of life. I'm glad it's extended over into medicine now with a community of people that I like dearly and love creating music with.
Q: How does studying medicine and being a medical trainee impact your art and life as an artist?
Nethmi: The idea of emulating what an artist has created or trying to put my own spin on a piece by understanding the lyrics and poetry requires my emotions to be at the forefront. I like to think this has made me a more emotionally attuned person. As students, we learn a lot about the nonverbal cues that come up in medicine during Clinical Skills and I think that my background in music and art has crafted my lens of understanding them. Understanding music and the songwriter’s intentions kind of parallels my interactions with other people because it’s such a uniquely human experience.
Sador: Learning about medicine and the other side of things has taught me how medicine can also preserve one’s wellness and health as a musician, a topic that is really important to me. Take carpal tunnel for example, being a medical student will help me understand how to preserve my body which is necessary for my music. Yes, music helps me remain grounded in medicine but medicine can also help us maintain our art and its longevity.
Q: Intersectionality is everywhere; how do you embrace the intersectionalities of the medical and artistic communities?
Sador: I think I went the majority of my life thinking that my musical or artistic pursuits were going to be entirely separate from anything that is academic as if they are completely independent from one another. But when I started my undergrad, I accidentally explored this intersectionality. I think there are some more obvious forms of how these worlds come together, such as music therapy. A lot of people find relief when listening to music and want music to be a part of their career. As someone interested in this field, I looked into organizing sing-alongs for community members with intellectual disabilities, fostering spaces for music exploration and allowing it to be a powerful tool for healing. Beyond that, there's a really big world in academic research that's combining music and medicine in various areas, like palliative care. . .When I think about the kind of physician I’ll be, I want to incorporate music therapy and music as an additional factor to whatever medical interventions are being offered in patients’ care.
Jon: Music can be a great therapeutic strategy. The band is planning to perform Christmas concerts at Mount Sinai, going into patient rooms and singing holiday carols to liven up an environment that can feel very sterile and detached. . .I’ve sat down at the pianos at SickKids and TGH to play and a lot of patients come out and watch; they look so happy to hear the music. In the medical setting, arts and music and creativity may not be the main focus but being able to provide some level of artistry can foster spaces with a log of meaning, fulfilment, and wellness.
Q: What advice can you give to your fellow artists in the medical community?
Sador: If art is something that you enjoy, make time for it. I think, in medicine or any healthcare profession, there's a lot of pressure to commit fully to professional endeavours. And that makes complete sense; it's a privilege to be in medicine and a huge responsibility. But for me, training to be the best possible physician also means making sure that I'm staying sane and true to myself by engaging in activities that bring me joy. Medicine is a difficult field and that's not going to change, it's only going to get more difficult from here. Music is a great outlet, and I would assume that's the case for all art forms, depending on what you're interested in. . .We all have waves in our lives where certain things are going to take precedence, and that's just normal. But I think you have to find ways to make time for it if it's something you enjoy.
Nethmi: I forget how refreshing music is to me until I come to rehearsal or take the time to let loose and sing. Unless you consciously make some time for it, you forget how therapeutic it is and how much it does for you. Losing the music and its benefits are really easy.
Q: Have you ever lost your art, and if so, how did you get back to it?
Nethmi: I'm so glad I auditioned. I don't know what I would do if I didn’t have this regular time slot allocated to music that ensures I don’t lose it.
Sador: I find music or artistic motivation generally come at the weirdest times, like in the middle of the night or when I'm having the worst possible day. I’ve never tried to control this because music inspiration comes when it comes, and that’s how it is. But when I'm feeling less motivated, it's always been when I've been taking music too seriously. That's when that shift happens for me. It's just a matter of being mindful of what brings out the best aspects of music for you and your values and really leaning into it.
Q: How do you maintain your artistic activities alongside your medical education and training?
Jon: I put it in my calendar. Also, having a community with regular rehearsals creates a sense of purpose. This can be performing with friends, jamming with the band, or performing at shows that are coming up. That helps me stay involved in music. It’s so interesting that every time I jam out or perform I remember how amazing this is.
Sador: I wholeheartedly agree. I can't say that I do this all the time, but I also find staying on top of school and work helps make time for it.
Q: In your opinion, should the arts and humanities be more incorporated into the medical curriculum and overall community? If so, why and how?
Jon: I think the arts and humanities connect us all and are so important for wellness. I know that not everyone feels the same way about the arts and humanities, especially if it was crammed into our curriculum in a very specific way, like a one-time lecture or asynchronous module. I think it would be much more meaningful to incorporate the arts into medicine with a one-day placement at Holland Bloorview’s music therapy program for rehabilitation or other similar opportunities.
Paul: I feel that underpinning all of this, the arts, humanities, and medicine are intrinsically interwoven whether we like it or not. In medicine, we as practitioners of medicine, sustain and continue life. But it is essential to remember that the arts and humanities give us a reason to live. It’s really important to highlight this connection whether it be through teaching, case-based learning, or even physical placements. I believe that the arts and humanities should have a place in medicine, otherwise we might lose sense of why we’re doing it all in the first place.
“In medicine, we as practitioners of medicine, sustain and continue life. But it is essential to remember that the arts and humanities give us a reason to live.”
