I have been a musician my entire working life. I graduated Towson University in 2004 with a degree in Jazz/Commercial guitar. Soon after, I realized that I really wanted to compose music and be a songwriter. In the summer of 2005, I began a full time career composing music for multimedia projects, one of which even received an Emmy nomination. During this same time, I was playing guitar, writing songs, and touring with the Baltimore-based RnB band "Marcell and the Truth."

In 2019, I released my first self produced album "Welcome to Greener Then" as Cody Summit and began playing regional venues and festivals, opening for nationally touring artists.

In 2023, I began playing gigs for "Our Joyful Noise" (OJN), a local nonprofit which places musicians in healthcare settings. Through OJN, I played at the American Cancer Society's "Hope Lodge" for patients undergoing cancer treatment and their families. For these concerts, I performed my original music, and was humbled by people's positive responses and connection to my work.

Soon after that, I began playing in a nursing home for clients experiencing memory loss, developing an extensive repertoire of recognizable tunes from the American Songbook, spanning multiple genres (jazz, country, pop).

From these experiences, I realized that I truly love playing music for people in health care settings. There are times when the line between performer and audience fades, and the healing power of music is present and evident. In these moments, it is truly an honor to be a vessel for the music—to hopefully bring comfort and connection to people who really need it.

Professional Development Milestone

In June 2025 I was honored to attend "The Power of Music in Healthcare: Creative Considerations for Music Professionals" - a weeklong intensive course provided by Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute. The goal of this course was to provide artists and arts administrators with a working knowledge of the healthcare system, as well as an understanding of how the arts can be further integrated in healthcare settings. This proved to be an extremely enlightening experience for me - not only did I deepen my understanding of how music should be utilized in order to "do no harm", but I also began to understand how to tailor my approach to each unique healthcare situation.

Photo credit: Michael Ciesielski

I am enthusiastic about learning and building upon my working experiences providing music in healthcare settings. I bring my lived experience as a stroke survivor to my approach in performing for both patients and healthcare providers—taking a patient centered care approach to repertoire selection, performance style and musical aesthetic.