From Grammy-Award winning acoustic guitarist Mark Hanson: For many years, my wife Greta Pedersen and I have provided music at several children’s hospitals in the Portland, Ore., area, under the auspices of Pickleberry Pie (PP), for which Greta is a regional director. PP puts artists, musicians, mimes and actors into children’s hospitals across the country. For years I would go room-to-room in the oncology and orthopedic wards, playing for the kids, families and staff. More recently, I have found a ‘home’ in the neonatal unit at OHSU in Portland, playing for preemies and their families and staffers. I am likely providing the first ‘live’ music these new humans have ever experienced, I take that seriously. It is incredibly rewarding to see the tiny heads turn towards the music as I begin to play — most have unseeing eyes at such an early stage, but they can hear! I play gently, quietly and slowly, with each session featuring a new theme. In mid-December I will play seasonal music, some of which I have recorded like “In the Bleak Midwinter” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” PP provides an hororarium to the artists who offer their time and expertise to this worthy cause. Please donate what you can!.