Wishing Well: Music in Healthcare
“We move hurriedly, often talking over the children’s heads, ‘about them’ not ‘to them’, in language that they don’t understand. The sounds that surround them are clinical - beeping machines and whirring ventilators."
"The Wishing Well musicians come in with a different vibe, a different pace. They interact directly with the children here, taking their time. They bring sounds from the outside world into the Hospital and see the child beyond the health condition.”
So says Critical Care Practitioner Janet Lee from the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital of the Music In Healthcare programme Wishing Well.
Funded by Rockinghorse through a successful Youth Music bid and delivered by Rhythmix, Wishing Well has had an immediate impact on the lives of children, young people and families at The Royal Alexandra Hospital in Brighton and Conquest Hospital in St Leonards.
Our team of Music Leaders took part in a five day intensive training course led by Nick Cutts from Opus and Kate Murdoch from Kutulia Music both of whom have trained with French organisation Musique et Sante who have led pioneering “music for well being” programmes in hospitals in France.
Now, 3 times a week, the team visit The Alex and Conquest Hospitals to play music for and with the children, families and medical staff. After a brief check in with nurses to see who on the ward might particularly benefit from musical interaction, the team, with great sensitivity, approach bedsides to see how they can use voices, instruments and music technology to sooth, distract and uplift.
This is as far from a concept of “performance” as you will find in any music session. The Music Leaders use their music as an offering, a way to build interaction and relationships with the population inside the hospital. The team have become expert in reading verbal and non-verbal feedback from children and their families to gauge how long (if at all) a musical interaction may last and the nature of that interaction.
What does a “Music In Healthcare” session look like? The answer is, of course, that it depends on who is there and what their need might be. Music Leaders may surround a child in sound, holding cellos or guitars against hands or feet so that vibrations can be felt if they cannot be heard. The child may join in with and lead improvisations, or the whole family may join in with a familiar song. Whatever the nature of the interaction, the child decides when it is time to end. Sometimes the best outcome is for the child to be able to finally fall asleep, relaxed and taken away for a moment from discomfort or anxiety.
Our aim is to improve Well Being for everyone at the Hospital. Extensive research has been carried out into the benefits of music in Healthcare; the reduction of pain and therefore pain medication through singing; increased brain activity for coma patients who have music played to them; quicker recovery times for patients who are exposed to and engaged in music during their stay. Our work is informed by this research but we use narrative feedback and observations from the children and young people, their families and Hospital staff to check our progress towards improving well being.
“One young lad has a tube to help him breath and has very complex health needs. He is here a lot and can’t speak. But he can join in the “conversation “with the musicians by playing his shaker or a drum. Its the only time he gets to actually express himself using sound.”
The wonderful staff at both Hospitals clearly support the work and benefit themselves from a moment of music. We’ve had reports of Ambulance men and nurses dancing in corridors and been approached by a Doctor who’d like to join the team with his clarinet when he’s not on duty. The team are building solid working relationships with staff on the ward and are seeing an increase in referrals. We had a conversation with one of the nurses this week that highlighted just how valued, trusted and part of the team the musicians are:
“Its really busy here today. We’ve 11 patients for 10 beds and some very poorly children so we are really looking forward to the musicians coming and helping us out.”
We are proud to join the growing network of “Music in Healthcare” organisations, many of whom came together this week for a fantastic “Sustaining Professional Music in Healthcare Practice” Symposium hosted by Opus in Derby. The network is a dynamic and generous one with Youth Music’s obvious support of the work illustrated by the presence of 4 Youth Music funded organisations and Grants and Learning Officers Amy Wilson and Nick Wilsdon at the event.
Many of us are familiar enough with the hospital environment to know that for a child, a hospital stay can be a difficult experience. Some children are in The Alex for a long period of time, essentially growing up there, and the need for music to relieve boredom and anxiety, to distract from uncomfortable procedures, and just to add some warmth and colour to the clinical environment is clear. We feel like a drop in the ocean but its a good seed that we intend to grow.
You can support the work of Rockinghorse/Rhythmix Music in Healthcare project by donating to Wishing Well through Just Giving: http://www.justgiving.com/Rhythmix/Donate