ZestFest 2018 - LIME Music for Health's annual music festival at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital
“There are festivals in the summer and in hospital you feel you’re missing out…ZestFest makes it so you don’t feel like you’re missing out!”
Paige, ZestFest performer and Music for Health Patient Advocate
Lime Music for Health’s annual ZestFest took place at the Royal Manchester Children’s hospital on Friday 8th June, 2018. Tying in with the Hospital’s 9th Birthday celebrations and celebrating our Youth Music funded programme, Medical Notes: Music at the Heart of Life, patients, families and staff were treated to live performances of pop, classical, folk and world musics performed by musicians from local music and performing arts colleges, universities and community groups. Throughout the day the musicians performed in the hospital atrium, and were joined by children keen to watch, or join in with the musicians.
At lunchtime, Stephen Dickson, Head of Corporate Services at RMCH, opened the carnival parade of 45 dancers and musicians from Global Grooves, who led patients of all ages from across the hospital site, their families and staff in a procession around the grounds of the hospital campus. Children who couldn’t join the parade were able to watch from their windows, waving as the procession snaked its way by their wards before culminating in a live drumming and dancing spectacular outside the hospital entrance.
In the afternoon, two musicians from a local music ensemble, Special Virtuosi (specialising in providing musical opportunities for children and young people with SEND) performed arrangements of Hallelujah and Somewhere over the Rainbow for listeners who were so impressed they asked them to play their pieces again, so they could film them. One of the musicians, Dan (22) spent time talking with us and offered ideas for Music for Health to create further links between SV musicians and children and young people in the hospital.
V.I.P guest Angharad Rhodes, a.k.a. Melody from CBeebies, joined us for the day taking part in the parade, and delighted children with visits to wards, joining the Lime Music for Health set as a guest percussion player at the end of the day.
Singer Paige Dease (17), a long-term patient of the children’s hospital performed a set with her duo. Staff who had helped her during her stays in hospital watched proudly as she performed. Paige told us about her connection to music:
“I’m in a jazz band and a duo. Because I have had so much time in hospital its given me a lot of time to think about my music. I’ve used it to my advantage. At night time it gets boring- all the play staff have gone home. It used to lighten my day when musicians came to visit- just something different. You can do this for other people too – to help them use their time [in hospital] to gain something. There are festivals in the summer and in hospital you feel you’re missing out…ZestFest makes it so you don’t feel like you’re missing out!”
Paige also suggested why music can help the many patients we work with who have complex needs:
“Speaking with music...maybe you could be understood a bit more.”
One parent told us of the importance of the Music for Health programme for his daughter (13 years old):
“It’s great what you do, especially for children like my daughter and children in hospital long term. Both Mum and I really appreciate it because we know how much she loves musical things.”
We look forward to developing ZestFest in future years, inspired and informed by the young musicians we have met with this year.
Ros, Mark and Kate, Lime Music for Health - June 2018.
