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Music for Health

‘The arts have a major contribution to make to wellbeing, health, healthcare provision and healthcare environments, to the benefit of patients, service users, carers, visitors and staff as well as to communities and the NHS as a whole.’

A Prospectus for arts and health’, Department of Health / Arts Council England (2007).

 

Music for Health at the RNCM has been developed in response to an upsurge in interest around the impact of music making on health and wellbeing. We deliver an innovative programme of training and professional support for musicians wanting to work with people in health and social care settings.

Our approach is to co-create and play music with patients, visitors and staff in hospitals and community care centres. To do this well, musicians need to develop a set of musical, observational and inter-personal skills that will allow them to:

•    work alongside health and social care staff
•    understand the situation on a ward or in a centre
•    be sensitive to the needs and moods of patients and visitors
•    develop appropriate, inclusive musical interventions.

Musical interventions range from creating music with patients on a one-to-one basis at the bedside to group music making sessions in communal areas. Our approach is closely informed by Musique et Santé (www.musique-sante.org), an organisation based in Paris, with whom we have worked for five years.

As Philippe Bouteloup, Musique et Santé’s Director writes, ‘to play with sounds, to sing, is to appeal to everyone’s imagination and creativity - parents’, children’s and carers’. It is, quite simply, making room for pleasure, for life’.

The approach of Music for Health is different but complementary to concert performances and music therapy sessions that already take place in healthcare contexts. We are fortunate to have developed good relationships with organisations like Music in Hospitals and Nordoff-Robbins so that we can help to advance the delivery of all types of music making in health and social care.

Training
RNCM students can undertake accredited modules of training in Music for Health at undergraduate and postgraduate level. We also deliver continuing professional development (CPD) courses for professional musicians, including an annual European Training Week in Paris in conjunction with Musique et Santé.

Partner Organisations
Music for Health works closely with a broad range of partners including

•    Musique et Santé
•    BlueSCI
•    Central Manchester and Manchester Children’s Hospitals NHS Trust
•    Wigan and Leigh Hospice
•    START Manchester
•    Lime
•    Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Music for Health Bulletin
We compile a monthly bulletin profiling events, opportunities, links and funding relevant to the field of music for health. To sign up for the bulletin, email This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

The Music for Health webpage is currently under development and you will soon be able to access information in the following categories: Projects / Programmes / Services, European Music for Health Co-operation, Research and Advocacy.

For further information about the programme, contact Lilli Brodner-Francis, Music for Health Project Manager,T+44 (0)161 907 54 14 or E This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Music for Health is generously supported by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.