The Arsenal Foundation has helped to fund Music in Hospitals & Care, a charity that brings live music to people in hospitals and other healthcare institutions. Music in Hospitals & Care’s Sarah Northall tells us how the money has helped.
“Music in Hospitals & Care is a charity that improves the health and wellbeing of children and adults through the healing power of live music. Every year our professional musicians share live music with people from across the UK who may not otherwise get to experience it. This includes those living with dementia, mental health problems or who are seriously ill.
“I’m the charity’s Live Music Manager for the South of England and Channel Islands. I’ve worked in care homes, day centres and schools as a creative and therapeutic arts facilitator, bringing music and arts to those living in or accessing those settings. During Covid I completed a Masters in Ageing and Gerontology where I focused my attention on care homes and music, and just as I finished my studies I saw this job pop up. It felt like a natural step for me.
“Day to day, our team communicates with our health and care settings and musicians to organise the live music. This includes coordinating tours to Jersey and Guernsey, where our musicians visit two or three settings per day over five to ten days.
“Our music team handpicks professional musicians through audition. They’re chosen for their blend of musical talent, sensitivity and people skills. The live music experiences they create and share cover a wide range of genres and are tailored to the patients, residents or participants, family members and staff. They perform in hospitals, hospices, care homes, day centres, special schools, mental health services and in the community.
“It certainly brings positive benefits. We see people interacting with our musicians by doing everything from smiling to getting up to dance or sing, and we’ve had lots of great feedback about the musicians – they lift the mood for people who are physically ill or struggling with depression or anxiety, and they offer warmth and compassion. Music can also reduce the perception of pain. It brings back memories and helps create new ones.
“On a personal level I find it hugely rewarding, especially when you get to go out and see how patients and residents respond to hearing their favourite tunes. I love it when a staff member tells you that someone they care for has benefitted from the music, whether it be singing the words to a song when they usually struggle to communicate, or a poorly baby and mum sharing a special moment together in a neonatal unit.
“The entire Arsenal Foundation grant went towards the cost of our musicians visiting health and care settings in Camden and Hackney, which enabled children and adults to experience the healing power of live music.
“When a Premier League football club supports a charity such as ours it demonstrates that local communities do matter and are recognised. It’s brilliant that we are able to share the positive impact that live music has on health and wellbeing with Arsenal supporters.
Giving patients a lift
Musician Rudy Green recounts one of his hospital visits on behalf of Music in Hospitals & Care…
“It was a quiet and exhausted atmosphere when I arrived, with some patients looking very tired and sleepy – the kora [a West African harp] worked well in this case, with soothing and relaxing sounds. There were a couple of patients who followed me round the bays the whole time wanting to listen and have an interactive experience, asking lots of questions and happily listening to the music. The staff were also really appreciative that I’d come and set a nice atmosphere that lasted after I finished.”
For more information on Music in Hospitals & Care click here
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