Training

TRAINING COURSE NOW FULL – to be informed about future training opportunities, please email training@opusmusic.org to request to be added to our mailing list.

OPUS Music CIC, in partnership with Nottingham Music Hub, is offering a five-day training programme for musicians working in, or interested in working in healthcare settings.

The course will take place over five days (including two half-days of music-making at Nottingham Children’s Hospital). These will take place from 9.30am to 3.30pm on 29, 30 May and 2, 3 and 4 June 2014.
The training will consist of theoretical knowledge acquisition, group and individual musical work and practical work in the field (musical actions in healthcare settings for hospitalised patients)
Whilst this training will focus primarily on working with hospitalised children and young people, the theoretical background and practice will also be of benefit to those who wish to work with other age groups and in other healthcare settings.

This course is offered FREE OF CHARGE due to the support of Nottingham Music Hub in partnership with the National Foundation for Youth Music and the Department for Education.

Full details here (pdf): Music in Healthcare Training opportunity Artists Brief
Application form (word): Application Form
Application form (pdf): Application Form
Some of the feedback from trainees on our previous courses:

‘Thank you so much for this opportunity. It was such a pleasure to explore such an exciting aspect of music making with such lovely like minded musicians, with such a high level of professional standard from the trainers delivering this course. I can’t believe we made such fantastic progress in only five days, and I am thoroughly invigorated by what I have seen can be achieved with music in a hospital setting.’

‘This course is really is a must for any musician who wishes to work in healthcare settings. The course leaders are lovely to work with and obviously are very passionate and knowledgeable about their vocation. It’s a massive learning curve, and you must approach it with an open mind and willingness to learn, but you get a lot of support in a really welcoming and friendly environment. I’ve come away feeling inspired and challenged and informed and able to use all I’ve learnt in my own practice straightaway. It is also amazingly good value for money!’

‘Professional, personally and as a musician, this has been absolutely the best course I’ve ever been on. It’s been a fantastic privilege working with a supportive group of musicians, superb facilitation from the course team and a great mix of theory and practice which has equipped me to start my journey into working in healthcare settings.’

‘A fantastic week for those who are interested in learning more about music in a healthcare setting, expanding their repertoire, developing skills in improvising and meeting some truly lovely people!’

‘This course is an excellent introduction and grounding in the professional practice of music in healthcare. It is presented with great professionalism and expertise.’

‘This will test and stretch the way you think about delivering any kind of music intervention. I’d recommend you have previously at least practised this in some way so that you can self-examine and reflect. 100% professional programme in content and delivery. Complements all other training I’ve done and widened my horizons.’

‘Bring an open mind, and be prepared to learn and share.’

‘The course gives an exciting insight into what music in healthcare is like, which can really open your eyes to something new, I know it did for me. There is the chance to experiment with music within a comfortable, relaxed setting, which as a person who hates improvising I found completely stress free and fun. As well as this you learn so many transferable skills for jobs including music and for everyday life which makes the course really worth while.’

Angela Kang:

What does a hospital musician do? This was a question asked at the beginning of working with Opus Music CIC. It was a question that seemed straightforward and simple to answer. Truth be told, one cannot fully understand and appreciate the many diverse aspects of this role without actually physically being in the hospital wards, taking part in the music making, or watching first-hand. Reading a scholarly article, training manual, or a blog entry can only give you an impression of what might take place. The positive benefits of music in healthcare settings are well-documented. Watching a video is perhaps the closest you can get to understanding without being there, but it still cannot fully convey the emotional and multi-sensory experience of delivering and receiving music in a busy hospital ward. Explaining to others the work you do never seems to do justice to the magic that actually takes place. One thing is clear: a hospital musician needs to be empathic, understanding, creative, and able to adapt their approach to a range of medical situations. With these skills, an array of exciting possibilities can be explored to engage patients, visitors and staff in music-making and create open spaces for cultural exchange. Bringing music into healthcare settings is always personalised and uniquely directed towards the particular mood and setting of a ward, group, or individual – that is why it can be difficult to explain. As Plato writes “rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul.” Music is a form of communication that is far more powerful than words, far more immediate, and can be far more effective.

Joe Danks:

Over the last 4 months I have been participating in a training programme delivered by Opus Music. The programme mostly involved me delivering musical interventions at the Queens Medical Centre, but also involved a day spent talking about our experience as mentees. It is with great sadness that I wave goodbye to what has become a part of my routine, and a part that I looked forward to each week. I would like to thank Opus for the high quality training I have received, and recognise the patient and gentle nature of the musicians I have worked with. I would also like to express what a joy it has been to spend time in the hospital school with the selfless hospital staff and teachers; the hospitality from everybody at the QMC Education Base has been wonderful.

I said in my first blog post that the real treasure in this work lay in the young people that we met on a day to day basis, and I am even more convinced of that after 10 weeks than I was after 3. The sheer diversity of character displayed throughout Nottingham Children’s Hospital is constantly astounding, and the positivity reflected back to us as musicians is immensely rewarding. The positive effects of music are very clear to me, and I have experienced its wide ranging benefits on a regular basis all the way through my life and I feel like the mentoring process has allowed me share a little bit of this with people when they need it the most, and that’s been really fantastic. I think its important also to recognise not only the social and psychological benefits but the educational benefits of this work. I’ve spent a lot of time talking about my instruments (Guitar, Ukulele, Percussion) to young people and parents, and I feel like people have really learnt about music as well as participating in playing it.

Music In Healthcare has gradually become a part of my life, and I am striving to make it a part of my future plans. I am hoping to visit projects across Europe, and hopefully engage in some music making with those projects. I have been instilled with a passion for the importance of this work and I intend to continue with it for many years to come. Huge thanks again to Opus, Hospital School and also to Angela Kang who has been my fellow mentee during the process. Its been a pleasure working with all parties.

Knowing what type of music will enhance the psychological and physical wellbeing of patients relies on empathy and intuition. There are two things that are always necessary for this type of work – appropriateness of musician, and the appropriateness of musical selections. Empathy (personal and musical) is of great importance. First and foremost, a hospital musician needs to survey the situation, and identify whether a patient would be happy to listen to or engage with music. In some cases, this can be quite obvious (a smile, a curious stare, parents directing attention of the children, a willingness to engage in conversation). For example, the other day a hospital teacher informed us that a teenage girl was struggling to complete a piano composition for her school exams, and would be delighted to meet Opus musicians for some inspiration. We created the opportunity for the young girl to develop her ideas, and encouraged her to feel confident in improvising as together we instigated a medley of improvised musical waltzes. Although focused on one patient, it was clear that others on the ward were happily watching.

In other cases, whether a patient is open to listen to or engage with music is much less obvious. In this situation, a gentle and tentative approach is best. It might also be appropriate to ask if they would like to hear a song – giving the option to a child patient (who often does not have choices concerning medical interventions) can perhaps be liberating. For example, the other day, a young child looking a little unhappy and fatigued was cuddling up to her mother in the corner of a ward. Her mother was clearly delighted to see musicians coming over to pay special attention to her little one, and this enthusiasm from mother triggered a little smile from the fatigued girl. We gently played ‘Yellow Bird’ as they happily watched, midway handing over a shaker to the little girl who (despite her tiredness) wanted to join in. At some point, her curiosity about the accordion led her to ask about it, and we let her press a few keys – which perhaps made the connection a little more personal. After this, realising she probably might want to rest, one of us asked if she would like some more music, or if she had enough for that day. She chose to rest, and looked happy as we gently said “thank you for playing, and goodbye”. Knowing how and when to end a musical interaction requires a good sense of empathy and intuition.

We have a range of musical pieces that we can play and improvise with. Sometimes a well-known and catchy song might be in order. However, sometimes, a well-known piece can evolve into a new and totally improvised piece of music – which can be equally effective and appropriate. According to Vescelius, “discrimination in the choice of music is essential; in ill- health one does not enjoy a musical banquet but a musical specific” (Vescelius, 1918).