Search
Close this search box.
OPUS Music CIC Logo in White

Music and Health

Comfort and Connection through Quiet Confidence

Comfort and Connection through Quiet Confidence

Towards the end of February, we were working our way through the hospital and we came to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Rich and patient and healthcare staff
"OPUS music are fantastic! As staff, we are so relieved when we see them walk through the unit doors. Today they came to the unit, we had a delirious patient that was hearing sound. They asked if now was a good time and we welcomed them greatly. OPUS music started playing and immediately the patient settled and relaxed back into their bed. They continued to play and calmed the patient so much that they fell into a deep and comfortable sleep ... They are so welcome and needed. They bring calm and positivity with them and help to make our jobs easier. They always manage to make the patients and family experience happier and nicer."
Healthcare Staff

Rich Kensington and I were suddenly called on by staff attending a young patient who was experiencing delirium and demonstrating distress at various sounds in the room. The situation appeared quite urgent. The staff stated that medical and nursing interventions were not working and they felt sure we should try some music. There was a sense of immediacy in the request and the staff seemed confident that music would be an effective alternative. We considered what to play / sing and how to deliver the piece.

We began purposefully and quite upbeat, with intensity to match the young person’s tempo and distress. After a few lines of the song, the young person connected with the music and a few changes were observed. Their own vocal noises lessened, movements became smaller, and they paused every now and again to listen. Rich moved the piece to a slower and more gentle tempo, but still with a strong vocal connection. Through this time we noted our own heartbeats racing, as a result of the intensity of the situation, and we realised we needed to bring our own internal energy levels down to assist the young patient.

We brought the pace right down singing a well-known lullaby song and keeping the vocal tone strong, open and connected. We reflected afterwards that this strength and consistency of voice may provide a focus for someone struggling through their own delirium to hang on to for a comfort and a way out.

Through the development of our practice over the years, we have constantly reflected upon the importance of being able to deliver strong, confident, quiet playing in hospital settings – to be able to match the volume of the environment suitably, but to sound positive in doing so. This situation reaffirmed that learning and caused us to really consider the impact of warm and present vocal tones and open-hearted singing in such a sensitive healthcare environment.

Eventually the young person relaxed so far, that their parent could allow their previous restraint to become a soothing embrace, and they finally fell into a deep sleep. We moved a little further away from this person’s bed area and playing our last gentle piece for the whole room to relax and gain a calmer inner state again.

This proved a powerful experience for the musicians too and one which has stayed with us both.

"This service is absolutely invaluable. Today they arrived and immediately calmed an incredibly delirious patient. It was exactly what was needed ... it is invaluable to provide holistic patient care. Thank you again for today your timing was absolutely perfect. Medical and nursing interventions were not helping, but this provided an immediate effect."
Healthcare Staff

Read More...

Recruiting East Midlands Musicians

OPUS Music CIC is looking for musicians

Musicians from Ashfield, Bolsover and Nottingham are invited to work with OPUS Music to develop musical activities which support the health and wellbeing of people within those communities.

We have worked since 2010 as Healthcare Musicians in hospitals across the East Midlands, including Kings Mill, Royal Derby, Leicester and Nottingham Hospitals. We want to create local opportunities for people to experience the power of music in their own communities, involving local musicians.

Join one of our information events to find out more...

We are looking to work with experienced musicians who feel they may have something to offer to their communities, particularly musicians from communities currently under-represented in their work, including those identifying as from The Global Majority, Disabled or LGBTQIA+ communities, or people who have experienced socio-economic disadvantage. 

We are offering paid work to two musicians from each region to work alongside the OPUS team to develop this community offer.  This will be for up to five days development time from July to September, followed by a series of fifteen two-hour community based sessions from September to December.  Sessions may include music-making in any form, conversations about music, listening to music together, and whatever else the group want or need. 

 

Musicians interested in this opportunity are encouraged to get in touch with Nick Cutts, CEO, at nick@opusmusic.org or call on 07786 157515

National Portfolio Organisation

OPUS Music becomes National Portfolio Organisation

OPUS Music CIC is delighted to become part of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio from 1 April 2023

OPUS Music has been awarded £145,000 per year over the next three years by Arts Council England. This new investment reflects the significant role that OPUS plays locally, regionally, and nationally in the delivery, training, and advocacy for the use of music within health and social care. 

The funding will support the development of three new communities of practice based within the Ashfield, Bolsover, and Nottingham regions with a specific focus upon supporting people experiencing mental health challenges.

 It will allow OPUS to reach a wide range of musicians and participants, building an increasingly diverse and inclusive approach to the use of music within health and social care.

“We are delighted and hugely grateful to have been chosen as one of Arts Council England’s new National Portfolio organisations over the next 3 years This investment comes at a time when we are increasingly recognising the power that music can have on our lives, especially when we are experiencing health challenges. We are looking forward to working even more closely with these three communities, developing more, and increasingly relevant opportunities for people of all ages to both lead and to engage in music and music-making. We are excited to be working with them to create opportunities to explore how music can play an important part of the health and wellbeing of themselves and of their communities.”
OPUS Music Team
Nick Cutts
CEO

Re-Connecting

Re-Connecting

The morning’s Healthcare Musician practice had joys that ranged from the first smile of a very young baby in the Neonatal Unit to the last song of an older person’s life.

As I take a few moments to reflect upon what it means to be back in hospitals making music, I am once again overwhelmed by the human connection and depth of emotion tapped into by musical interactions in person.

As OPUS musicians, we profoundly felt the frustrations of not being able to be involved and to be present within the spaces at all for the last three years. It has taken such a lot to come back to work, and we are so delighted to be doing it once again. As the crisis of COVID-19 slips a little more into the past, we now find ourselves as Healthcare Musicians able to bring something of connective humanity into these difficult and delicate spaces once more.

We took our time in choosing the right moment and piece of music for the new family in the NICU. Twinkle Twinkle was chosen. The parents videoed their little one as they seemed to be sleeping. Then, just gradually, the first little smile appeared across their face. Then once and twice more before the final verse was sung. How special it was as Dad went back through the video and froze the frame where he saw his little one smile for the very first time. How wonderful to play this intimate role in helping to make memories for this family from such an early age.

For the older person we met later that same morning, it seemed hard to choose the piece to play to begin with. What would have the right content for this human being who had lived a long full life and was nearing the end of the journey? Having spoken with the relative, who had enthusiastically beckoned us in, we settled on Diamond Day – a lovely gentle piece including elements of descriptors of the countryside, the horses passing, the crops growing, and the people that you meet as you go through life. We were then told that they had owned a cart horse when very young and had often spoken about this. We had, fortunately, picked something truly connective and meaningful for this family experience.

Another older patient videoed us playing and singing Edelweiss all through. At the end they said “Aw, that was romantic! We do need a bit of that right now, don’t we?!” I think I know just what they meant…

It is important to reflect that these in person experiences are potentially powerful and meaningful for both the patients AND the Healthcare Musician. It is part our chosen professional musical world, and for the last three years there has been a definite void…

– Sarah Matthews

Recruiting OPUS Board Members

Recruiting OPUS Board Members

We are looking to recruit at least 2 additional board members (voluntary) to support our ambitious plans for the development our organisation and practice, our engagement with the health and social care sector, and our relationship with our communities with whom we co-produce improved health and wellbeing outcomes. ​

Please consider joining us in taking the next steps of our exciting journey!

More information about OPUS Music CIC is available in the linked document: OPUS information February 2023

Board member (Voluntary)

Main Responsibilities

 
  • Ensuring OPUS Music CIC complies with legislative and regulatory requirements, and acts within the confines of its governing document (Articles of Association), company law, policies and other relevant legislation or regulations.
  • Maintaining sound financial management of OPUS Music CIC’s resources, ensuring expenditure is in line with the organisation’s objects, mission and vision.
  • Contributing actively to the board’s role in offering strategic input to OPUS Music CIC in partnership with the artistic and production teams.
  • Evaluating outputs against agreed goals and targets.
  • Safeguarding the good name and values of OPUS Music CIC.
  • Promoting and developing OPUS Music CIC in order for it to grow and maintain its relevance to society.
  • Interviewing, appointing and monitoring the work and activities of the Chief Executive and other members of the OPUS team as/when required.
  • Ensuring the effective and efficient administration of OPUS Music CIC and its resources.
  • Acting as a counter-signatory on charity cheques and any applications for funds, if required.
  • Maintaining absolute confidentiality about all sensitive/confidential information received in the course of board members’ responsibilities to OPUS Music CIC.

In addition to the above statutory duties, each board member should use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they have to help the board reach sound decisions.

This may involve:

Leading discussions
Focusing on key issues
Providing advice and guidance on new initiatives 
Evaluation or other issues in which the board member has special expertise

Members are expected to attend all board meetings unless under exceptional circumstances. Board meetings are held four times a year and usually take part online via MS Teams (in person at least once per year). Papers are distributed a minimum of one week in advance of the meeting.

In exceptional circumstances, board members may be called to extraordinary meetings. EGMs are held for the consideration of non-recurring business that requires approval by the board and will be held online.

Board away-days may be held (a maximum of two per year), at which members are encouraged to attend where possible. Away-days are held in person and focus on discrete areas of development or of significant relevance at the time.

Board members may claim out of pocket expenses incurred in travelling to meetings.

We warmly welcome applications from those who are significantly underrepresented in our organisation and sector, including disabled people, and individuals from LGBTQIA+, Black, Asian and Global Majority Communities.  We are particularly keen to hear from members of the communities we serve or work alongside.

How to apply

In the first instance, please get in touch with Nick Cutts, Chief Executive, OPUS Music CIC for a conversation about becoming a board member.

07786 157515
nick@opusmusic.org

We are hiring!

OPUS Music Team

We are recruiting!

We are looking for dynamic, forward-thinking people to join us in the next exciting phase of OPUS Music CIC’s development. 

Roles Available

We have identified roles and the expected duties within these as detailed below, however, we are keen to tailor these to the skill-sets and experience offered by applicants. We are open to exploring how what you bring may fit across part of, or across numerous roles identified below. 

Let’s create a role together that fits you, and what you will bring to OPUS.

Project Manager/Co Producer

(3 days per week)

  • Managing day to day programmes
  • Maintaining operational relationships with project partners
  • Fundraising (including grant-writing) according to future programme needs
  • Networking within the Arts and Health ‘world’
  • Monitoring and reporting on day-to-day progress and impact
  • Acting as Company Manager as required to carry out additional tasks relating to governance and/or reporting

Training and Learning Manager

(2 days per week)

 
  • Promoting training programmes for health/care staff and musicians (in partnership with the Marketing and Communications Manager)
  • Tailoring training programmes to meet the needs of partner organisations
  • Continually developing training offers to fit the needs of our clients
  • Engaging new audiences with our training offers
  • Resourcing training programmes and coordinating with our team of Trainers
  • Ensuring the learning from across programmes is shared within OPUS, seeding organisational development
  • Seeking and participating in wider opportunities for organisational learning, and for the dissemination of OPUS’ learning

Finance Manager

(1 day per week)

  • Maintaining up-to-date accounting records
  • Providing the Chief Executive and Board with regular management and other financial reports as required
  • Ensuring that financial reporting is in-line with the requirements of funders, including Arts Council England
  • Managing payments to Leadership and Artistic teams along with other service providers
  • Ensuring the timely delivery of invoices to, and payment from those in receipt of OPUS’ services
  • Liaising with the appointed external accountant as required

 

We are building capacity within our leadership team through the creation of new roles to deliver our bold ambitions within the Music in Health/care sector. These roles are supported by our successful application to be a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) of Arts Council England (ACE). The new roles will sit alongside the existing roles of Chief Executive (FT) and Marketing and Communications Manager (PT). For further context and background to OPUS, please refer to the ‘OPUS information Feb 2023’ document.

How to apply

Please send a letter of application detailing what you think you could bring to OPUS (no more than 2 sides of A4), with an accompanying CV, including the names of two referees to nick@opusmusic.org. References will only be pursued after the conditional offer of a role. Please direct any questions to Chief Executive Nick Cutts. 

You are very welcome to call or email to discuss a potential application. 
nick@opusmusic.org Tel: 07786 157515 

Your application should arrive no later than 5pm on Monday 20th March. We will inform candidates who have been shortlisted for interview on Friday 24th March. Interviews will be held via MS Teams on Monday 27th March and Wednesday 29th March (please indicate your availability for these dates on your application).

In-person Training: Exploring the role of the Healthcare Musician

In-person training for musicians: Exploring the role of the Healthcare Musician: 15th - 19th May 2023

We are delighted to be bringing back our in-person training for Musicians wishing to explore their potential role, or develop their current role, within health and social care.

Over the past 10 years, this highly-regarded course, a mixture of theory, application and reflection, has led to numerous practices and programmes emerging across the UK and beyond. We're now looking for our next cohort of musicians ready to make this journey.

A picture of a music making session with guitars xylophones


"This course opened my eyes to the many different ways to use music in a hospital setting. If you are a musician first and foremost and want to learn how to transfer those skills into a hospital setting in a sensitive and effective way this is the course for you. Getting to see the course leaders in action was a particular highlight for me. This excellent course offers musicians an inspirational opportunity to reassess and develop their own musical practice in an enjoyable, supportive and professional setting. For me, it has presented a pathway into a different, very rewarding way of making music professionally."

What are the benefits of the course?

When is the course?

The course will run from Monday 15th May – Friday 19th May 2023 inclusive.

Where is it based?

The Healthcare Musician Training will be based in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, UK.

What does the course include?

Theory

Day One

The first two days will explore the theory and context behind this rapidly growing practice, looking at acute and community-based approaches.

Context

Day Two

You'll have the opportunity to develop your own musical, personal and professional skills and competencies supported by the OPUS Trainers.

Training

Day Three

Following this, our healthcare partners at Sherwood Forest Hospitals and Nottinghamshire Healthcare will be hosting two days of training across a variety of contexts.

Delivery

Day Four

During these two days you will apply yourself as a Healthcare Musician, with ample time to reflect on practice with your peers and our team of experienced Trainers.

Planning

Day Five

The final day is back in the training room, pulling together learning from the week, and developing plans for rolling out your own practice.

How many spaces are there?

How much will it cost?

We have 8 places available on this course, which will be supported by a team of 4 Trainers.

Fees for the week are £650.00

We are not able to offer accommodation, however we are happy to point you in the direction of suitable places to stay if required.

How to apply

We are asking for people to make an online application to take part in this course.

You can also find the application form here https://forms.office.com/e/6iExL0PxQE

Want to get involved?

Get in touch - let's work together

OPUS’ return to music-making at Leicester Children’s Hospital

An impactful return to music-making at Leicester Children's Hospital

We’re delighted to be back at Leicester Children’s Hospital on a weekly basis, making music for and with patients, their families and visitors and the wonderful multi-disciplinary team of healthcare staff.  Whilst we’ve been working at the hospital since 2012, our visits have been on hold during the COVID pandemic.  21 September 2022 saw our long-awaited return to practice, and it’s been wonderful to witness the impact so far.  It’s great to be back!

We are extremely grateful for the support of Leicester Hospitals Charity in enabling our return to practice at the Children’s Hospital.

musiccareconference

Music Care Conference - Presented in Hybrid format from Vancouver, Canada

10 Reasons to Come to Music Care Conference 2022

  1. Learn and experience how music supports your health and wellness
  1. An amazing group of speakers (see below) explain how they are using music in care
  1. Hear Susan Aglukark, named 2022 Junos Humanitarian of the year, tell her story
  2. Meet Dr. Corene Thaut, co-founder of neurologic music therapy, and the impact of her work
  1. Great value! $130/person, seniors/students $75 including lunch and refreshments
  1. Amazing location! – at the Anvil Centre in New Westminster, across from the Sky Train
  1. Hybrid! If you can’t attend in person, come virtually – $75/person – 9-4:30 PST
  1. Exhibitors and music store on site
  1. Network! Make some new friends who share your interest in music and care
  1. Discover current research on music and health topics
 
note published times for this conference are in PST (8 hours behind GMT