Case study: ‘you have to stay right there until he’s finished!’
Working on a ward at Nottingham Children’s Hospital, we asked a nurse if it was appropriate to play for the very young baby she was caring for. She said ‘yes of course’. We could see that she was feeding the baby through a feeding tube.
As we played, the nurse interacted with the baby, soothing him through touch and gentle tapping. The ward sister came along and asked the nurse if the baby had calmed down. The nurse said he had since we had arrived. The ward sister then said ‘you have to stay right there until he’s finished!’
Richard asked the nurse if he’d been very distressed and she explained that he’d been struggling feeding with the tube, then getting angry and being sick, so losing the feed. This had caused him to be hungry and the cycle had then repeated.
We continued playing and the baby was still slightly upset. Sarah suggested that Richard played the Bodhrán (drum) for the next piece to see if a quiet repetitive rhythm would be soothing. We played ‘Evelyne’s’, moving into ‘Sailor went to sea’. We played an extended version, getting quieter and quieter as the nurse finished the feed and cleaned the feeding tube. She continued to sooth the baby as we played until he fell completely asleep. She smiled and said ‘he’s gone off’ at which point we finished the piece.
As we left the ward he was still asleep and had kept the feed down. The effect of calm induced by the interplay between the nurse and musicians was observed to continue in the baby until his next feed approximately two hours after the musicians had left the space.
Music Care
OPUS is delighted to be working in partnership with the University of Nottingham and Room 217 Foundation (Canada) to deliver Music Care Training. Music Care Training is for care providers looking to incorporate music into their care practice, and for musicians looking to take their skills into the care context.
Next Training: 25/26 November 2019, Music Care Level 1, University of Nottingham
We are also looking forward to presenting at the second ‘Power of Music in Health and Social Care’ conference, to be held at the East Midlands Conference Centre on 4 November 2019 
Music in Healthcare Training – 14-18 May 2018
PLEASE NOTE – This course is now full. If you wish to be added to our waiting list, please do send in an application form for our consideration. You can also contact us at training@opusmusic.org to be added to our mailing list for future training opportunities.
Applications are now open for our 5-day Music in Healthcare Settings Training course based in Derby and Sutton in Ashfield, UK.
This course will take place on 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 May 2018 at Kedleston Road Training and Development Centre, Derby, All Saints Centre, Huthwaite and and Kings Mill Hospital, Sutton in Ashfield. (Shared travel will be arranged between Derby and other sites for those needing it)
More details are available here:
Music in Healthcare Training opportunity Musicians Brief May 2018 (pdf)
Application Form (pdf)
Application Form (word document)
We will be offering places on the training programme as we receive suitable applications. We will close the application process once all eight places have been filled.
You are encouraged to apply as soon as possible and before the deadline of Friday 9th March 2018 as places could fill up quickly.
Here’s what previous trainees have said about this training course:
If you are at all interested in how music can be used as a vehicle for better health, happiness and well-being…DO THIS COURSE. It was one of the most moving, enlightening and humbling weeks of my life and has confirmed 100% for me that I’m on the right path musically, professionally and personally.
This training was all about fabulous human encounters in music: with the patients, their relatives, the hospital staff, my fellow trainees, and of course with Nick, Sarah and Richard.
I would recommend doing this training if you feel excited about the possibility of using music to enrich and even transform lives in a setting that is a long way from the stage.
This course has the potential to redefine your ideas of musical performance and what it means to connect with others when making music, in healthcare settings and beyond. My notions of musicality were challenged and broken open to reveal once more the true beauty of creativity. Something I am thankful for. The course is an absolute must for musicians, healthcare staff and humanity as a whole.
Training with Opus has been an incredibly creative, exciting, moving, challenging and fun five days, that have inspired me musically and personally. I feel privileged to have met such creative and talented musicians, and feel compelled to tell everyone about the immense power of music in the hospital setting!
Every moment of the course is crucial to exploring the role of the musician in a healthcare setting. The team of professional and well-experienced facilitators firmly ground the profession within its social and cultural context and offer a structured introduction to cutting edge techniques and exploratory, collaborative experience within the hospital setting itself. I would whole-heartedly recommend attending a course with OPUS to any musician looking to have an impact in this growing area of expertise.
This is one of the best training courses I have ever attended because in such a short time it has given me musical skills and confidence I did not have, as well as opening up a new career path in a fascinating discipline
The course is incredibly fulfilling and so valuable. It was unique in how engaging, rewarding and informative it was, as well as fun! I felt at ease quickly and thoroughly enjoyed how much I learnt, both in the experiences it gave but also the practical tools I have acquired to develop my own practice and passion for music in healthcare settings.
Music in Paediatric Healthcare (MPH)
Thanks for engaging with this innovative new programme, developing a Music in Paediatric Healthcare (MPH) curriculum and training Programme.
The following links will take you to relevant documents:
Information about this programme (along with printed questionnaire and sign up sheets)
Music in Healthcare Settings Apprenticeships 2017-2018
We are delighted to announce the third year of our extremely successful Music in Healthcare Settings Apprenticeship programme.
Programmes from past years have seen the emergence of new Music in Healthcare practitioners and organisations engaged in new programmes of practice at Great Ormond Street and Alder Hey Children’s Hospitals amongst numerous others.
From September 2017 to June/July 2018, we are offering four paid apprenticeships, exploring Music in Healthcare Settings practice alongside highly experienced OPUS Musicians and Trainers and supporting the development of new programmes of practice.
Click on the following links for more information:
Full Apprenticeship Programme Details (pdf)
Apprenticeship Timetable (pdf)
Application Form (word)
Application Form (pdf)
The deadline for applications is midday on Thursday 8th June 2017 with interviews/auditions to be held in Derby on Thursday 29th June 2017.
This programme is made possible with the support of public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Music in Healthcare Training: 8-12 May 2017
Applications are now CLOSED for this course as all places have been filled. Thank you for your interest. Please get in touch at training@opusmusic.org to be sent details of future courses.
Applications are now open for our 5-day Music in Healthcare Settings Training course based in Derby and Sutton in Ashfield, UK.
This course will take place on 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 May 2017 at Kedleston Road Training and Development Centre, Derby and Kings Mill Hospital, Sutton in Ashfield. (Shared travel will be arranged between Derby and Kings Mill Hospital for those needing it)
More details are available here:
Music in Healthcare Training opportunity Musicians Brief May 2017 (pdf)
Application Form (pdf)
Application Form (word document)
We will be offering places on the training programme as we receive suitable applications. We will close the application process once all eight places have been filled.
You are encouraged to apply as soon as possible and before the deadline of Friday 10th March 2017 as places could fill up quickly.
Here’s what previous trainees have said about this training course:
If you are at all interested in how music can be used as a vehicle for better health, happiness and well-being…DO THIS COURSE. It was one of the most moving, enlightening and humbling weeks of my life and has confirmed 100% for me that I’m on the right path musically, professionally and personally.
This training was all about fabulous human encounters in music: with the patients, their relatives, the hospital staff, my fellow trainees, and of course with Nick, Sarah and Richard.
I would recommend doing this training if you feel excited about the possibility of using music to enrich and even transform lives in a setting that is a long way from the stage.
This course has the potential to redefine your ideas of musical performance and what it means to connect with others when making music, in healthcare settings and beyond. My notions of musicality were challenged and broken open to reveal once more the true beauty of creativity. Something I am thankful for. The course is an absolute must for musicians, healthcare staff and humanity as a whole.
Training with Opus has been an incredibly creative, exciting, moving, challenging and fun five days, that have inspired me musically and personally. I feel privileged to have met such creative and talented musicians, and feel compelled to tell everyone about the immense power of music in the hospital setting!
Every moment of the course is crucial to exploring the role of the musician in a healthcare setting. The team of professional and well-experienced facilitators firmly ground the profession within its social and cultural context and offer a structured introduction to cutting edge techniques and exploratory, collaborative experience within the hospital setting itself. I would whole-heartedly recommend attending a course with OPUS to any musician looking to have an impact in this growing area of expertise.
This is one of the best training courses I have ever attended because in such a short time it has given me musical skills and confidence I did not have, as well as opening up a new career path in a fascinating discipline
The course is incredibly fulfilling and so valuable. It was unique in how engaging, rewarding and informative it was, as well as fun! I felt at ease quickly and thoroughly enjoyed how much I learnt, both in the experiences it gave but also the practical tools I have acquired to develop my own practice and passion for music in healthcare settings.
Music in Healthcare Training: Derby, May 2016
NOW CLOSED FOR APPLICATIONS
Applications are now open for our 5-day Music in Healthcare Settings Training course based in our home venue of Derby, UK.
This course will take place on 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 May 2016 at Kedleston Road Training and Development Centre, and Derbyshire Children’s Hospital (Royal Derby Hospital).
More details are available here:
Music in Healthcare Training opportunity Musicians Brief May 2016 (pdf)
Application Form (pdf)
Application Form (word document)
We will be offering places on the training programme as we receive suitable applications. We will close the application process once all eight places have been filled.
You are encouraged to apply as soon as possible and before the deadline of Wednesday 23rd March 2016 as places could fill up quickly.
Here’s what previous trainees have said about this training course:
If you are at all interested in how music can be used as a vehicle for better health, happiness and well-being…DO THIS COURSE. It was one of the most moving, enlightening and humbling weeks of my life and has confirmed 100% for me that I’m on the right path musically, professionally and personally.
This training was all about fabulous human encounters in music: with the patients, their relatives, the hospital staff, my fellow trainees, and of course with Nick, Sarah and Richard.
I would recommend doing this training if you feel excited about the possibility of using music to enrich and even transform lives in a setting that is a long way from the stage.
This course has the potential to redefine your ideas of musical performance and what it means to connect with others when making music, in healthcare settings and beyond. My notions of musicality were challenged and broken open to reveal once more the true beauty of creativity. Something I am thankful for. The course is an absolute must for musicians, healthcare staff and humanity as a whole.
Training with Opus has been an incredibly creative, exciting, moving, challenging and fun five days, that have inspired me musically and personally. I feel privileged to have met such creative and talented musicians, and feel compelled to tell everyone about the immense power of music in the hospital setting!
Every moment of the course is crucial to exploring the role of the musician in a healthcare setting. The team of professional and well-experienced facilitators firmly ground the profession within its social and cultural context and offer a structured introduction to cutting edge techniques and exploratory, collaborative experience within the hospital setting itself. I would whole-heartedly recommend attending a course with OPUS to any musician looking to have an impact in this growing area of expertise.
This is one of the best training courses I have ever attended because in such a short time it has given me musical skills and confidence I did not have, as well as opening up a new career path in a fascinating discipline
The course is incredibly fulfilling and so valuable. It was unique in how engaging, rewarding and informative it was, as well as fun! I felt at ease quickly and thoroughly enjoyed how much I learnt, both in the experiences it gave but also the practical tools I have acquired to develop my own practice and passion for music in healthcare settings.
DONATE and support our music and health practice
OPUS Music CIC relies on grants and donations to deliver music-making in healthcare settings.
Please consider supporting our Music and Health practice by donating to our funds.
OPUS Music CIC is a non profit-making organisation, dedicated to ensuring that all donations go directly towards providing music-making opportunities for people most in need in healthcare settings.
