CUH SOUNDS RESIDENCY

For the past 18 months, Britten Sinfonia have been working in partnership with Cambridge University Hospitals arts team, CUH Arts, to bring high quality live music performances and friendly interactions into hospital wards and public spaces. 

In March, composer Jason Rowland and three Britten Sinfonia musicians engaged with patients and occupational therapists on the Department of Medicine for the Elderly (G6), Lewin (Stroke Rehabilitation) and Neurotrauma (J2)  Wards. The 3 day sessions involved patients listening, singing and playing percussion instruments as well as composing a new piece of music in each of their wards. The residency concluded with returning to those 3 wards before holding a performance in the chapel attended by patients and staff. 

It has been a delight for me to be part of the first CUH Sounds Residency, particularly as it is one of the reasons why I wanted to join the Learning and Participation Team. When I saw the brilliant work they had begun with CUH Sounds, I knew this was a project I wanted to be part of and develop further. 

Through previous work in the NHS and my personal experience of performing live music, I find it extraordinary the power that music can have on people to improve their mental health and wellbeing. I felt the residency really created moments in which patients who were experiencing challenging circumstances and conditions were able to forget everything around them and be present with the music. Rather than our usual CUH Sounds visits where we perform live music to patients and staff, it was nice to give the patients an opportunity to be part of creating the compositions the musicians played. This allowed them to fully immerse themselves into the experience of making music together in a safe and open environment. 

Red Brick, G6 Ward
The first theme of this piece was written by a lady who sang the melody and then joined in creating the chords. The second theme was created by another lady who couldn’t remember day to day things but remembered the string of 20 notes that she chose as the melody. It was particularly interesting that during the second workshop she couldn’t remember being in the previous session or writing the music until we started to play the melody, and then she recited every note name. The third theme came from a couple who wrote it together, making the piece a complete work. When we joined all the themes together, the patients thought it reminded them of the red bricks on the building outside the window on their ward. The patients requested the piece be played in a calm and relaxing style - have a listen below to see if this was achieved. 

Small Town Sunset, Lewin Ward
This piece was very much a collaborative composition, aimed at depicting a distant village in the sunset with a celebration or parade taking place. The work of the occupational therapists alongside Jason and the musicians made a huge difference in enabling all patients to be involved in the process. One man on this ward struggled with movement in his right hand and initially became very emotional with the reality of his condition. With the assistance of staff, he was able to play the guitar again after two years of being unable to. Similarly, watching another man transform from being scared about trying to play the piano again after many years, to improvising his own melody without any help, was unbelievable to unravel in just three sessions.

I Care for the Plants, J2 Ward
To compliment the two other pieces, the last ward decided that we needed something with a more uplifting energy. The group chose the notes for the main melody and the Britten Sinfonia musicians added the rhythmic pattern. The name of the piece aimed to reflect the outside space that the patients have access to and their care for the plants that grow there. Throughout the residency it was truly magical to see how both listening to the musicians and creating music together had such an impact on each individual patient. Confidence in their own musical ability and boldness in contributing ideas grew session on session. A particularly special moment for me was in this final ward, where one of the patients who had lost all movement from the neck down was able to conduct one of the musicians just through eye contact. I will always remember his eyes lighting up with happiness at being able to have control over something again.