City of London Sinfonia musicians regularly deliver communal and bedside sessions to patients on the paediatric wards at University College Hospital, part of UCLH, in collaboration with UCLH Charity and the UCLH play and youth services team.
The adolescent ward includes the treatment of young people on the TRACCS programme (Treatment and Rehabilitation for Adolescents and Children with Complex Conditions Service), a nationally recognised service working with children and young people up to the age of 19 with complex presentations including chronic fatigue.
UCLH’s Teenage Cancer ward is a specialist unit that provides medical care to teenagers undergoing diagnosis and treatment for all types of cancer. Patients in this unit are often acutely unwell and can struggle to find enjoyable distractions from their medical situation.
Workshop leader Gawain Hewitt delivers music-making workshops with young people at UCLH on a regular basis.
Sessions take place both in common rooms and at patients’ bedsides, in response to the young person’s energy levels and in accordance with any infection control guidelines.
Sessions invite young people to explore instruments and music technology alongside orchestral musicians using improvisation and curiosity to explore and play with sound. The artistic team follow the interests of the young people, providing an escape from the day-to-day of the hospital environment and often opportunities to connect with peers through creativity.
‘I felt there was an authentically equal dynamic
… between the young people, the musicians, and the play workers, all learning from each other, contributing as a team and creating interesting and impressive music. There were thought-provoking conversations about the stories the music was telling, what the pieces would be named, as well as how the music made you feel. It was a privilege to join the session.’
—Lizzy Cubitt, Corporate Fundraising Manager at UCLH Charity
‘In the morning, the children and adolescents were excited for the sessions in the afternoon.
It lifted their spirits, which created a nice atmosphere on the ward. It encouraged patients to engage with each other in neighboring bays, which helped the nurses and health care assistants carry out their jobs easier as the patients were distracted and less anxious.’
—UCLH Play and Youth Worker
