Forming Creative Connections in Derby

“The music was beautiful and as we closed our eyes we could feel as if there was only the two of us”

What a wonderful few weeks we’ve had in Derby as part of our pilot project this March! We partnered with two local organisations, Universal Services for Carers (now part of Derbyshire Carers) and the Hardy Group, to run the project exploring how music can better support carers and their loved ones in the city. Read on to find out what happened and what we discovered!

 

Why Creative Connections?

Sinfonia Viva has a long history of developing impactful projects and events designed to improve wellbeing for both carers and those with dementia and other life-limiting conditions. We partnered with a wide variety of cultural and community organisations as part of the Good Company project, which offered a creative, non-clinical approach to dementia care in Essex. We’ve also established a much-loved relaxed concert series, Melodic Moments, in Derby and Mansfield: in fact, many of the pilot programme’s participants are regular attendees at these events!

Often activities for this group will focus just on the carer or the cared-for individual, but we know that there is huge value in providing activities for both parties to enjoy together. They provide the opportunity to make new memories as a pair, enjoy a welcome respite from the stress of caring roles, and take time to be creative in a safe and welcoming environment. We were particularly keen to learn from our participants throughout the pilot, placing their experience at the heart of our project and exploring how we can further develop activities that best suit their needs.

 

 

What were the sessions like?

The Creative Connections pilot was led by Caroline Welsh, an experienced music leader who presents our Melodic Moments concerts and also works extensively on programmes such as Wigmore Hall’s Music for Life. She was joined by Sinfonia Viva musicians Maddy Aldis-Evans (oboe) and Mike Nowland (cello), and the team were highly valued by participants: one carer fed back that “I feel very fortunate and privileged to have been serenaded by professional musicians and to have had the opportunity to make music with them.”

Each week our team were on hand to provide a warm welcome at the door, with an all-important offer of a hot drink and biscuits! It was lovely to catch up with participants, find out what they’d been doing since our last session, and see what they were looking forward to this week.

Each session began and ended with some instrumental framing music performed by our musicians, to help set the scene for our time together and provide an element of calm and familiarity. We then led into a welcome song to greet everyone around the circle. Throughout each activity participation was encouraged, but by no means mandatory or expected: both carers and cared-for were welcome to join in in a way that felt most comfortable to them, or to simply sit back and enjoy the music.

Our themes for the sessions were ‘Wheels, Water and Weaving’, taking inspiration from Derby’s industrial past, and we worked as a whole group to create improvisational soundscapes based around these elements. Participants enjoyed the opportunity to explore a wide range of handheld percussion, including a few unusual instruments: the glass singing bowls, with their satisfying resonant sound, proved a particularly big hit! We took cues from individuals to build our sound worlds but left space for experimentation and play: there was no such thing as a wrong note here, and we saw lots of new playing styles and creative ideas emerge over the three sessions!

We also used our voices by joining in with a local folk song, ‘The Derby Ram’, and had a go at some songwriting to create lyrics representing the group. This provided much merriment over the three sessions, with lots of good-humoured suggestions and even a reference to our ‘cella-fella’ Mike in one of the songs!

 

What did our participants think?

It was clear from the feedback we gathered that both carers and cared-for alike had thoroughly enjoyed the sessions, and the opportunity to take part as a pair:

“Relaxed, calm, engaged – keen to join in. He was clearly really enjoying the session. Playful! He showed none of the anxiety that he often suffers from.”

“A chance to easily join in and opt out as wanted. So lovely to share together as a couple and socialise. Everyone was valued.”

They highlighted the impact that the pilot had had away from the sessions, both for themselves and their loved one:

“My mum rarely leaves the house and has limited conversation. Since the sessions began she has talked about the music, the friendships and how much she enjoyed it.”

“I have had more patience and experienced an improvement in mood, lasting until bedtime.”

Carers also valued the opportunity to take part in activities with others in a similar position, and to have the opportunity to have some time for themselves:

“It was wonderful to feel a real connection and understanding with other carers and cared for. It makes you feel ‘not alone’”

“I personally feel so relaxed. Caring is hard and can feel overwhelming. This session helped so much.”

 

What’s next?

We plan to use our learning from this pilot project to help us develop a longer-term programme for carers and their loved ones. If you’d like to find out more or be the first to hear about new opportunities to get involved, please contact [email protected].

Our Melodic Moments concerts continue in both Derby and Mansfield, and in April we’ll be welcoming flautist Jemma Freestone and bassoonist Gareth Humphreys to both venues. Check out our What’s On page to browse available dates and book tickets!