On the Renal Ward with the Wandering Minstrels

Over the last 18 months, a group of musicians from Sinfonia Viva have been part of a remarkable project called The Wandering Minstrels, delivered in partnership with Air Arts and supported by Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity. Together, they have brought live music to patients, families, and NHS staff across dementia, cancer, stroke, and most recently, the renal ward, where the final 12-week residency has just come to a close.

This work is not about formal concerts or polished performances. There are no stage lights, no programmes, and no expectation that anyone should sit and listen politely. Instead, it is about presence. It is about walking into a ward, reading the room, and offering whatever music feels right in that moment.

Each Monday on the renal ward, among dialysis machines, ward rounds, and the constant movement of hospital life, music becomes part of the rhythm of the space. For patients returning week after week for long dialysis sessions, the musicians’ visits are becoming a familiar and welcome part of that routine – something many now expect, and often visibly brighten at when they arrive.

‘A moment of peace’

What begins as a familiar melody drifting down a corridor often turns into something much deeper: a conversation, a memory, a smile, or simply a moment of peace in an otherwise difficult day. Returning faces help build trust, and that continuity allows relationships to develop naturally over time.

Delivering this work in a clinical setting, however, requires constant sensitivity. Infection control, limited space, dialysis timings, and the unpredictable realities of hospital life all shape how sessions unfold. Musicians must move flexibly, balancing meaningful interaction with the need to reach patients across the ward. Sometimes music fills a room; sometimes the most important part of the work is knowing when to quietly step back.

Often, the music opens the door to something bigger. A song sparks memories of travelling across America. Another reminds someone of years spent playing in brass bands. One patient sings along with confidence each week, turning the bay into a shared performance space. Another simply smiles quietly from bed. These are not grand gestures. They are small, human moments, and they matter enormously.

One particularly moving reflection came from a visitor who encountered the musicians during a difficult visit to the hospital with her mother. She described the music as “a moment of peace in a very chaotic and upsetting world”. It is difficult to measure moments like that, but they are the reason this work matters.

Beyond the wards

The project has also shown how deeply music can support staff as well as patients. Nurses and ward teams regularly request songs, encourage participation, and help shape the atmosphere. Their involvement turns the experience into something shared, lifting morale across the whole space rather than creating a performance that happens to people.

Even outside patient bays, the impact continues. Playing in waiting areas and corridors has created gentle openings and reflective endings to ward sessions, reaching outpatients, visitors, and staff moving through the hospital. Several people have stopped simply to say the music had “made their day” or helped them feel lighter.

Looking to the future

Alongside the emotional impact, The Wandering Minstrels is also helping shape the future of music in healthcare. Supported by Arts Council England and working closely with healthcare teams, the programme is exploring how live music can support recovery, wellbeing, and patient care in meaningful, evidence-based ways. This includes a research partnership with University of Derby, looking specifically at how music may support patients during dialysis treatment and how creative interventions can improve hospital experiences in practical, lasting ways.

At Sinfonia Viva, we have always believed in the power of music to change lives. But few projects show that more clearly than this one. Because here, music is not just performance, it is comfort. It is dignity. It is companionship in difficult moments. It helps time pass more gently. It reminds people they are seen.

Live music cannot change a diagnosis. But it can change a day, and sometimes, that is everything.

As we complete this final renal ward residency and move into the next stage of evaluation, we are incredibly proud of what The Wandering Minstrels has achieved. It has challenged us, inspired us, and reminded us why this work matters, and, we hope, it is only the beginning.