Our team of “Wishing Well” musicians bring music-making right to the bedsides of children and young people in hospital, helping to create positive experiences at a really difficult time for families. Making music together provides a way of expressing and releasing stress; a moment of fun that has nothing to do with illness or the … Read more
The outcomes that Rhythmix work towards and capture have emerged in the course of work in children and young people’s healthcare settings. Our intention to reduce anxiety and isolation and increase self expression is widely supported by the healthcare staff who have helped to shape and guide our work right from the beginning. They recognise … Read more
We are over the moon to announce that Programme Director, Jo White was announced winner of the Musician’s Union “Inspiration” Award 2018 for her work with the Rhythmix, Wishing Well programme! In just 4 years Wishing Well has grown from a pilot project at The Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton, to a Sussex … Read more
Programme Director Jo White is taking a 24 hour sponsored challenge for Wishing Well! “The music starts…and it all comes flooding back” We urgently need to raise funds so that we can keep bringing the extraordinary benefits of music making to people who are living with dementia. So – I am organising a fund-raising, music-making, … Read more
We’ve been working with people with dementia at Arundel Community Hospital in West Sussex as part of a research study with Sussex Community NHS Trust. A few of the many beautiful moments of joy and connection shared between musicians, patients, families and nursing staff are captured here in this short film commissioned by Sussex … Read more
To help us learn more about the impact of music making in hospitals on our team of musicians, the healthcare professionals they work with and the children and families they support we commissioned an evaluation from Dr Anneli Haake. Dr Haake carried out a thematic analysis of the reports that the Musicians write up as part of their reflective practice as … Read more
A little while ago, our Wishing Well programme with people with dementia was featured on BBC South East. Shortly after, we received a very moving letter from the daughter of one of our participants, thanking us for, “giving me my Mum back, albeit briefly”. She had seen her Mum on the film, smiling gently and … Read more
We had a visit recently from the amazing, Sophie Partridge who is an actor, writer and workshop artist. She is currently taking part in a mentoring programme with Drake Music and her mentor is the equally amazing, Graham Dowdall who also works with us here at Rhythmix. As part of the mentor programme, Sophie got … Read more
For one reason or another, I got to spend a little bit of time recently in an ambulance with a paramedic from my local hospital. I talked about how making music can help to reduce the boredom and anxiety experienced by children who spend long weeks and months in hospital and how the sound ecology … Read more
Would you like to dance? Not a question I get asked every day, especially in a ward full of elderly patients living with dementia. I looked around at the staff for signs that this maybe a bad idea, maybe I had to decline politely? The participants and staff did not seem shocked or bothered by … Read more