Today, on World Prematurity Day, we’re delighted to share some news.
In 2026, we’ll begin a year-long project at East Surrey Hospital, offering weekly music sessions in the neonatal unit and children’s ward. Thanks to generous support from the East Surrey Hospital charitable fund, our musicians will be alongside babies, parents and staff every week, using gentle live music to support bonding and wellbeing in neonatal wards.
For families with premature babies, the neonatal unit can feel overwhelming. We bring soft, responsive music right to incubators, singing to babies and supporting parents to sing their first lullabies. These moments help to normalise the space and nurture early attachment. It’s not only nursery rhymes and lullabies, we also use parent-preferred melodies, offering calming versions of the songs families already love. When a parent sings a song that lights them up, that surge of joy can be felt by everyone in the room, including baby.
We’ve seen the impact of this work across Sussex and Surrey. One nurse at the Trevor Mann Baby Unit told us: “I think everyone can benefit from having music in the Unit because when you are going through such a difficult time, it’s really important to have time to decompress… You see the actual physiological differences… [Babies] are a lot calmer, their heartrate goes down, their temperature goes up, they’re using less oxygen… you can just get to enjoy the positivity and the happiness that comes to the unit. I think you guys do an incredible job.”
Music brings connection and moments of calm for families to bond and be themselves.