Member Article

Newcastle Culture Investment Fund bring music to hospitals

Music in Hospitals provides professional and interactive music performances for people of all ages in healthcare and hospital settings. It is looking to recruit professional musicians in the North East to increase its available pool of performers for work in this region – and sometimes further afield.

A new mentoring programme has been set up to help 10 established musicians or ensembles develop their skills in working with audiences in these settings. Audiences will be mainly in small groups and range from children to older people, and facing a range of health issues that prevent them from accessing the joy of live music in other ways.

New musicians to the scheme will work alongside some of Music in Hospitals experienced musicians who will provide mentoring support. After seeing one concert, new musicians will perform short spots at 2 further concerts, then devise and perform their own 60 min concerts. A mix of expenses and fees will be paid as this work progresses and successful musicians will be eligible for freelance paid work with Music in Hospitals. This is a real professional development opportunity to gain deeper skills in interacting with audiences. The qualities valued will be musical virtuosity; a warm, engaging and inclusive approach; broad repertoire to suit all situations and age groups; ability to spot opportunities for engagement and participation; professionalism (smart, punctual, polite, organised) and enthusiasm.

The opportunity is open to soloists, duos and trios across a broad range of genres, singing or playing acoustic instruments suitable for an indoor setting.

Musicians accepted onto the scheme will be expected to demonstrate commitment to the process and attend 5 training sessions over a period of one year. All training will take place in health care venues in Newcastle upon Tyne. This project is funded by the Newcastle Culture Investment Fund at the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland and Arts Council England.

To apply or for further information, please contact Chris Pentney, Project Coordinator North East Chris.Pentney@musicinhospitals.org.uk Please send relevant biographical information and links to audio and, preferably video, clips as the first assessment will be made from this information. Further selection for the scheme will be by audition.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Adam Lopardo .