Hospitals

Photo Credit: Edinburgh Hospital Children's Charity

16 Dec 2020 Hospitals

Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Over Lockdown

The Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity Youth Club have been meeting through Zoom throughout lockdown. This worked as a brilliant way to hang out whilst shielding is an issue.

I met with the group 3 times on Zoom to chat about their experiences during lockdown. We had some amazing discussions and there were some very poetic moments. Each week before I met with them I would try and mould our chats into another part of the song to play back to them.

I tried to ensure that every voice was heard in the song we were building. Sharing the chords with a girl in the club meant she could jam along on her bass. The narrative arc of the song built up as we discovered new directions and feelings. Themes of friendship and ways to continue communication were very prominent.

Around the wards we had 3 sessions with the focus on songwriting and came up with some lovely things! from ‘I am the king of music’ from a toddler in Ward 3, to a collaborative piece between 2 families in Ward 7, marking their journey throughout their time in the hospital, their goals achieved and hopes for the future. It sounds very serious, but it was all created with laughter and lots of silliness. We made a recording of it back at the Drop In Centre and sent it to the families.

Lastly we spoke to lots and lots of NHS staff about their experiences of lockdown with the aim of bringing all of these experiences together and making a song about it!

Since then I have been back in the hospital, playing music to young people and their families around the wards.

– Hailey Beavis

It’s fantastic to be back at the Sick Kids Hospital doing music sessions around the wards. The first session was a bit of a learning curve; trying to get used to wearing a mask whilst playing music and realising how much I rely on my facial expressions to communicate to younger children! It didn’t take long to get used to and it soon began to feel like a normal session. I was a bit unsure what the reception would be like at the start and if people would be less inclined to take part but this worry was decamped as soon as I got into the first ward and everyone was keen to play the instruments and listen to some music! The sessions have mostly been bedside jam sessions, performances round the ward and we recently got some ukuleles donated that I’ve been trying to give short lessons on.

As well as being a lot of fun for the children and young people in the hospital, the staff have been incredibly welcoming and have been enjoying the sessions; some describing it as the “highlight of their day”. One of my highlights at the hospital came in my second session back when someone’s mum said that this (performance) might be “the only concert in the world right now”.

Thanks to everyone at the Sick Kids Hospital and Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity for keeping the arts going in the hospital!

– Rhys Gilchrist

Photo: Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity

Rhys Gilchrist and Hailey Beavis Performing at Edinburgh Children’s Hospital

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7 Mar 2020 Blog, Hospitals 0

Tinderbox at Sick Kids Hospital

Tinderbox Collective

The Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity have been doing a campaign called “Heart of the Hospital” where they share all the good things that are going on in the hospital. We’re so busy when we’re in the wards with doing music and having fun that sometimes we forget to reflect on what we’re doing and the impact it has. They spoke to Rhys about what he’s been doing:

ECHC: We know that people are the true Heart of the Hospital.

We have been working with Tinderbox which is a diverse collective of young people, musicians, artists, youth workers and volunteers.

Rhys is a musician who hosts sessions each week at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children Edinburgh, you may have seen him around the wards with his guitar and many other instruments!

These fun workshops involve singing, song-writing, learning instruments, and creating fun and enjoyable experiences for children with different conditions and needs.

Rhys said: “Music has this inherent super power where it can bring people together and create a mood. The noise of the hospital can be overwhelming so it has been amazing to see how we can use music to help create a fun, comfortable space and make a difference to a patient’s visit.

“Each session is very different: sometimes it’s with large groups in the playroom, sometimes it’s bedside jam sessions and songwriting, or a baby’s first lullaby, and sometimes it’s background music whilst kids are waking up or settling down.”

“It’s always lovely to see the young people getting involved with singing and playing music and I’m constantly inspired by how brave and strong all of the children are in the hospital!”

Your generous donations help to fund activities like music at the hospital and ensure children and young people’s lives are less interrupted by illness.

To donate, visit: https://bit.ly/3bsACgr

11 Jun 2019 Blog, Hospitals 0

Songwriting at Sick Kids

Tinderbox Collective

The sessions at Sick Kids Hospital range from singalongs and jamming on the percussion to songwriting and bedside performances. This week Hailey wrote a song in 15 minutes with 2 young girls about things they liked!

Here are the lyrics to their song “Watch Me”:

Watch Me

I like candy

I like kiwi

I like dancing

You should see me

Watch me!

Out in the forest

trees all around us

A unicorn before us

Dancing in the leaves

Singing:

Watch me!

I jumped on the unicorn

Spinning all around

Up up in the clouds

Sunset all around

Watch me!

14 May 2019 Blog, Hospitals Sick Kids Hospital 0

Oor Wullies comin’ soon!

Tinderbox Collective

“After each music session at The Sick Kids Hospital, I offer the children and young people the chance to draw on my guitar. Quite often they will draw something relating to what we have been singing about, so the guitar tells the story of all the songs we have written and sung. Everything from exotic holidays to rainbow unicorns and tigers adorn the instrument. It is a journey into the imaginative worlds of the children and young people who have visited the hospital.

Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity recently invited me to paint an Oor Wullie, for part of The Bucket Trail, and I decided to reproduce as many of the children’s drawing as possible onto his dungarees, so he can tell the stories to other children who see him, and share the adventures we have had.

My guitar is so full of drawings now that there is no space left. It’s time to paint it white and start again. And by passing all the drawings on to Oor Wullie, it means they will not be lost!
Oor Wullie will be revealed soon… watch this space for updates on his new multi coloured dungarees!
For now, here is a pic of the awesome hospital guitar!” – Hailey, Tinderbox Artist.

10 Sep 2018 Hospitals 0

Sick Kids Hospital: New Instruments!

Tinderbox Collective

We’ve recently revamped our box of amazing instruments and percussion for our music sessions at The Sick Kids Hospital. So far they are going down a storm, and the Boom Whackers (colourful tubes of plastic that make a note when hit against something) are understandably very popular!

Whether you’re needing to release some tension or just get physical, the Boom Whackers can take the stick! In Ward 4 last week, a girl and her mum were hammering out some awesome melodic rhythms on a big stone column in the play room.

– Hailey

15 May 2018 Blog, Hospitals 0

May The 4th Be With You…

Tinderbox Collective

Friday 4th May was a Star Wars themed day at Sick Kids Hospital. Lots of cool stuff was happening at the Drop In Centre, including a visit from Choobakka, Luke and a Storm Trooper!

Every Friday Tinderbox have a two hour music session in Ward 7. This week ofcourse, We wanted to make it super spacey!

Inside the Playroom, we pulled all the blinds to make it as dark as possible. We brought an LED colour changing strip light, glow sticks and these light up balloons that looked like planets. The whole effect was spectacular, it changed the space so dramatically and was yet so easy to achieve. It addd another sensory level to the session, which worked to reinforce the music.

I had the idea that one way of achieving a space like vibe was to bring an electric guitar and lots of effects pedals. So we had delay, reverb and a loop pedal to play with, running into a little amp – just enough volume to lift the sound, but not enough to wake anyone sleeping next door in the Ward. The delay pedal worked so well because with the twist of a button, the sound repeats and oscillates and changes pitch. The reverb added a soupy weightless quality to the sound, which made it very spacey. The loop pedal simply records audio and plays it back instantly on a loop. This worked so well in this setting because the young people can hear what they’re making as they go. Its so simple and they get a lot of control over it. It is instantly gratifying and very fun!

I also had a microphone going through the loop pedal, so once we had created our dreamy space soundscape on the guitar, the two young people participating in the session began taking it in turns to record vocals: A count down from 10; a rocket blasting off into space, the sound of shooting stars.

Recording the young people playing the percussion was the next layer of the soundscape. I would simply hold the microphone over the instrument whilst they were playing. Bells and the Ghlockenspiel become little twinkling stars, whilst shaking the thunder drum and putting the microphone inside it was our space ship going into a black hole.

Even the Play Specialist was on board for our odyssey, simulating and recording alien voices (using a squeaky rubber toy, of course!)

– Hailey

9 May 2018 Blog, Hospitals 0

Tinderbox at Sick Kids Hospital

Tinderbox Collective

We’ve been facilitating music workshops for the children and young people at the Sick Kids Hospital for three months now.

The reaction we get from everyone is different. Often faces light up as we walk in; children and their families are intrigued by the colourful and exciting instruments, and are eager to take part in something fun and creative.

Other times we are met with an almost wary sense of trepidation from the young people.

As I have discovered, it may well be the case that one week someone will say no, and a week or two later they will want to take part. There are so many reasons why someone may not want to join in or listen. They may feel too unwell, or feel apprehensive. They may simply not be in the mood! As a music practitioner, you need to be sensitive to all of these factors, but not discouraged… The most important thing is that we are offering the chance to engage in some music and are giving the young people the power of choice to decide if they want to interact on any level — even if that interaction is them shouting ‘NOOO!’ I imagine that at such an uncertain time, in an environment where most things are out of your control, it’s probably quite nice to shout ’NOOO!’ at somebody!

Every Tuesday morning, we enter Ward 2. After having spoken to the staff, we offer music to the young people. Strumming a little bit of guitar, or waving a plastic banana shaker, or generally making a fool of ourselves, we go around the rooms and see if anyone is interested. Two weeks running, we asked a little boy of about 7, and he said no. These same two weeks, we asked a little girl of about 5 and she screamed no. No probs we said, maybe another time! (:

Last week, we headed to the playroom, and within 5 minutes of being there, the boy of about 7 appeared, and stayed for the whole session. He played every single instrument, and even played the bells whilst walking along the floor piano. We rocked out for ages, playing songs and making up little rhythms.

Two other children from the ward came and joined in. We were all joining in together and I suddenly saw the girl at the door who had shouted no for the last two weeks! She watched us for about a minute with her mum before going back to her room.

To me, this is reassurance that our approach is one that is consistent and allows us to become familiar to the young people.

We had some wonderful feedback from the boy’s mum, who said he had been relaxing by watching videos of himself that she had taken during the music workshop. She was delighted he had joined in, as it had taken him several weeks to build up the courage to do so.

Hailey

3 Apr 2018 Blog, Hospitals 0

Hailey at Edinburgh Sick Kids Hospital

Tinderbox Collective

For the past couple of months we have been meeting and working with lots and lots of children and young people and their families each week at The Sick Kids Hospital.

From group sing-a-longs and instrument circles to writing songs about Harry Potter and sunshine filled holidays, it’s safe to say, we’ve made a lot of music. But it’s not all high energy stuff either. Sometimes, when you’re not feeling great a soft and gentle song at your bedside is what you might prefer. So there has been lots of serenading too.

– Hailey

1 Mar 2018 Blog, Hospitals, Youth and Community 0

CAMHS Songwriting Session

jedmilroy

Sometimes visiting Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services can be quite a quiet workshop. A lot depends on who is on the ward and how people are feeling. However last week was a pretty loud and creative songwriting session for a number of reasons.

As I arrived there was a guy playing guitar, someone else on the computer and someone writing at a desk. As I set up it turned out that the person playing guitar was up for doing some music with me. Also the person on the computer is really into computer based music and brought over some equipment he had been using. Once we had a bit of a jam going the guy who had been writing came over to join. It turns out that we was writing some poetry.

Quite quickly, with his blessing, we started working on putting his poetry to music. Everyone participated in their own way including another patient who was providing us with rhythm.

By the end of the session we were performing a brilliant song that had been written in collaboration with 4 patients in the unit who were all continuing to do what they had being doing separately, but joined together for the purpose of writing a song.

At the end of it there was much enthusiasm and the whole place felt quite vibrant.

Sometimes it all comes together!

16 Feb 2018 Blog, Hospitals 0

Edinburgh Sick Children’s Hospital

Tinderbox Collective

“For the past few Tuesdays I’ve been going into Edinburgh Sick Children’s Hospital to hold music sessions in the various wards. This Tuesday, for eg. I found myself sat in a tiny chair at a tiny table with four kids all playing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ on drums, bells and mini xylophones while they all waited to go in for their various surgeries. 10 mins later i was playing Bruno mars in the Planned Investigation Unit with a beautiful singer of 15. The Sick Kid’s hospital is the perfect place for musical respite from the struggles of coping with illness – The kids are always up for a bit of a tune!”

– Mike Kearney, Tutor / Musician

10 Feb 2018 Blog, Hospitals 0

A Year Of Work At Sick Kids Begins

jedmilroy

This week marks the beginning of a whole year of work with Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity at the Sick Kids hospital.

We’ll be visiting 3 times a week to share the good vibes.

This is building on the work we have already begin doing with ECHC at Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

Check out their Facebook page to see us in action:

‘ECHC’s Arts Programme began a new project at the RHSC today, collaborating with the wonderful Tinderbox Collective. Tinderbox musicians deliver sessions that aim to engage children and young people’s musical side to create something new – check out this fab song written by 9-year-old Ryan in ward 4.

Tinderbox Collective has also been working with patients in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service at the Western General since last September, encouraging young people to express themselves through drumming, DJ-ing and songwriting. In #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek it’s a great opportunity to highlight the positive impact that music and creativity can have on the mental health of children and young people.’