Creative Health training during Spring 2023 with nursing students at The University of Chester

During January and February, Songbirds Specialist Musicians and Co-Founders Ros and Mark are delivering Creative Health training with cohorts of 1st year nursing students at the University of Chester. This training is part of an ongoing partnership with Philip Barker Centre for Creative Learning and The University. Practical training sessions have taken place at Space in Chester, a centre providing fully accessible support and play facilities for families with children with additional needs. During the sessions led by Ros and Mark and supported by Space staff, the students have had the opportunity to interact 1:1 with families and children in after school sessions.

Ros and Mark said: ‘The sessions have had really positive outcomes: students have grown in confidence during the sessions, enjoying participating and engaging with the children using percussion instruments, changing their body language and non-verbal communication in response to the children's communication needs and experiencing first-hand the value of the work.’

Space staff members have been pleased to observe how engaged the children have been during the sessions. As part of this training programme, Ros and Mark will also be running pop-up Creative Health taster sessions with larger groups of nursing students at the University campus, using SMUK projects, research and models of working as practical examples to explore the ways in which music and arts can be used to benefit health and wellbeing in hospital, healthcare and community settings.