Music and social prescribing
Dr Kirsteen Davidson Kelly
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) is at the forefront of arts organisations in Scotland offering social prescribing projects. Director of creative learning Dr Kirsteen Davidson Kelly tells us more about the effect that creativity has on health and wellbeing
This article originally appeared in the February 2020 edition of Classical Music.
We know that music has the power to engage us cognitively, physically, and emotionally. Music can motivate, comfort or inspire us. We can use it to create meaning, to express our deepest feelings without having to use words, and to connect with others and with ourselves.
The SCO’s Creative Learning projects, which take place across Scotland, harness these qualities to reach over 10,000 people every year in schools, hospitals, care homes, community centres and arts venues. I see first hand the benefits that inclusive community music practice can have for our health and wellbeing. We watch participants growing in self-belief, taking creative risks, and showing empathy and tolerance towards each other. Whether it’s in a hospital setting with patients, families and staff, or at a SCO ReConnect workshop for people living with dementia, or in the Edinburgh suburb where we are currently undertaking a three-year community residency, I feel privileged to witness how music-making in a welcoming and safe environment can support people with a wide range of social, emotional or practical needs, and engage those who feel marginalised and isolated.
Incredible Distance is a creative project for adults as part of the SCO’s Wester Hailes Community Residency. The project, open to all, irrespective of musical experience, empowers participants to develop their musical and artistic skills, and to develop their confidence by giving them a forum to contribute to, and influence, creative decisions.
In 2018, participants created an original audio-visual installation which explores the sonic and visual identity of the Edinburgh suburb, capturing snapshots of daily life through the collection of found sound, imagery, film and original musical composition. The work was installed in Edinburgh at the Royal Scottish Academy, the Fruitmarket Gallery and at WHALE Arts. In 2019, the group wrote and recorded a set of original songs with musicians from the SCO and in partnership with Edinburgh College. (The recordings are online at www.sco.org.uk and the songs will be performed in June 2020 during a special festival in Wester Hailes.)
Combatting poor mental health
Many Incredible Distance participants have been referred to us by their GPs, who believe that they would benefit from creative and social activity. Social prescribing enables GPs, link workers, primary care professionals and community organisations to refer people to a range of local, non-clinical services – including creative workshops run by organisations like us – which are focussed on improving mental health and physical wellbeing. Across our programme we work closely with partners including the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian to develop projects which support wellbeing and social inclusion to make a real difference. We know that mental ill-health is one of the most challenging issues we are facing in our society today. It has been estimated that around one in 10 children and young people aged between five and 16 years old in Scotland having a clinically diagnosable mental health problem, so it is more important than ever for us to deliver relevant projects.
Social prescribing enables GPs to refer people to a range of local, non-clinical services – including creative workshops run by organisations like us
We have been able to deepen our engagement in this area through the recent launch of NEW VIBE, a new project for teenagers with diagnosed mental health problems. Developed in partnership with NHS Lothian Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), and supported by our Creative Learning partner Baillie Gifford, NEW VIBE aims to provide a safe space for young people currently using the CAMHS service, to feel heard, supported, and encouraged to develop musically and socially. The project builds on the work of our SCO VIBE programme, a free open access programme which since 2013 has reached hundreds of participants aged 11-18.
Increased confidence and self-esteem
SCO VIBE has demonstrated numerous positive outcomes for participants, such as increased confidence and self-esteem, social connection, creativity and musical skill. It was whilst observing one of these workshops, and seeing the impact it was having on a young musician I’ll call Simon, that the idea first arose to use SCO VIBE to create a welcoming and inspirational creative space for young people with mental health issues. When we met, Simon was unconfident, struggling with his mental health, and terrified of getting anything wrong. He was trying to conquer a riff that he couldn’t quite get the hang of, but underneath the frustration I could see he had a real desire to learn. He has continued to take part in SCO VIBE workshops and the team have been brilliant at helping him to realise his talent. He’s now writing his own material and mentoring younger pupils through the project.
Simon’s story inspired us to think more about how our work can help young people struggling with mental health issues on their path to wellbeing. We wanted to build on SCO VIBE’s practice to create an environment in which they could benefit from expertly supported musical activities – gaining not just from the experience and expertise of the musicians and artists leading the workshops, but also, and just as importantly, from the ethos of inclusiveness and respect that underpins all our projects.
The young people who took part in our first NEW VIBE course in October had moderate to severe mental health issues and were referred to the project by CAMHS. We invested substantial resources into training the project team, including the professional musicians, a carefully selected group of teenage peer mentors and two therapists from CAMHS. The course was led by renowned animateur and guitarist Paul Griffiths, with whom we have worked for many years. Paul and the team know how to work with young people in ways that make them feel free to express their creativity. Across three days, we used music workshop practices to develop participants’ musical confidence, self-esteem and positive social behaviours. All ideas put forward were given space to be explored, allowing every participant to take part on an equal footing, regardless of their ability or level of skill.
The inaugural NEW VIBE course took place in October last year and it was hugely inspiring to see the positive impact that making music collaboratively had on the participants and to hear their feedback. The music team also commented on how encouraging it was to ‘see secure, trusting relationships being formed… and growing confidence levels’, and the CAMHS team were delighted with the outcomes: ‘We were blown away by the positive impact that NEW VIBE has had on the young people who took part.’ We’re very excited to be continuing our partnership with CAMHS and look forward to welcoming more young people to the next NEW VIBE project in February. We’ll also continue to work with local GPs, link workers and community organisations to support and welcome participants referred to us via social prescribing, strong in the belief that music and the arts shouldn’t be viewed simply as an add-on but as fundamental to happy and healthy lives.