Wellbeing Strand
Projects with a wellbeing focus, achieving personal, social, emotional and health/mental health outcomes in addition to musical outcomes. Our projects here help to address social isolation and build transferable skills.
Our activities focus on working with people to create original music, either as individuals or in groups, to build emotional literacy, using music and lyrics to help people express their feelings and emotions constructively. Through our sessions we develop self-identity, social skills and teamwork, the ability to listen and compromise, and build resilience and confidence. We support participants to connect with others with shared interests and lived experience, becoming part of a community and support network.
Please see our further information page for more information about our wellbeing strand participants and theory of change.
%20Flyer%20Final.jpg)
Current projects:
New Social Prescribing & Open Access Programmes!
After the recent success of our Music For Respite (for carers) and Singalong Socials (for older adults) programmes, we are excited to be launching 2 new initiatives:
-
Songs and Soundscapes: a new 10 week programme for adults with learning disabilities. Sessions will involve participants sharing their favourite songs and then creating new songs and soundscapes with the group. 2025 dates to be confirmed soon!
-
Audio Architects: a new 10 week programme for neurodiverse adults aged 18 to 30 years old, focused on music technology. Learn to sample random sounds, loop patterns, create interesting music & make new friends. 2025 dates to be confirmed soon!
Please see our opportunities page for more information and booking details.
We are grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund (Reaching Communities) in supporting these initiatives, and to Community Catalysts for providing some match funding for the Songs and Soundscapes project.
We hope to run our Music For Respite and Singalong Socials programmes again and are currently awaiting the outcome of a funding application to do so.
Musical Connections: is an established creative music-making project for isolated, vulnerable and marginalised adults, run in partnership Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. The project has been running for over 25 years, funded from 2007-2017 by the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities programme and since then by other trusts and foundations including the Coronavirus Mental Health Response Fund and Comic Relief Community Fund. The project was highly commended in the Art, Mental Health & Wellbeing category of the National Positive Practice Awards 2015 & a shortlisted 2016 National Lottery Good Causes Awards finalist. The project has received excellent praise for the outcomes it has achieved, using music as a tool to create positive change - reducing isolation, and improving wellbeing. For further information, please see the Musical Connections project website: Musical Connections website.
Interested? All new members taken onto Musical Connections receive a series of FREE individual one-to-one sessions working with one of our experienced music leaders to build skills and confidence. These sessions are normally held monthly, scheduled around project group sessions and other project opportunities. If you are interested in joining Musical Connections then please do have a look at our Opportunities page for application details. Please see below for more information regarding our Personalised Health Budget offer.
Musical Connections Materials:
Musical Connections newsletters, video materials and worksheets created and sent out to members throughout the Covid19 lockdown can be viewed here. Activities and support were offered throughout the pandemic, with the option of face-to-face or online support under 'support category' guidance from Sept 2020.
From April 2018 - March 2020 our Arts Council England Organisational Development Project sustained our Music Support Worker provision for current Musical Connections members whilst also trialing new outreach delivery models in 5 areas across Birmingham & Solihull to enable us to reach further beneficiaries. See our Organisational Strand and Blog pages for our learning here.
Our ‘Take Note – Music Aids Recovery’ conference held in October 2017 marked the end of our Big Lottery Fund Reaching Communities programme funding for the project. The evaluation report launched at the Take Note conference can be found here. The keynote presentation by Alex Coulter of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing can be found here.
Personalised Health Budget Offer: please click here to find out more.
Plugin: from 2025, thanks to funding from Youth Music, Plugin will be based in 2 inpatient settings in Birmingham. The project focuses on using accessible music technology to create new songs and music. Please see our Young People strand for more information.
Wavelength: this project provides music making opportunities for young people aged 14-24 referred across mental health services in Birmingham and Solihull, from early detection and intervention services through to acute and forensic services. Please see our Young People strand for more information.
LGBTQIA+ Youth Focus Group: This focus group will now meet quarterly to steer our new cross arts programme for LGBTQIA+ and questioning young people aged 12-25.
Coming Soon!
LGBTQIA+ Cross Arts Project: In 2025 we will start running our new coproduced cross-arts project for young people aged 11-17 and 18-25 identifying as LGBTQIA+, to build self-esteem and positive self-identity through the creative arts. Over the last few years we have noticed a worrying trend in young people being referred to our Wavelength and Plugin mental health projects who have directly stated that coming to terms with their sexuality and/or gender identity has affected their mental health. Our project will offer peer support, signposting and introductions to specialist support.
Coming Soon!
OverDub Club: a new project for neurodiverse children age 11-13 years old. Look out more more information from February 2025!
Resilience Remix (Primary Mental Health Programme): this is our new offer for primary aged children (aged 7-11), supporting wellbeing and developing emotional literacy and emotional regulation through music. Please see our Young People strand for more information.
.jpg)
Coming Soon!
Music For Attachment: a new programme for parents with post/peri-natal depression, bringing together our early years and mental health knowledge and experience. Further information to follow shortly on our Early Years page.
Past projects:
Being Heard (Cerebral Palsy Midlands Project): A project working CP Midlands’ Being Heard Group, focused on raising awareness around disability arts through a new musical.
Hidden Voices: Quench Arts was a partner on this Carer's Music Fund project, working with MAC and Mencap to increase access to music-making for women and girls with caring responsibilities, funded through Spirit of 2012. See the national press release here.
Hear Me Now: a practical music making project for adult residents of both the Tamarind Centre and Reaside Clinic (medium secure forensic sites), utilising music for its therapeutic and social value and as a positive tool as a part of patient rehabilitation. Quench Arts were contracted directly by Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust to devise and deliver this project during 2015-2016.
