Sarah's Musical Talents Inspire Recovery
12 March 2012
A Creative Expressive Therapies student is organising a series of concerts for hospital patients in Derby
A University of Derby BA (Hons) Creative Expressive Therapies degree student has been given the job of organising a series of concerts and performances for patients at the Royal Derby Hospital.
Sarah Steenson, 30, who is originally from Stafford, has been volunteering at the hospital as an arts co-ordinator since last September, while studying for her degree in creative expressive therapies with a music pathway.
Sarah said she enjoyed learning how the arts - such as dance, drama and music - could improve people's wellbeing and wanted to see what experience she could gain at the hospital.
She has now helped put together the hospital's spring music season, called Nightingale, which featured classical music, wandering minstrels and a folk singer, and will be run by the hospital's arts team, Air.
Sarah, who is in her second year with the University and is also due to perform, said she hoped the music would be uplifting for patients. She said: "It can always be a challenging time for people in the hospital, whether they are patients or staff. But I've always been interested in music and I know that it can help people.
"You have to think very carefully about the sort of music being performed because you want it to be uplifting and therapeutic."
Sarah was also part of a group of students asked to work with staff at the University, recently facilitating a team building workshop with its International team.
She said: "This was a valuable experience and it allowed us to put the skills we have acquired from the creative expressive therapies degree in to practice. It was also fantastic fun working with the international office, they were very friendly."
