• Celebrate with Us

    Gift a Birthday Concert

Sing a Happy Birthday to those in care this year!

Many people are in healthcare on their birthday, from children being treated in hospital to older people in care homes, sometimes without loved ones or friends to share their special day. A donation to our birthday appeal will help us bring the joy of live music to all those celebrating their birthday in care this year.

“I am Dianna. I have experienced 50 years in the NHS as a patient, many in hospitals and my last four in continued care.”

Dianna was first diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and is currently a long-term patient residing in health and social care services suffering from ongoing psychosis and myeloma and ongoing neurological problems and is wheelchair bound.

Despite this Dianna explored her interest in medicine and is active in her charity work challenging the stigma around mental health challenges.

“Music stirs life in me. In doing so, it makes me feel better when I am very, very unwell. It reaches depths that nothing else can reach, even when I am semi-conscious. In the depth of psychosis, I respond brilliantly and positively to music.

My health professionals have latched on to the fact that it is so healing for me and because of this now have it as part of my care plan.”

Dianna and others will celebrate their birthday in care this year, help us to sing a Happy Birthday on their special day through a birthday concert and support our birthday appeal, you will be helping us to take more live music to people like Dianna celebrating their birthday in healthcare settings this year.

Music in Hospitals & Care support Dianna and many others residing in care and provide thousands of live music sessions across the NHS in acute and long-term care settings.

Ways to celebrate with us

  • Donate your birthday

    Already have everything you need? why not set up a Birthday fundraiser and share with family and friends. Ask them to gift your presents as donations for live music this year.

  • Send a happy birthday note

    Looking for an alternative birthday gift? Send a birthday note giving the gift of live music to MiHC

  • Gift a birthday concert

    Is someone you know celebrating a birthday in care this year? Donate to the appeal and give the gift of live music.

Looking back

Some things have changed beyond recognition since Music in Hospitals & Care was formed in 1948 – but the power of live music is as enduringly strong today as it has ever been. 70 years ago, we just did music in a handful of hospitals; today, the charity performs up to 5,000 concerts a year throughout the UK, in care homes, hospices, special schools and day centres, as well as in hospitals. But we’re only just scratching the surface. With your help, we can bring live music to even more people in need and make this a birthday to remember. Support our birthday appeal this year and help us to deliver 70 more years of the joy of live music!

 

Donate a gift

First Director & President Emerita

"Music can provide a bridge between a real and an unreal world and patients who may be confused can yet relate to music when words have lost their meaning."

Sylvia Lindsay MBE

Excerpt taken from a report in the 1950s by Dr E. S. Stern, Medical Superintendent, Central Hospital, Warwick:

“Listening together is a shared experience that unites the patients in a common feeling, so you can understand that, since we first took the Council for Music‘s monthly concerts, we have never thought of curtailing them, but have gone on to extend our musical activities by making music ourselves. Recently, with a donation from the Council, we have started singing lessons with our long stay patients.”

Make a donation

Please give today to help improve the health and wellbeing of children and adults through the healing power of live music.

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