“We’re not just listening to the radio or a recording, it’s live music. Somebody’s actually there singing the song and you can get up and sing along with them.” says Claire, a volunteer at The Friendship Cabin, an activity group for adults of all abilities based in Glenrothes, Fife. “When I first started here my confidence was way down, but now I’m up dancing all the time with the members and I really enjoy it.”
“Music just seems to lighten things. You’re that busy singing and dancing you don’t think about anything else. You’re living for the now. It’s great.”
Music in Hospitals & Care began sharing live music with the group during lockdown, with personal live stream sessions over Zoom. Now our musicians have finally been able to visit the group in person.
“During lockdown our members were very isolated so we thought we have to do something, and that’s when we went online. The sessions that Music in Hospitals & Care did on Zoom really helped.” says Pearl Weepers, who started The Friendship Cabin in 2018. “It’s great that we’ve had musicians now coming in person that we’ve met on Zoom, because that initial contact is already there.”
Gordon has been coming to the Friendship Cabin for three months and is delighted that Music in Hospitals & Care musicians have started coming to play in person. “I’m a musical person, I used to play the accordion when I was younger and I played the side drum in a band. I love to dance, I’ll go round and haul everyone up.”
Irene has been a member for four years. “We all like to sing and dance and have fun. Even the people with Zimmer frames are up dancing!”
The group have also created their own accompaniment to the live music with exercise balls that Pearl has turned into drums with washing baskets for stands.
Gordon: “Playing the drums is good exercise and you can get your anger out if you’ve had a bad day. If you’re musically minded like me it’s all the better, because I like to keep along with the beat. Nobody is judging you or anything and when you’ve got a singer there in front of you it’s great.”
Pearl: “There’s confidence that I’ve never seen before. All of the members that didn’t sing and were shy, now they’re taking part in karaoke and coming up to dance.”
Irene: “Music just seems to lighten things. You’re that busy singing and dancing you don’t think about anything else. You’re living for the now. It’s great.”