Student Volunteering Week: Tatenda

It’s Student Volunteering Week, and we’re celebrating the important role student volunteers play in helping us reach more people and share our work with communities across the UK. Whether assisting at fundraising events, helping to raise awareness, or offering behind-the-scenes support, their contributions help us continue to bring the power of live music to those who need it most. 

Tatenda Gochera, a first-year medical student at St Andrews University in Scotland, volunteered with us last year as part of the Agents of Change programme, which looks at different social factors and their impact on health and wellbeing. 

Tatenda explains: “What drew me to Music in Hospitals & Care was its mission to influence the health and wellbeing of adults and children through music. I have a keen interest in this area and a musical background so I was eager to see how music could be used in community care settings and hospitals to improve physical and mental wellbeing. 

For my volunteer placement I worked with the music delivery team. I helped the team monitor and evaluate the success of their wellbeing programme, which is currently being delivered across several adult learning disability resource centres in Angus. I got the chance to visit, participate in the sessions, and enjoy the music being played there. It was encouraging to see the positive impact that the programme has not only on service users but also on staff members in terms of improving mood and boosting morale. 

This experience really pushed me outside of my comfort zone – especially in terms of communication and quickly building rapport with both staff members and service users. I found this aspect particularly interesting and beneficial in terms of my personal growth. 

One of my biggest takeaways was realising just how powerful music can be. It was incredibly inspiring to see people who were more reserved or perhaps non-verbal encouraging each other to get up, dance, and interact in ways that they normally wouldn’t. 

Another important aspect was how music created a sense of togetherness. With their busy schedules and shift patterns often not aligning, staff members don’t always get the chance to connect. But for that one hour, everyone came together, interacting with colleagues they might not usually see in their day-to-day work. 

I would encourage anyone who wants to volunteer with Music in Hospitals & Care to go for it. Speak to the team and find out how you might be able to help and get involved, whether through fundraising or helping out with the live music.” 

To find out more about volunteering with Music in Hospitals & Care, visit mihc.org.uk/volunteer.