Music & Health Ireland

Music & Health Ireland (formerly Kids Classics) is a not for profit limited company that delivers high quality professional music workshops, performances and music participation opportunities in the heart of healthcare, education and community settings nationally regardless of a person’s social, economic or medical circumstance. The organisation was set up in 2008 by professional cellist Gráinne Hope with a view to taking music off the concert stage and into the local communities through professionally tailored music workshops.

All Music & Health Ireland musicians are full-time professional musicians and additionally qualified as hospital musicians with the collective experience of working in acute and chronic medical settings in hospitals across Ireland and Europe.

Mission / Aims

• To provide access to highly skilled and experienced musicians as a resource for the community as a whole, and increasing opportunities to participate in music-making;
• To provide access and provision to music-making opportunities where provision or access is limited or non-existent such as healthcare environments;
• To promote access to participant-centred live music interactions and performances for all persons, regardless of age, culture or circumstance, with particular emphasis on those within the healthcare and related sectors, whether in long term or short term care;
• To advocate strategic partnerships, networking, practical collaborations, mentoring and art-form development opportunities within communities local, national or International circles, and across all art forms.

Areas of activities

Music & Health Ireland designs, manages and delivers professional music projects and programmes in healthcare, educational and community settings around Ireland.

Our Music & Healthcare programmes include:

• Kids Classics (Music in children’s hospitals & hospital schools)
• Medical Notes (Music in general hospitals)
• Musical Memories (Music in nursing homes and day care settings)
• Training Notes (training courses and mentoring opportunities for musicians and healthcare staff)