Quantcast
Channel: Nordoff Robbins
Viewing all 379 articles
Browse latest View live

CELEBRATING WORLD MUSIC THERAPY DAY

$
0
0
Thu, 1/3/2018

This World Music Therapy Day, Director of Music Services Simon Procter, discusses the incredible power of music and impact of music therapy.

On 1 March 2018 Nordoff Robbins will be proudly celebrating and supporting World Music Therapy Day 2018. Designed to raise awareness of how music therapy can improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, the day also gives us an opportunity to appreciate the value and unique power of music itself.  

Music moves us all, and it can have a profound impact on the way we feel; it can lift us when we are sad or comfort us when we are down, and at Nordoff Robbins we harness that power of music and use it to change the lives of people who are suffering, isolated or vulnerable. 

Music has always been with us – by our very nature we are musical beings, with a heartbeat and a rhythm to our bodies, which makes us intrinsically receptive to and engage-able in music. It is the soundtrack to our lives, our relationships and our journeys – a communal and relational experience as well as a deeply personal one. People often report a thrill from singing in choirs or playing in bands because of the intensity of the interaction they experience with others – music has an ability to bind us together. But it is also common for relationships and contexts to shape people’s musical tastes, and music can act as a powerful reminder of people or places - it is linked to our sense of who we are, where we come from and how we wish to be perceived.

But more than this it is also scientifically proven to impact us – pleasurable musical experiences are associated with the release ofdopamine into our brains, so music isn’t just something out there – it actually changes what is going on inside our brains, in turn affecting how we feel and how we are able to interact with the world around us.

It is thanks to these factors that music therapy is so effective, because music can reach every single one of us. We all react and we can all relate, in our own ways, making music as a therapeutic tool completely accessible. 

At Nordoff Robbins we meet people in music in whatever way they can contribute, and as such our approach is not prescriptive but tailored to the individual or group of people. We celebrate what people can do and the abilities they have. Music therapy is particularly effective in supporting communication and expression because it does not require words – as we say at Nordoff Robbins ‘when words fail, music speaks’ and this really is the foundations upon which our approach is built. 

Our therapists are united over what the work can achieve - using music to invoke change. It’s about bringing people together and having that sense of community, belonging and shared experience.

World Music Therapy Day will give us all an opportunity to think about what music means to us, but also appreciate its power to change people’s lives for the better.

 


Opportunity to join our team - Governance and Project Support Executive

$
0
0
Wed, 7/3/2018

Governance and Project Support Executive

Salary Range: £28,444 - £31,397 + £1,500 LW

An exciting opportunity has arisen to support and work directly with the Board of Trustees, CEO and the Director of Finance and Operations. The successful applicant will be working at the heart of our ambitious and growing charity, and will have the opportunity to make a real impact.

The role of Governance and Support Executive is a wide ranging, varied and key role within the organization that includes managing the cycle of Nordoff Robbins’ trustee board meetings & relevant sub-committees, collating cross-organisation progress through our operational planning process, and supporting the delivery of key strategic projects.  The post holder will also assist with regulatory filings, the production and support of meeting papers, taking minutes, and liaising with colleagues and key stake holders throughout the organisation

Our ideal candidate will already have a sound understanding of governance issues within a not for profit organisation with exceptional organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, within a fast-paced and changing environment.    If you can demonstrate these attributes, along with solid communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to deal with a wide range of stakeholders this could be the role for you.

To apply, please forward a copy of your CV along with a covering letter explaining how you meet the person specification for this role to HR@nordoff-robbins.org.uk by no later than 10am on 16th March 2018.

Download Job Description here

Opportunity to join our team - Events Fundraising Assistant

$
0
0
Wed, 7/3/2018

EVENTS FUNDRAISING ASSISTANT

Salary: £22,650

An exciting opportunity for a highly organised Events Fundraising Assistant.

We are looking for a confident and talented individual to assist the Events Fundraising Team in the delivery and development of an integral area of the business. 

Working closely with the Events Manager, you will be responsible for the smooth running of the department through a mix of event delivery assistance and administration: liaising with suppliers, supporters and donors; taking ownership of event and financial databases, and attending fundraising events to support their success.

Based out of the newly refurbished London Headquarters in Kentish Town, designed from the ground up to focus on music therapy and featuring beautiful modern music rooms, this is a truly inspiring work space which would really suit someone looking to work in a non-traditional charity environment.

To be successful in this role it is essential you have previous experience working within a target driven team; possess strong IT skills and prior experience of databases; preparation of presentations, and experience in using social media for business purposes.

Due to the range of stakeholders you would be interacting with, both internally and externally, excellent interpersonal and communication skills are paramount, along with a keen eye for detail.

A busy and rewarding role, you will need to be extremely organised with great time management and a focus to deliver.

Previous experience in the fundraising arena, and a degree in Events, Marketing, Communications (or other relevant field) would also be highly desirable.

The hours are 10:00 - 18:00, with a requirement to work flexibly to meet the needs and attendance of events outside of office hours.

Download Job Description here

'Transforming Children and Young People's Mental Health Provision'

$
0
0
Thu, 8/3/2018
The green paper on Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision raises important issues around the need for joined up working, and how essential it is to have a whole school approach to supporting pupils with their mental health.

Julie Whelan, Nordoff Robbins' CEO writes:

We at Nordoff Robbins are delighted to see this paper focusing on earlier intervention and prevention, especially in and linked to schools and colleges – and with mental health awareness training for school staff as a key part of this. We have submitted a response to the paper, and look forward to seeing how this work will be taken forward.

Key proposals in the paper include creating a new mental health workforce of community-based mental health support teams and ensuring every school and college will be encouraged to appoint a designated lead for mental health. These steps would arguably help to strengthen the support networks and provision for children and young people experiencing mental health issues, and we wholeheartedly support them.

Experiencing a mental health issue can be very isolating and people experiencing mental health problems may find that their lives are chaotic or rigid. It can affect a person’s personality and their thought processes, in turn impacting on their ability to be expressive and to communicate and interact with others. Music therapy can be a very effective in this regard, supporting those experiencing mental health issues by having a positive impact on anxiety reduction and aspects of social interaction – in effect helping to them to overcome some of the barriers which prevent them from living their lives to their fullest potential.

We at Nordoff Robbins believe that access to creative and arts therapies for support teams could fundamentally bolster that provision, particularly in the case of music therapy. Music therapy is especially accessible to young people because of its non-verbal nature – in cases when words fail, music speaks and aid communication. Music-making is uniquely effective in engaging young people who might otherwise resist engagement with other services, focusing on utilising what they can do, rather than what they can’t, to help build their confidence. 

The work of a music therapist as part of a support team or complementary whole school approach is very practical in support of vulnerable young people, including those with special educational needs (SEND), for: responsiveness, engagement, interaction, communication and expression.

A music therapist’s training enables them to tailor musical opportunities to the needs of vulnerable young people who often find it hardest to access these health-promoting opportunities but stand to gain most from doing so. Music therapy enables young people to try out ways of being expressive, creative and empowered in ways which are safe, sustainable and socially constructive. It is effective in reducing anxiety and isolation while promoting a functional sense of self, creativity, social interaction and communication.

In 2017 Nordoff Robbins undertook a study to review the impact of our music therapy services in school settings. The evidence demonstrated a positive impact on special educational needs, but also where music therapy had impacted positively on issues like anxiety and issues around community and social interaction, that arguably may support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing in schools. 

In addition to the children and young people, some sessions also included other family members and school staff – the Nordoff Robbins approach being to share our music therapy practice with communities around our beneficiaries where appropriate, to benefit organisations as a whole.  

Fundamentally, what is crucial here is that these proposed actions laid out in the green paper are carefully considered, to safeguard the future of children and young people, and allow them to live their lives to the fullest potential. We at Nordoff Robbins know how life-changing our work can be, and our vision is a world where music therapy is available to all who need it - consultations like these bring us that step closer.

Robert's Story

$
0
0
Wed, 21/3/2018

Robert is 53 and has Down's Syndrome. He lives in a specialist care home where he is given the support he needs day to day. 

Robert spends a lot of time in his room - he has a heightened need for personal space and objects too close to him and noise from other people can agitate him. Robert also has many phobias - including any kind of transport, which greatly limits his interaction with others, leaving him at times very isolated. 

This is why music therapy has come so be so important to him. 

Being non-verbal means that Robert must rely on limited noises and facial expressions to make his needs and feelings known - but in music, these barriers are removed. During sessions Robert is always smiling, happy and laughing, and most importantly he can be vocal without the need for words. 

He becomes pro-active and independent, and make choices with instruments that allow him to join in and communicate in his own way. 

Robert often needs a lot of encouragement to join in activities at the home, but for music therapy he will leave his bedroom, socialise and integrate with other residents and participate both pro-actively and independently. 

In music therapy, he has learnt to tolerate objects and musical instruments next to him, playing them happily, and crucially he has also learnt to tolerate loud noises and sounds, often contributing to their making! 

Robert has become much more engaged – he makes eye contact, listens, responds and actively participates in sessions. In music, Robert has found a platform for expression and creativity, which requires no words, and focuses solely on what he can do, giving him a very real and very important sense of worth, and that is such a joy to see. 

Alan, Music Therapist

Georgie Bingham named honorary patron of Nordoff Robbins Golf Classic

$
0
0
Mon, 26/3/2018
Nordoff Robbins are pleased to announce Talk Sport Presenter and broadcaster Georgie Bingham as Honorary Patron for this year's Golf Classic event. Georgie is a multi-sport presenter with extensive golfing contacts, and has been a great supporter of the event for some years.

Taking place on Thursday 3rd May, and the event will be hosted for the first time at the world-renowned Stoke Park Golf Club in Berkshire, home to one of the finest parkland courses in the country. 

Since its inception the event has raised over £1.5 million for Nordoff Robbins, helping us change more lives through music. 

Other changes for 2018 include lower prices for teams of four, and encouragement for single players to take part this year too. 

The Golf Classic comprises breakfast on arrival, goodie bags, a full 18 holes of golf in fantastic surroundings, followed by a relaxed buffet dinner, prizes and an auction, and as ever with the Golf Classic, there will be a few surprises in store. 

Carl Leighton-Pope, the new co-Chair of the event says: "I'm absolutely delighted to be running this great day on behalf of Nordoff Robbins. We've had a change of venue this year to freshen up the event and we would love to see some new companies put teams in. I'd also really encourage those who can't do a team to enter as single players and we'll take care of you. I can promise one of the best golf days of the year, on a stunning course and in some great company." 

Note

There are still opportunities for event sponsorship and single-hole sponsorship. For these and ticket enquiries, contact: rachel.hayes@nordoff-robbins.org.uk 

STING OFFICIALLY OPENS NEWCASTLE MUSIC THERAPY CENTRE

$
0
0
Tue, 27/3/2018

On Wednesday 21 March, music superstar Sting officially opened our brand new music therapy centre in the North East - the first of its kind outside of London. 

The centre, at the former matron’s lodge at Newcastle’s Fleming Hospital, has been funded by the Graham Wylie Foundation and will be run by our North East team of Nordoff Robbins music therapists, to primarily support children and young people from across the region.

Sting, whose play The Last Ship started a nationwide tour at Newcastle’s Northern Stage, attended a celebratory gala evening at the theatre on Tuesday 20 March, before joining us at the opening ceremony of the Nordoff Robbins music therapy centre the following morning. 

At the opening Sting said "I am the perfect example of the effectiveness of music therapy, I say this because without music I am not sure of what my life would be like." 

The Wallsend-born star was joined at the ceremony by Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson, who earlier this year broke ground on the new centre as building work began. The centre features a room named after the band, who have been at the forefront of fundraising for the Graham Wylie Foundation, and indeed Nordoff Robbins.

Ricky said "Music is very powerful, we see that every day, not a day goes past where you are not affected by music or it doesn't have some impact on your life. We are very pleased to be part of it - we were here right at the beginning, and now we are here at another beginning - the opening of this place, which is just fantastic."

Attending guests were also treated to a choir performance courtesy of children from the nearby Hadrian School, a special education needs school which Nordoff Robbins work in partnership with to deliver music therapy as part of their programme. 

Alongside donating the building, The Graham Wylie Foundation was a principal fundraiser for the centre through its Rock’n’Raise campaign, which was backed by a host of stars, including Sting and Kaiser Chiefs.

Foundation founder Graham Wylie said “We are incredibly grateful to Sting for taking the time out of his incredibly busy schedule to declare the Nordoff Music Therapy Centre open. It will be a huge asset to the region and we are proud to have played our part in bringing it to fruition.”

Our Nordoff Robbins CEO Julie Whelan said“We were thrilled to have had the honour of Sting with us to officially open our Newcastle centre. This new facility will enable us to reach more isolated and vulnerable people in Newcastle and the North East, helping to change their lives through music. We thank the Graham Wylie Foundation for making it possible, Sting for so generously giving up his time and the Kaiser Chiefs for their incredible support!”

The centre will start delivering music therapy in April 2018, welcoming people from across the region who will be able to access the service free-of-charge, to help improve their wellbeing through skilled use of music.

Music Therapy at Elms Bank School

$
0
0
Tue, 3/4/2018
Artist Relations and Development Manager Jim O’Regan recently visited our music therapy work in Manchester, and has written this piece about his experiences in a special educational needs school.

I visited Elms Bank School in Manchester, a special educational needs school where music therapist Holly Dickson holds a day of music therapy once a week. Today’s placement is just one of 47 partner organisations bringing music therapy to local communities across the North West.

Throughout the day Holly takes sessions with a number of children with severe learning difficulties. *Alex suffers from cerebral palsy and has limited movement in his arms. Holly begins with the ‘hello song’, quietly engaging with his breathing, and after a short while he responds with a loud ‘hello’, and Holly matches this by increasing the intensity and volume to highlight and encourage the interaction.

Following this, Holly places a set of chimes to the right of *Alex, and then continues to interact with his vocalisations. Holly believes that although *Alex has limited movement in his arms and hands he has more capability than he may think. The chimes are a very gratifying, musically pleasing percussion instrument. After patiently engaging *Alex and his vocalisations, he suddenly reaches out and strikes the chimes, which is again met with a dramatic change in timbre and intensity by Holly to highlight the connection and interaction.

After the sessions Holly and I discussed the varying approaches for each service user, but one common point was her aim to improve each person’s wellbeing through music therapy - to combine vocalising and percussion or provide rhythm and improve timing, for example. My time with the therapists on my visit really brought home the level of skill, focus and depth of detail needed from one session to the next, and really helped me to understand how important our work in partner organisations is to our service users and the facilities as a whole.

*Name has been changed for confidentiality purposes


Thankyou for updating your mailing preferences

$
0
0

Thankyou for updating how you would like to hear from us.

Updating Mailing Preferences

$
0
0

If at any time you wish to stop or change how we communicate with you, ask us to remove you from our records or to update the information we hold, please do get in touch, using one of the following options:

Every email we send to you includes a link to 'Update Preferences'. This link, which will be personal to you, takes you to a simple form where you can select and edit specific preferencess

You can also opt out of our emails by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our messages, or by entering your email address here

Betsy's Story

$
0
0
Fri, 6/4/2018
When Betsy was two-and-a-half, doctors discovered that she had a large brain tumour.  Her Mum, Rochelle tells Betsy’s story.

Betsy was a very content baby and toddler who slept and ate well and was developing like any other child. But just before Betsy’s second birthday she started to want to be carried all the time and often said she was ‘poorly’.

We took Betsy to the doctors several times trying to find the reasons for her sleepiness and her sudden lack of interest in playing. One day I noticed that Betsy’s eye seemed to be wobbling, and I took her straight to the GP. When an eye specialist looked behind Betsy’s eyes she said they didn’t look healthy and sent Betsy for an MRI scan.

We very quickly received the devastating news that Betsy had a large brain tumour and we were told that her vision had been severely affected. She would need 18 months of chemotherapy to try and shrink the tumour and maintain the little vision she had left.
18 months on, Betsy is now at the end of her chemotherapy and is currently registered blind. The tumour initially shrank, and has now remained stable for the last year. When we heard the news that our two and a half year old daughter had a brain tumour, I remember feeling like I just wanted to hide – but knew we had to fight and focus on ways to enrich Betsy’s life as much as possible.

Around this time my cousin told me about Nordoff Robbins. Betsy had always loved music, with Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond and Dolly Parton among her favourite artists. I knew that music therapy would be something she would respond to, and so Betsy began her weekly sessions.
Tuesdays had become a difficult day full of treatments and checks - but now Tuesdays have become Betsy’s music day where she has fun, plays music and chats to Oli her therapist. I know music therapy is much more than this, but it’s lovely that Betsy sees it this way.

Music therapy has benefitted Betsy hugely. Her vision loss and chemotherapy has impacted on her ability to concentrate, but through music Oli has worked with Betsy to encourage her to complete her own ideas.

Music therapy has also boosted Betsy’s self-esteem and encouraged her inbuilt passion for music. She is very creative and she now not only plays and experiments with existing songs but writes and plays her own songs!

This makes us so happy because Betsy has such a wonderful imagination and excellent understanding of vocabulary, which music therapy is really nurturing.

 

Thankyou for updating your mailing preferences

$
0
0

Your support is hugely valuable to us.

As you know, we don’t receive Government funding and depend entirely on the support of people like you to make our life changing music therapy available to some of the most vulnerable and isolated people across the UK. Thanks to that support, in 2017 we were able to reach more people, with more music therapy sessions than ever before.

We have updated the permissions we hold for you – which will replace any existing permissions you have given us. We will always keep these details safe and never sell or swap your information with any other organisation. Remember, you can also change how you hear from us at any time by selecting ‘email preferences’ on the messages we send to you, or by getting in touch our team at Nordoff Robbins HQ.

For more information on how we use your data and protect your privacy, have a look at our Privacy Policy

Our Newcastle Centre is looking for a Music Services Administrator

$
0
0
Fri, 13/4/2018

Music Services Administrator

Part time 3 days per week

Salary £12,690 per annum (£21,150 pa FTE)

Nordoff Robbins is currently recruiting for a part-time Music Services Administrator based at our new Music Therapy Centre in Newcastle.  The Music Services Administrator will be at the heart of the successful operation of this new centre and will provide the opportunity to make a real difference whilst gaining a breadth of experience in an ambitious and growing charity.

The Music Services Administrator will play an important role in the charity’s Music Services operation by delivering effective Music Services administration to the Yorkshire and North East Region.  They will also support the Regional Manager deliver high quality, efficient administrative tasks as well as carry out general front of house duties.

To apply, please send a copy of your CV along with a covering letter explaining how you meet the person specification for this role to HR@nordoff-robbins.org.uk by no later than 10am on Monday 16th April 2018.  Interviews will be held on Thursday 19th April 2018.

Download Job Description here

Nordoff Robbins England & Wales and Nordoff Robbins Scotland update

$
0
0
Tue, 17/4/2018

Nordoff Robbins England & Wales and Nordoff Robbins Scotland have always had a very close relationship as sister organisations; continually exploring ways in which we can strengthen our partnership and our joint commitment to Nordoff Robbins music therapy and changing more lives through music across the UK.

We are very excited to share with you the news that the trustees of Nordoff Robbins England & Wales and Nordoff Robbins Scotland have decided to consider a merger to form one UK charity.

We have worked together over the last few months to explore the idea of a merger and to ensure that the purpose of any merger would be in the best interests of both organisations and our service users. We have both now reached a position whereby we believe that forming a single UK Nordoff Robbins charity would fundamentally allow us to retain, build and strengthen access for our beneficiaries to high quality music therapy.

We will now enter a second phase of consultation to share our proposals and gather further information to help shape our joint future. This process will continue through April to September and until then it will be business as usual for both organisations.

We are confident that a merger would provide significant opportunities for both organisations to bring together our joint expertise and ambition whilst at the same time recognising the importance of retaining a Scottish identity as we move forward.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Jo Carter (Nordoff Robbins England & Wales).

Jo Carter becomes Director of External Affairs, Communications and UK Development

$
0
0
Thu, 19/4/2018

We were pleased to announce earlier this week that the trustees of Nordoff Robbins England and Wales and Nordoff Robbins Scotland have decided to consider a merger to form one UK charity.  This is an incredibly exciting development, offering Nordoff Robbins UK, real opportunities to grow our music therapy services and to reach more vulnerable and isolated people in need of our support.

In light of this, and our wider developmental goals, we are delighted that Jo Carter (currently Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications) has been appointed by Nordoff Robbins' board to be our Director of External Affairs, Communications and UK Development. The new role will have responsibility for key aspects of the co-ordination and implementation of the proposed merger with Nordoff Robbins Scotland and will also ensure greater emphasis on our Goal Three (Communications and Marketing) development objectives to continue building brand awareness, drive our public policy agenda and maximise opportunities aligned to our national campaigns in support of our organisation wide objectives and five year strategic plan.

Jo’s experience, knowledge and personal commitment to the organisation made her the board’s obvious choice for this role. During her time as Director of Fundraising and Communications, Jo has developed invaluable relationships within the music industry and among key stakeholders and we are delighted that in her new role, Jo will continue to be a high-profile ambassador for our work both internally and externally.

A part of this re-organisation Hannah Sheedy (currently Head of Fundraising) will be also be taking on the role of Acting Director of Fundraising.


Music at Chatsworth Futures

$
0
0
Thu, 19/4/2018

Nordoff Robbins music therapist Richard Sanderson works with students at Chatsworth Futures, a specialist college for 19-25 year olds with severe, profound and multiple learning disabilities and autism spectrum conditions. Richard helps the young people to engage, communicate and experience positive interactions through music. 

Richard said:

“Many of the students at the college have a range of disabilities which impact their ability to connect with other people in meaningful ways, and music offers a channel through which this connection makes sense to them and becomes possible.” 

Richard works with students like Jamie, a young man who has learning disabilities and is blind, to create a musical framework which puts him at the centre of their interaction. During sessions Jamie and Richard play together on the keyboard, where Richard focuses on listening in detail to Jamie and responding through music to create a positive and flowing interaction – both engaging Jamie and enabling him to feel heard and met in music. 

Richard works differently with each student, varying the style of music and instruments used, to best engage with each young person. Through this approach, Richard says, “I validate everything they do as potentially communicative and significant, which encourages them to continue communicating and motivates them to expand this further.”  

Richard also brings students and staff members together, encouraging them to make music in group sessions – using music to positively impact on the college environment and support its ethos of helping students to reach their full potential. 

Richard Wilkinson, Assistant Head Teacher, adds that:

“Having our Nordoff Robbins therapist at Chatsworth Futures enriches our curriculum and enables our learners to experience a safe, happy environment where they can develop a sense of control and order by leading a session and positively impacting on the actions of those around them. 

“This promotes empowerment and the self-esteem and confidence of our young people, affording them the opportunity to communicate through music on their own terms and in their preferred way, whatever their ability and complexity of need.”

Chatsworth Futures provides a small, supportive and challenging environment, which enables learners to develop their functional skills, independence and communication. Students also develop skills for living, using practical and realistic contexts to learn, develop and grow.

All staff get together alumni unvite

$
0
0

An invitation to CPD sessions at Nordoff Robbins London Centre - 

In recent years, Nordoff Robbins has started a tradition of holding a two-day “All-Colleague Get-Together” at our London Centre for all of our colleagues, wherever they are based in England or Wales. Our colleagues tell us that these events are not only enjoyable but useful in terms of feeling part of the organisation. For music therapists, we wrap some CPD opportunities around the main event and people consistently tell us how important these sessions are to them.   

This year, for the first time, we are excited to be able to invite Nordoff Robbins alumni to join us on day two of the Get-Together (Wednesday 18th July) for lunch, for music therapy-specific CPD sessions in the afternoon (which will focus on practical aspects of the craft of delivering the Nordoff Robbins approach), and for some social time afterwards. It would be lovely to see as many alumni as possible. There is of course no charge for this event. We hope it will be an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and friends as well as to gain some CPD. 

  Lunch will be available from 1.30pm. Please let us know if you would like to attend by emailing eirini.kotzaki@nordoff-robbins.org.uk , both so that we can ensure we have correct numbers for catering and so that we can  send you further details of the CPD sessions nearer the time. 

- Simon Procter

 

News from the North East Spring 2018

$
0
0

2018 is an exciting year for the Nordoff Robbins in the North East. We now have a team of therapists delivering music therapy in a variety of different contexts within the area and have just opened our new music therapy centre in Jesmond, Newcastle. Graham Wylie has generously gifted us a building and covered all the costs of the renovations. The centre will have up to three designated music therapy spaces (see plan). We are hoping to deliver both individual and group sessions, as well as use this space for community projects. In addition to this, we hope that this centre will become another training base for the MMT training programme, alongside our bases in London and Manchester.  

Alison Hornblower 

Regional Head, Nordoff Robbins North East 

News from South West spring 2018

$
0
0

Nordoff Robbins South West & South Wales covers a wide geographical area from Cornwall in the west, over to south Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in the east, and up to South Wales, Worcestershire and Herefordshire in the north. It is nevertheless a currently ‘small’ NR region with a total of 5 music therapists working for NR! Our services were originally developed in this area some years ago by Rachel Millman and Alison Hornblower, and our presence was re-ignited in September 2016 with the relocation of Fraser Simpson (who now oversees the regional service) to Hampshire, and Jo Humphreys to Swansea, who began providing services under a new partnership between NR and ABMU Health Board. 

Our delivery in the region is concentrated at present in two main areas. On the south coast we have 3 therapists – Fraser Simpson, Alison Hughes and Anna Tyrrell – working in Bournemouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight; and in south Wales we have 2 therapists – Jo Humphreys and Lucie Phillips – working across a wide area from Llanelli in the west to Merthyr Tydfil in the east, encompassing the urban areas of Swansea, Port Talbot and Bridgend.  

Between us we are providing 19 days of music therapy per week, working across a wide variety of settings including special and mainstream schools, hospital oncology, day centres, care homes, rehab centres and hospices. We are pioneering several new initiatives including a new service for looked after children in collaboration with Southampton Music Hub, and in Bournemouth working with a refugee charity. In South Wales we have established a partnership with ABMU Health Board enabling us to provide services to people in a range of settings, and we have a direct referral service in Swansea. Through our partnership with CLIC Sargent we are providing a service to children with life threatening conditions at Southampton Hospital, and at Earl Mountbatten Hospice on the Isle of Wight, where Nigel Hartley is now the CEO, we have a two day/week project successfully established. 

Nordoff Robbins would like in time to develop a presence across a wider expanse of the south west region and we would be very interested to hear from any NR graduates in the south west who might be interested in working for us. 

 Fraser Simpson 

 
 

 

Join team Nordoff Robbins for Prudential Ride London

$
0
0
Fri, 27/4/2018

Help us to reach more people than ever with our life changing music therapy by taking part in the Capital's biggest cycling event of the year!

Taking a cue from the London Marathon, the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 is a 100-mile challenge, offering a perfect, traffic-free ride. Everyone can enjoy a day in the saddle, starting in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, then travelling through the capital and onto Surrey’s stunning country roads and through the Surrey Hills before  a spectacular finish on The Mall in Central London.

If you fancy the challenge, we are delighted to be offering places on Team Nordoff Robbins! 

Key Details

Date:

28-29 July 

Where:

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 

Skill Level:

All levels and abilities 

Registration: 

fundraising@nordoff-robbins.org.uk

Viewing all 379 articles
Browse latest View live