Musical talents displayed at dazzling concert

‘An Afternoon of Musical Madness’ concert

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Service users from the Pennine Care rehabilitation and high support directorate (RHSD) in Rochdale have been taking part in a music project as part of their therapy, and recently had the opportunity to show-case their musical talents at a dazzling concert in front of over 100 members of staff, family and friends.

The performance took place at Broadwater Hall in Rochdale, and was dubbed ‘An Afternoon of Musical Madness’. A highlight of the concert was the attendance of the Mayor of Rochdale and his wife, who were tapping their feet throughout. The Mayor commented: "I was blown away by the talent in the room."

They young men participated in ‘The Backdoor Music Project’ - a Rochdale-based scheme which set up in 2000, which engages with 13-25 year old aspiring musicians who have had a difficult start in life and who are passionate about performing, practicing and producing music. The project offers experience in lighting, stage production, DJ skills, and other areas of musical interest and visual creativity.

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust’s RHSD got involved with the project at the beginning of 2009 as part of the Occupational Therapy Team’s social inclusion work. The aim of this is to help service users feel part of their local community, and hopefully develop skills and interests that will be helpful when they are discharged from the service. Many people who experience mental health problems feel unable to take part in activities that support an active lifestyle and can become hopeless about their ability to succeed in the future. This can be due to a number of things such as a lack of confidence, anxiety and the lack of opportunity or support in their communities.

Gemma Kirk, Senior Occupational Therapist from the team said: "Most people are able to identify with music, it is culturally acceptable, is a useful form of expression and one that our service users have really benefited from. Learning DJ skills, writing music and playing instruments is compatible with the self-image of service users and producing a professional product at the end – a CD and DVD - enhances that sense of achievement.

"The aim of the group was to promote and increase the engagement of all of our service users in community activity and to promote self-confidence, self-esteem and enjoyment through the medium of music."

In total, 46 young male service users have visited the project regularly, where they had access to 6 music mentors with skills in percussion, guitar, bass, keyboards, vocal work, mixing, recording, dubbing and performing.

Gemma added: "The feedback from both participants and the audience at the recent performance was wholly positive. The young men benefitted in so many ways, from learning new IT and musical skills, gaining experience of event planning and goal setting, taking on new roles and responsibilities, and building their confidence and social skills. They have all said they would all like to return to the project again."

A member of the audience commented: "I am struggling to find words to express my appreciation for the tremendous level of empowerment, originality, positivity, surprise and sheer enjoyment, evident at the truly brilliant concert."