As a result of the COVID-19 measures, many people experienced social isolation and a lack of meaningful contact, especially vulnerable elderly people. For a specific group of musicians specialized in person-centred artistically-led participatory practices in healthcare settings, this sparked the exploration of migrating their live practice online, by making use of video-calling technology. From a ‘lifelong learning’ perspective—which considers musicians as being capable of responding to societal change by creating new, meaningful artistic practices—such a sudden migration from offline to online, under the exceptional circumstances at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, created an instant challenge for the musicians to demonstrate their flexibility and adaptability. On the other hand, the limits caused by the conditions and immediacy of this response, combined with a feeling of diminished humanness in virtual interaction, seemed to jeopardize the person-centred values that the work of this group is built upon.This article explores this issue by expanding on the musicians’ flexibility towards personcentredness and their attempts to safeguard these values when they suddenly switch from a ‘physical’ to ‘virtual’ space.
This chapter considers the use of haptics for learning fundamental rhythm skills, including skills that depend on multi-limb coordination. Different sensory modalities have different strengths and weaknesses for the development of skills related to rhythm. For example, vision has low temporal resolution and performs poorly for tracking rhythms in real time, whereas hearing is highly accurate. However, in the case of multi-limbed rhythms, neither hearing nor sight is particularly well suited to communicating exactly which limb does what and when, or how the limbs coordinate. By contrast, haptics can work especially well in this area, by applying haptic signals independently to each limb. We review relevant theories, including embodied interaction and biological entrainment. We present a range of applications of the Haptic Bracelets, which are computer-controlled wireless vibrotactile devices, one attached to each wrist and ankle. Haptic pulses are used to guide users in playing rhythmic patterns that require multi-limb coordination. One immediate aim of the system is to support the development of practical rhythm skills and multi-limb coordination. A longer-term goal is to aid the development of a wider range of fundamental rhythm skills including recognising, identifying, memorising, retaining, analysing, reproducing, coordinating, modifying and creating rhythms—particularly multi-stream (i.e. polyphonic) rhythmic sequences. Empirical results are presented. We reflect on related work and discuss design issues for using haptics to support rhythm skills. Skills of this kind are essential not just to drummers and percussionists but also to keyboards’ players and more generally to all musicians who need a firm grasp of rhythm.
Since 2015, the research group Lifelong Learning in Music of Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen, together with the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), has developed and researched the MiMiC practice for patients and nurses on surgical wards. The musicians make tailor-made music in the patients' rooms in collaboration with patients and nurses. They do this on the basis of verbal and non-verbal contact with patients and nurses. Person-centred music-making turns out to be easy to realise in a medical setting and to be meaningful for all involved. People who have just had surgery experience less pain. Nurses feel more deeply involved with their patients. Musicians show sensitivity for the social context in which they carry out their artistic practice.In this project the research group is developing an innovative artistic practice with a focus on elderly patients. Musicians work with patients and the care staff that are taking care of these patients during their stay in hospital. The research should lead to insights in the effects of this practice and to a new training for master students and professional musicians who want wish to specialise themselves in this field. Pilots on six different wards of the UMCG with professional musicians and master students are part of the research which will last two years in its entirety. The project has been granted funding from the 'Banning de Jong Fonds' of the national 'Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds' and the 'Fonds Sluyterman van Loo'.
Het onderzoek Meaningful Music in Health Care (MiMiC) biedt kansen voor interprofessionele samenwerking van musici en verpleegkundigen. Daarnaast blijkt MiMiC ook tot een versterkt contact tussen patiënten en verpleegkundigen te leiden en tot een toename van compassie van verpleegkundigen. Wat houdt deze interprofessionaliteit precies in en hoe kan deze worden verder vorm krijgen?In Professional Excellence in Meaningful Music in Healthcare (ProMiMiC), beoogt een internationaal consortium van partners uit de muziekwereld en de gezondheidszorg de bestaande live muziek praktijk van MiMiC steviger te verankeren in ziekenhuiszorg. De partners bestaan uit instellingen voor muziekvakonderwijs en ziekenhuizen uit Groningen, Den Haag, Londen en Wenen.Samen hebben alle partners de expertise om praktijkgericht onderzoek naar professionalisering van deze muziekpraktijk uit te voeren. Daarmee kan een bijdrage geleverd worden aan ontwikkelingen als uitkomstgerichte zorg, positieve gezondheid, en een bredere maatschappelijke inzet van musici.Live muziek in het ziekenhuis? MiMiC - Meaningful Music in Health Care – is precies dat: een kleine groep musici die persoonsgerichte improvisaties voor patiënten en verpleegkundigen speelt. De musici maken op de patiëntenkamers muziek ‘op maat’, in interactie met de patiënten, op basis van hun voorkeuren, herinneringen, etc. Dit levert waardevolle momenten van esthetische ervaring en zingeving op, voor zowel patiënten als verpleegkundigen en musici.Sinds 2015 heeft het lectoraat Lifelong Learning in Music van de Hanzehogeschool Groningen samen met het UMCG de MiMiC-praktijk ontwikkeld en onderzocht voor patiënten van chirurgische afdelingen. Persoonsgericht musiceren blijkt goed te realiseren in een medische setting en voor alle betrokkenen zeer betekenisvol te zijn. Patiënten ervaren minder pijn en voelen zich beter. Daarnaast biedt deze innovatieve praktijk musici en verpleegkundigen nieuwe mogelijkheden om zich professioneel verder te ontwikkelen. Daartoe willen we ProMiMiC uitvoeren.ProMiMiC speelt in op de behoefte van musici en verpleegkundigen om beter samen te werken en daarin van elkaar te leren, alsook om persoonsgerichte live muziek te kunnen gebruiken als katalysator voor een compassievolle patiëntrelatie. Met de verdere professionalisering van musici en verpleegkundigen is de MiMiC praktijk geschikt voor brede toepassing in de ziekenhuiszorg. Daarmee kan een bijdrage geleverd worden aan ontwikkelingen als Uitkomstgerichte Zorg, positieve gezondheid, en bredere maatschappelijke inzet van musici.In het consortium zijn uit drie landen hooggekwalificeerde kennisinstellingen op het gebied van muziek en van zorg gebundeld. Samen hebben zij de expertise om in een rijke context toegepast onderzoek naar professionalisering in MiMiC uit te voeren. Dit leidt tot een verbeterde uitvoering van de MiMiC praktijk en hierop aansluitende scholing van studenten en professionals in muziek en zorg. Dit zal musici en verpleegkundigen in staat stellen excellente professionals te zijn m.b.v. gepersonaliseerde live muziek in de zorg.
Following the Samen met Muziek pilot research project in 2023-2024 in ZINN Zorg Short Stay rehabilitation departments in the locations De Brink and De Dilgt, REVA BEATS is a co-research project between the research group Music in Context and ZINN Zorg Short Stay departments revalidation of the location De Brink. In this mixed methods research, multiple research foci included: 1) aspects of care innovation and impact measurements will be researched by ZINN Zorg, and 2) aspects of musical expression, communication and wellbeing of musicians and participants, the entrepreneurial skills and development of musicians, and the learning and experiencing of collaborating care professionals will be explored by research group Music in Context. Additionally, there is a PhD-fellow from the HKU researching the practice through the lens of care ethics. The REVA BEATS project will run between February 2025-January 2027, and includes in total 12 music projects, while the preparational work of the projects has started in June 2024.
