The development of the music room came about as a response to a service user survey and the request of “hands-on” work. The project team agreed to redecorate and repurpose a quiet room on Saltwood Ward into a music room for service users to take advantage of the benefits of music therapy on their wellbeing.
Service users were involved in painting, building storage cupboards, installing LED lights and organising the space.
Since its completion, service users have been regularly using the room to play music.
Some of their service users involved in the project or who actively and regularly use the music room have shared some of their feedback:
“It tremendous. It’s the only place I can go and express myself.”
“I found the hands-on group and creating the music room very therapeutic in creating something and taking my mind off things.”
“It was a good session. Within the hands on-project, I found it therapeutic. I’m able to look back at what I helped create.”
“My experiences on the ward have widened. It is a calm environment, the pictures are nice and it’s a good place to play music, meet and chat and write songs.”
The new music room is not the only music related project that Cygnet Hospital Maidstone have been involved in. Last year the team supported one service user William, aka Phenomenal K, to appear in a music video performing his original song ‘All I Need’ as part of Cygnet’s Music 2 Empower project.