In Tuesday’s (8/13) Irish Times (Dublin), Colette Sheridan writes about Kids’ Classics, “a music outreach programme in Dublin’s three children’s hospitals that is supported by the National Concert Hall (NCH) and the Community Foundation for Ireland, a philanthropic organisation.… The children are given a lullaby CD, provided by the NCH, designed to provide a calming effect in busy hospital environments. The CD can be played if a distraction is needed when medical tests are being carried out. It can also help get babies to sleep. Cellist Gráinne Hope is the director of Kids’ Classics. A freelance member of the NCH education department, she is trained in music and healthcare.… ‘The feedback has been very positive, says Hope. ‘You can see it yourself. Even with a very sick child, you get a reaction, although it might only be a smile or a nod of the head.… When their health improves and they have a bit of mobility, we give them percussion instruments and get them to conduct or decide what music they’d like to hear played. With the older children, we often get them to compose their own music.’ ”
Posted August 13, 2013
