OPUS Music Community Interest Company

Posted on 15 January, 2012 | Leave a comment

At OPUS’ AGM on 14th January 2012, OPUS became OPUS Music Community Interest Company.  This development supports OPUS’ aims of continuing to deliver high quality music-making opportunities for the benefit of the East Midlands community and beyond.  OPUS delivers this aim with the support of a highly skilled and dedicated board of directors.  OPUS is grateful for the support of accountants Poulter Blackwell Limited in incorporating OPUS as a CIC

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Posted in Music, Uncategorized

Music in Healthcare Settings Training

Posted on 15 January, 2012 | Leave a comment

OPUS’ 4 day training programme (Feb/March 2012) for musicians wishing to work in healthcare settings is now FULL.  Thanks for the huge interest in this programme.  We hope to be able to run more training programes such as this in the future.  Thanks to MusicLeader Yorkshire, Derbyshire Children’s Hospital and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals for their support of this training programme.

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Posted in Music and Health, Training

The end of a residency… for now

Posted on 9 December, 2011 | Leave a comment

Today has been the last day in the Derbyshire Children’s Hospital for our current residency. For the past year, four musicians have been visiting wards and outpatients areas at the hospital most Fridays to make music for and with patients, visitors and staff. This has been a hugely rewarding and incredibly musical experience for everyone, and we are extremely sad that the current residency has come to a close. We were joined at one point today by the stars of Derby’s pantomime (Dick Whittington) who were visiting the hospital. At one point we had a dame, a fairy godmother and Mr Whittington himself all joining in and enjoying the music-making. Fabulous! We also played for a very young patient who had just had grommets fitted ….

Thankyou for playing music to ‘P’ today, it was an absoliute delight. The music settled her, and it is the first thing she has heard properly since she was born. We couldn’t have asked for anything more soothing and well played to help with our daughter’s recovery in the first few hours after her operation. Many thanks.

We hope to be back in the hospital from April 2012, funding permitting, to carry on this amazing work.

Many thanks to Youth Music, Derby City Council, MusicLeader and Derbyshire Children’s Hospital for your support of this amazing project.

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Posted in Education, Music and Health

Story, Rhythm and Rhyme Evaluation Report

Posted on 6 December, 2011 | Leave a comment

Derbyshire County Council Logo OPUS musicians have been involved in a year-long project, supporting the development of music and story-making for early years children and their families in library settings across Derbyshire. The project was hugely successful, with many libraries continuing to deliver practice beyond the project. The project was managed and supported by Derbyshire County Council with funding from Youth Music. The full evalution report has now been published.  Story Rhythm and Rhyme Evaluation Report.

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Posted in Early Years Music, Education, Training

OPUS musicians training with Musique & Santé

Posted on 1 December, 2011 | Leave a comment

OPUS musicians are all highly trained for music and health practice by internationally renowned leaders in this field, Musique & Santé. Nick Cutts has previously trained alongside a European team of musicians in Manchester, Paris, Krakow and Dublin under the guidance of Musique & Sante trainers. In December 2010, Marianne Clarac, a trainer and musician from Musique & Santé visited Derby for a week to deliver training to all OPUS musicians along with others from the region. Nick is now training again in Manchester and Paris with Musique & Santé as part of a European ‘Train the Trainer’ programme. Nick and OPUS colleagues are currently delivering training to musicians and healthcare staff from across the UK using approaches developed by Musique & Santé over many years.
Musique & Sante

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Posted in Music and Health, Training

A December treat!

Posted on 1 December, 2011 | Leave a comment

‘Kissing Tree Lane’ is an OPUS Ensemble arrangement/composition from 2009. The first part of the tune is an arrangement of a tune entitled Kissing Tree Lane by Rob Harbron, while the second part entitled Apple Tree Games is an OPUS composition. OPUS Ensemble are Nick Cutts, Richard Kensington, Sarah Matthews and Laura Zobel. Click on the player on the right hand sde to listen. Enjoy!

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Posted in Music

Music and Health Training

Posted on 30 November, 2011 | Leave a comment

OPUS is delivering a 4 day programme of training for musicians wishing to work in healthcare settings in partnership with MusicLeader, Derbyshire Children’s Hospital and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. This will take place in Derby on 23rd and 24th February and in Sheffield on 8th and 9th March. Applications are to be made to MusicLeader. Limited spaces available which will get booked up quickly. For more information see here: MusicLeader

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Posted in Music and Health, Training

Derbyshire Children’s Hospital

Posted on 30 November, 2011 | Leave a comment

From January to December 2011, 4 OPUS musicians have taken music-making to the children, visitors and staff at Derbyshire Children’s Hospital for one day per week. This highly succesful and innovative programme of activity has been delivered with support from Youth Music, Derby City Council and the hospital’s charitable trust. Feedback from all involved has been overwhelmingly positive, with patients, visitors and staff reporting a calmed and enjoyable atmosphere, patients feeling released from pain and anxiety and parents and staff able to make musical connections with children.

This has been one of OPUS’ most enjoyable and succesful projects to date, and OPUS is currently making plans to continue this activity for a further 2 years from April 2012.

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Posted in Education, Music and Health

Early years music-making in Derbyshire

Posted on 30 November, 2011 | Leave a comment

From September 2010 to July 2011, OPUS has been engaged in a programme of music-making and training, based in library settings in Derbyshire. This work has seen OPUS musicians working alongside library staff and storyshaper Jules Damassa to create unique music and story ‘events’ in the libraries, engaging young children and babies in engaging music and stroy activities. This work has also seen OPUS musicians delivering training to library staff, many of whom are now continuing to deliver this work in partnership with parents.

An evaluation report from the project will be available soon with a link posted here.

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Posted in Early Years Music, Education, Training

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals

Posted on 30 November, 2011 | Leave a comment

For the past 12 months, OPUS has been engaged in music-making at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals: Royal Hallamshire, Weston Park and Northern General Hosptials. 2 musicians have been visiting the hospitals for one day oer week to make music with adult in and out-patients. Patients undertaking cheomtherapy treatment, those with neurological and spinal injuries, and those having dialysis treatment have all enjoyed music on wards, and have taken part in the music-making activities. Recent work has taken place with elderly patients on a rehabilitation ward, bringing culture and enjoyment to often long-term hospitalised patients.

OPUS is hoping to continue this work throughout 2012, supported by Zest Arts in Health and OPUS’ generous corporate sponsors.

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Posted in Music and Health