Exciting collaboration between Resident Musician, Beth Hopkins and Queen Mary’s Hospital Prosthetics Team
29 October 2024
My name is Beth Hopkins. I am a musician working in healthcare settings and, this year, I am one of two Resident Artists at Queen Mary’s Hospital. I work with patients, visitors and staff at the hospital using music, specifically facilitating songwriting.
Every experience has been unique; from assisting a patient in writing a love song for their partner, to sing-a-long sessions of old favourites, to helping a pianist get playing again within their neuro-rehabilitation process.
Early in my residency, a patient remarked that they had always wanted to learn the guitar, but feared as a now triple-amputee that this wouldn’t be possible. We decided to try and find a way to make this happen.
At Queen Mary’s Hospital, the prosthetics department is internationally recognised and offers highly specialised services for amputees. I decided to visit the patients’ prosthetist to start a conversation of what could be possible.
I met a Senior Prosthetist, who was immediately interested in helping to design something to make this a reality. After some research, we met with the patient to discuss their needs, both from a clinical and musical perspective, trialling a few positions to see what was needed to facilitate their guitar playing.
We decided that the end goal was to design a strap that the patient could administer themselves onto their right amputated arm, just above the elbow, which would hold a plectrum in place for them to strum using the muscles in their shoulder. The patient could then use the fingers on his left hand to create the chord shapes and thus, play the guitar.
The team created a prototype which we paired with cushions and foam to create the right angle for the patient, all of which enabled him to strum a chord for the first time. It was a joy to watch the patient experiment with sounds, techniques and positions to find what felt best for him.
The patient and I met for a few weeks to learn the basics of guitar playing and discussed next steps in his learning. In the final week before summer break, the product was finished and given to the patient. He was overjoyed!
We sat for an hour ensuring he was comfortable and confident with the product, utilising the considerate design allowing him to strap it on himself, and experimenting with strumming techniques on the guitar. The end product offered much more control than we could’ve hoped for, including allowing the patient to pluck each individual string.
“All the help and assistance with making the required strap and creating the setup to allow me to play the guitar is amazing. This has given me high impetus to learn the guitar. This has made something which I thought was impossible in my mind, real.” - Patient feedback
It has been extremely rewarding to facilitate someone’s musical endeavours in this way. To have leading experts in the field of prosthetics on my doorstep was truly invaluable, and the team helped to make mine and the patient’s dream a reality. It has shown me the true extent of possibilities for patients, allowing me to work more openly and address barriers from the outset.
I am excited for next half term, and to see what else is possible through the power of music.
We would like to express our thanks to The Friends of Queen Mary’s Hospital for kindly funding the two Resident Artist posts at Queen Mary’s Hospital.
The Resident Artist initiative is organised by Arts St George's, part of St George's Hospital Charity. Find out more about our Resident Artists Programme.
