‘Special and Meaningful Moments’ – Resident Musician Heather McClelland reflects on her experiences at St George’s Hospital.

26 July 2024
Heather McClelland Performing on SGH Wards (Emily Horton).jpg

We caught up with St George’s Resident Musician, Heather McClelland, to hear about her experiences at St George’s Hospital so far.

Tell us a bit about your background and what drew you to becoming a Resident Artist at St George’s Hospital Charity?

I am a singer/songwriter. I perform, record and release music internationally. Since 2015, I have also worked in arts & health, through musician roles at the Royal Brompton, Royal Marsden and Great Ormond Street Hospitals. I had been following the incredible work of the Arts St George’s programme, and I was delighted when I started my role at St George’s in October 2023. I absolutely love working here.

“I’m blown away by the experience of a personal musical interaction. Activities like this bring a slice of joy to a patient in difficult circumstances and uplifts their moods.”  Participant comment

What sort of activities have you been running at St George’s?

I sing and play ukulele across the whole hospital. The wards are so varied, I am constantly having to grow and evolve, using a fluid approach. On the General Intensive Care Unit (GICU), I often play soothing and calming songs. On the children’s wards, I will have extra instruments as I often find that people like to join in. I like giving people a sense of ownership over the sessions and finding the right song can be very powerful. I have had some really uplifting moments on the neurorehabilitation and elderly care wards, where people sing along together and then talk about the memories that have resurfaced as a result. Sometimes, I will go back and see the same patient several times, perhaps writing a song together.

“My mum is 82 and has dementia. When Heather played her favourite songs (on request) my mum sang along. My heart is going to explode.” Participant comment

Have you noticed the impact the activities you are running have had on participants?

Every day I come in there are special and meaningful moments. The music can bring a bay full of people who were initially all quite separate together, changing the whole atmosphere of the room. I also see physical benefits, for example, someone who has very limited movement tapping their toes to the music. I often notice people who are visibly distressed becoming calmer after listening to music.

“My nan started becoming agitated and restless. (Her curtains were closed). As soon as we heard Heather singing her face lit up. Heather was so lovely and has made my nan’s day, which has made mine. The music was so uplifting.” Participant comment

Have you got any special favourite moments from your time at St George’s so far?

I once played to a patient in GICU alongside her son and husband. Although the patient was not able to speak, she was awake and looked into her husband’s eyes while he sung along and stroked her hand. They gave song requests, and the husband became tearful as I sung ‘By Your Side’. After the session he said, “I can’t thank you enough, I’ve been here for 23 days and that was the first happy day I’ve had”.

What would you say to a patient or staff member interested in requesting a session with you?

We love having requests so feel free to get in touch by emailing arts@stgeorges.nhs.uk if you’d like a visit!

Heather will be taking a break over the Summer and will be back at St George’s Hospital in September. Don’t forget, if you are a patient or staff member at Queen Mary’s Hospital, we also have 2 Resident Artists who could come and meet you, so please do get in touch and we will do our best to accommodate this.

We would like to thank The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust for their generous donation towards our St George’s Resident Artist Programme.

The Resident Artist initiative is produced by Arts St George’s, part of St George’s Hospital Charity. For more information, please see here.

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