Project title
Description of initiative
ON:SONG ran HUM, an online singing for wellbeing programme, from January until June 2021. HUM acted as a trial for a Social Prescription Offer. With support from the Culture Recovery Fund, HUM was able to deliver sessions twice a week during lockdown for a community of people aged between 35 and over 85 years when many people were alone or had very little access to their own local communities. After three months of singing with ON:SONG they can prove that people have taken a proactive approach to looking after their physical and mental health, reduce visits to their GP, and reduce their dependence on medication, drugs, alcohol and nicotine intake.
In developing partnerships and collaborations for HUM to evolve, ON:SONG aims to focus on specific areas where this singing for wellbeing model can be used to support communities. This will enable collaborations and partnerships to maximise outreach and engagement and provide greatest value for money for the communities and societies that they serve.
Whether in-person or online, ON:SONG experience working with a variety of organisations, including NHS Trusts have shown the positive effect that singing for wellbeing has on individuals and company culture.
Further information on the initiative
Themes: Culture and...
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Cultural field
Timeframe
Results, benefits, impact and lessons learnt
Using Engel’s Biopsychosocial Model to consider how to measure wellbeing, combined with the Sheffield Hallam’s Social Prescribing surveying framework, ON:SONG collated qualitative and quantitative data from participants to any changes to their wellbeing associated with physical, psychological and social aspects of self-management: for example positive impacts on sleep, diet and body care. The data collected from this programme demonstrates how important a programme like HUM is in today’s society to use technology in an effective way to keep people connected, motivated and with a sense of structure and purpose, which is also inline with the NHS’ Long Term Plan for social prescribing.
After regularly singing with ON:SONG
90% felt a stronger sense of community at work
67% felt they were able to do more to combat social isolation
64% felt their sleep improved