“We are more than a mass of cells, more than a diagnosis, more than the label of service user and carer. Music connects with that, to make it real and bring it to life.”

How can we amplify the community voices and foster health and well-being in collaboration with practitioners and music?

Join Community Innovation Practitioner and classically trained cellist Georgina Aasgaard from the University of Liverpool, as she explores the importance of valuing practitioners' expertise as they work with diverse communities.

In this episode, Georgina examines a successful music and health programme by the Liverpool Philharmonic and Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.

You’ll visit collaborative music-making in action, including a library, a high-security hospital, and a community pantry. You’ll hear from the team and practitioners who deliver these courses and the participants who’ve benefitted from them.

Discover the power of practitioner-led, co-created music in diverse communities and the need for more participant voices and practitioner support structures.

Georgina’s Community Innovation Practitioner story proposes the "5 C's of Practice" - Connection, Collaboration, Creativity, Commitment, and Care - as a framework for co-designing supportive community environments.

Read the transcript here

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Creative Communities Podcast

01:36 Exploring Liverpool's Music and Health Programme

02:36 Georgina's Journey and Research

07:26 The Life Rooms: A Unique Social Model

10:31 Impact of Music on Mental Health

20:51 Co-Creation in High Secure Hospitals

25:35 St. Dunstan's Church: A New Community Hub

36:28 Challenges and Opportunities in Collaborative Music Making

44:11 Conclusion and Next Episode Preview

Useful links

About Georgina’s Creative Communities project - https://creativecommunities.uk/research/georgina-aasgaard

More from AHRC Creative Communities Programme, and to find out how to get involved - Creative Communities.uk

Thanks Thanks to the Life Rooms participants and staff for their trust and support, to visiting musicians Mandy Burvill, Claire Henry and Ian Stephens, Nicola Hopson and Michael Eakin from the Philharmonic, Michael Crilly from Mersey Care, and Jacky Waldock and Josie Billington from the University of Liverpool. -----------------------------------------

The Creative Communities podcast explores the power of cultural research and collaborative creativity. Join us as we discover how communities across the UK are tackling challenges and building a brighter future through groundbreaking projects.

Over six episodes, meet inspiring "Community Innovation Practitioners" leading the way. We'll follow their journeys of cultural collaboration, co-creation, and innovation, showcasing real-life examples of how creativity empowers communities to build a stronger, more resilient UK.

Credits

Creative Communities is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council UK (Grant Agreement No AH/X001555/1) and hosted at Northumbria University, Newcastle.

With podcast production and training from MIC media.