Notes of Comfort: How one patient's music brings joy to the hospice

The corridors of Heart of Kent Hospice were recently filled with the magical sounds of live music, thanks to David, a patient on our Inpatient Unit.  

“Initially, I was doing general teaching for three days a week and working as a music teacher for two days a week. I am a jazz pianist and that style of music teaches you to truly understand music, and so the music lessons proved to be very successful. The Headteacher then asked me to do more music specific teaching, including music therapy for children with learning difficulties.” 

David’s ambition to provide the best possible experience for his pupils led him to experiment with different techniques that worked within the limitations of the single note instruments at the school as well as the abilities of the children. 

“I recorded my piano accompaniments, for example Shubert’s ‘Impromptu’, changing the key from F minor to E minor because that was the key that worked for the one-note horns and xylophones. By recording my piano accompaniment instead of playing it live repeatedly, I was free to move around and work directly with the children. I taught them two sections with all the different parts, and it sounded proper music. By getting the children to learn real classical, jazz, folk and hymns rather than just making noises, it gave them a sense of control, and they were engaged with it.” 

“We had some children who were in wheelchairs with limited mobility. The Headteacher had heard of an instrument called a sound beam and so I organised them coming in to the school for my classes. We would direct the beam of light onto the child’s hand and after a few weeks, they learned that their hand movements were controlling the sounds, so they started to move their hands a bit more and it changed the note. So, in their own way, they started to create music, which was meaningful to them. 

“I worked with some children who were severely autistic, and when they came in I would mimic their mood and with what I played on the piano. So if Charlie came in in a bad mood and was banging around, I would play sounds that matched and sing ‘Charlie is banging today’ and musical interpretations of what he was doing. After a while, I was able to play different styles and of music and he would match what I was doing, so if I sang calmly and slowly ‘Charlie is lying down’, he would lie down. 

“I also helped the children learn a song through pictures. If the song was the nursery rhyme “Doctor Foster went to Gloucester” I would paint a big picture of Doctor Foster and made smaller symbols for the story which I put on to the piano so they knew the song. When the song was finished, I took the symbol off the piano and put it in the ‘finished’ box. This worked particularly well with the autistic children so they could learn the song. 

“It made me feel really satisfied doing this work and bringing music to the children. I knew the children would like the music and not find it boring, and they achieved something which was really special.” 

After being admitted to the hospice, David was able to continue his passion and his hobby by having a keyboard in his room. 

“I mean I am a pianist, and I didn’t expect to have a keyboard here. I didn’t expect anything. It is a good distraction from it all. I’ve got headphones as well so if I wake up at night I can just play the piano and its calming.  

“They are wonderful, wonderful nurses and they do everything for you. You also have the Spiritual Team who come round and do marvelous things too, and I have had good conversations with them. But with me being a musician, the keyboard really helps me. 

Pam, one of our registered nurses, said “All the nurses and patients loved hearing the music. David was a talented musician, and it made everyone very happy hearing him play.” 

We are so grateful to David for sharing his story and allowing us to film him playing his keyboard.