Professional Excellence in Meaningful Music in Healthcare

Live music in the hospital? MiMiC - Meaningful Music in Health Care - is precisely that: a small group of musicians playing person-centred improvisations for patients and nurses.
In the patient rooms musicians create 'tailored-made’ music in interaction with patients, based on their preferences, memories, etc. This provides valuable moments of aesthetic experience and meaning,
for patients, nurses and musicians.
The research group Lifelong Learning in Music of the Hanzehogeschool Groningen and the UMCG have developed and researched the MiMiC practice for patients in surgical
wards since 2015. Person-centred music-making can be put into practice in a medical setting and appears to be meaningful for everyone involved. Patients experience less pain and feel better.
In addition, this innovative practice offers musicians and nurses new opportunities for professional development. For this reason we aim to perform ProMiMiC.

ProMiMiC caters to the need of musicians and nurses to improve their collaboration and to learn from each other, as well as to use person-centred live music as a catalyst for a compassionate patient relationship.
With the further professionalisation of musicians and nurses, the MiMiC practice will become suitable for widespread implementation in hospital care. This can contribute to developments such as Output-Oriented Care, positive health, and increased employability of musicians in social contexts.
In the consortium, highly qualified knowledge institutions in the field of music and of healthcare from three countries are brought together. Together they have the expertise to conduct applied research into professionalisation of the MiMiC practice in a rich context. This will lead to an improved performance of the MiMiC practice and the subsequent education of students and professionals in music and care.
It will enable musicians and nurses to become excellent professionals through person-centred live music in healthcare.

Starting point for ProMiMiC is the need of musicians and nurses to gain new knowledge and skills in performing the MiMiC-practice.
The focus is on (a) collaborating with and learning from each other (as professionals from two different fields) in effectively employing personalised live music for patients in the hospital, and on (b) realizing a more
meaningful and compassionate contact of the nurses with the patients by way of participating in MiMiC.

1 week before intervention
during intervention
shortly after intervention
a month after intervention

Live music, person centred improvisation, will be performed by professional musicians for approximately 10-15 minutes, once a day for a period of at least one day and with a maximum of seven days post operatively for patients and health staff. Music will be performed by musicians of the Prince Claus Conservatoire Groningen.