Singing for Health (18+)

While we encourage a diverse student body, some musical knowledge, including the ability to read music, and leading in a community music setting is needed to join this short course.

As part of the online booking application, applicants will be asked to complete a 200–300 word statement outlining their experience of working in the singing for health/community music sector.

Applicants may be contacted for a follow-up discussion on their experience following the completion of their application.

Students should show up to each class, eager to learn and take part.

If you have any questions about this class or the support we can offer, please get in touch with us at shortcourses@rcs.ac.uk

Day 1: Navigating the Creative Health Landscape in Scotland with Sophie Boyd and Brianna Robertson-Kirkland

In this workshop, the first half will explore the Creative Landscape, by considering the differences in structure and funding for the health sector in various regions across Scotland. Students will be invited to share their knowledge of running singing for health groups/working as a musician in their particular region, with the teaching team providing further insight into the complexities of NHS and care structuring. We will introduce students to the concept of ‘Social Prescription’ – the benefits, challenges, and how it directly impacts the arts.

We will consider the role of community link workers as well as organisations that are at the forefront of promoting singing for health. We will introduce students to health equity issues in Scotland and how this might impact those coming to their singing for health groups.

Practitioners safeguarding their wellbeing will be discussed, with students encouraged to share the challenges they face and how they might have overcome such challenges. The teaching team will highlight some safeguarding measures that singing for health practitioners could integrate into their practice – including methods explored later in this short course, such as knowledge of risk management both digitally (i.e. issues of GDPR) and in the singing space (managing challenging behaviour, awareness of conditions etc.).

The second half of the workshop will introduce students to the latest research on singing for health with a focus on four key conditions, dementia, lung health, Parkinson’s, and mental health concerns. Students will be guided on how to access the latest research, understand the findings, and integrate such knowledge into their practice.

Day 2: Reflecting on your practice: Delivered by Sophie Boyd, Brianna Robertson-Kirkland, and two other expert practitioners (one an experienced vocal conductor and the other a vocal coach).

The session will be split into three key areas:

• Group specific conducting skills and gestures
• Adapting songs for use with particular groups – this area will also explore music copyright.

While all students attending the short course will have some amount of musical, vocal, and/or leading knowledge, the aim of the session is to allow students to share their practice with their peers, expand their knowledge in areas where they may be less comfortable/familiar, and consider different approaches to leading sessions dependant on the group and their physical condition.

Day 3: Evaluating techniques – What is needed for funding?

In this final workshop, we will be considering the importance of certain research skills when working with your singing for health groups, particularly regarding collecting feedback, evaluation and monitoring, and reflective practice. Such research skills can be really useful tools when it comes to applying for funding as you will be confident that you can demonstrate why your group needs funding using the information you have gathered. Such skills can also be very useful when considering if you practice is effective and in line with current recommendations.

We will also be considering the importance of selling what you do and ensuring that you know how to set a fair fee for freelance work, based on current recommendations. Such knowledge can also be very powerful when it comes to funding.

Finally, the workshop will explore methods for keeping up to date with the latest research. We will revise some of the ideas explore in Workshop 1, where we will consider how new research might lead us to changing/adapting our practice.

• Plan and prepare to attend all classes.
• Dress comfortably in clothes which are suitable for the activity you are taking part in.
• Bring a notepad and pen/pencil in case you wish to make notes.
• Please bring a bottle of water to stay hydrated during your class.

Dr Brianna Robertson-Kirkland

Dr Brianna E. Robertson-Kirkland is Associate Head of BMus with specialisms in Historical Musicology at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She is the Principal Investigator for the Royal Society of Edinburgh-funded project, Scotland’s Singing for Health Network. Formerly, she was the Lead Research Associate for the AHRC-funded project ‘The Edited Collection of Allan Ramsay’ at the University of Glasgow. She was also a Visiting Fellow at Chawton House (2017) and the University of Sydney (2017 & 2019), with her most recent visit culminating in several practice-based, collaborative performances between Scotland’s Concerto Caledonia and Melbourne’s Evergreen Ensemble. Her research has fed into the historically-led album Curious Caledonians (2020). Read more.

Dr Sophie Boyd

Dr Sophie Boyd is an interdisciplinary researcher and practitioner specialising in the health and wellbeing impacts of group singing. With a particular research interest in singing and breath, Sophie was awarded a PhD from the University of Glasgow in 2021 for her practice-led Human Geography thesis ‘Singing bodies: cultural geographies of song and health in Glasgow.’

Sophie has been working on the Royal Society of Edinburgh funded project Scotland’s Singing for Health Network at the RCS, where she has been developing accessible knowledge exchange to communicate the role of singing for health and the need for sustainable social prescription.

Credit-rated short courses are designed in accordance with the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).

By studying a credit-rated short course, students can benchmark their learning against national standards, and credits may be used towards further education programmes at many institutions throughout the world.

The course is 100 hours of study and is worth 10 SCQF credits and 5 ECTS credits. This course is set at SCQF level 7.

There is an additional fee of £110 to take part in the credit-rated portion of the course. Please ensure you have already signed up to the course via the Book Now button on the webpage. Once you have completed that, please sign up for the credit-rated option, by completing this booking form:

Credit-rated Booking Form

By studying a credit-rated course, you will need to be matriculated to RCS*, we require some additional information from credit-rated students for this reason. Please read through the section below thoroughly before you submit. If you have any questions about what is required, please email credit-rated@rcs.ac.uk and we can help you.

* Please note although Credit-Rated Short Courses students require matriculation to get their accreditation, you will not be a full time matriculated student of RCS. Credit-Rated Short Courses do not qualify for student visas due to the short term nature of the course. You will also not qualify for a student email address or student card.

Please read the following eligible evidence dependant on your nationality and immigration status:

Scottish/Welsh/English/Northern Irish (Please provide 1 of the following)
– Passport
– UK Driving Licence
– Other Photo ID

Irish (Please provide all of the following)
– Passport

Europeans with Settled or Pre-Settled Status (Please provide all of the following)
– Passport
– Online Immigration Status (via Sharecode)

Europeans (post-Brexit) (Please provide all of the following)
– Passport
– Proof of Entry to the UK
– Online Immigration Status (via Sharecode)

Non-Europeans who can use the e-gates (Nationals of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore and Japan) (Please provide all of the following)
– Passport
– Proof of Entry to the UK
– Vignette
– Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)

Online Credit Rated courses:
– if studying an online credit-rated course from your own country (outside of UK) you are only required to submit your passport.
– if studying an online credit-rated course within the UK, but do not hold a UK passport, please follow the guidance from above.

The Credit Rated or Admissions team may require further information or proof from individuals, and may be in contact with you to provide further evidence.

Providing a ShareCode
If you are providing a ShareCode as part of your evidence please visit https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status and follow the instructions to access your code, and provide it in the Experience section of the Booking Form.