Music charity to provide free instruments and tuition to NHS Hospital School

This article originally appeared in Classical Music. 

The scheme will see teenage patients receive free instruments and tuition, based on the Andrew Lloyd Webber programme. It is hoped to bring the mental health and wellbeing of learning music to some of the NHS's youngest patients. 

The Chelsea Community Hospital School provides places for children and young people who cannot access mainstream school due to their medical conditions.

If successful, the scheme could potentially be rolled out to other hospital schools across England.

Rachel Landon, CEO of MiSST, said: 'There’s a ticking time bomb of stress with the pandemic, putting relentless and immeasurable pressure on individuals and organisations.

'We know first-hand the benefits young people from disadvantaged backgrounds can gain from learning music.

'We saw a real need in hospital schools and wanted to help support this vital service, ensuring that children and young people have their rights to education preserved while in hospital.'

Janette Steel OBE, Headteacher of Chelsea Community Hospital School, added: 'Receiving the violins was so very exciting - they are beautiful. 

'It felt like the Christmas we missed - and more. There was so much pleasure in their faces as most had never held or even seen a violin before.

'Others had been in an orchestra and had sadly left that dream behind when they came into hospital. So this is a second opportunity to follow their dream of playing again.'

All instruments that are donated by MiSST become the property of the pupil.

www.misst.org.uk