Physical concerts may be on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic but “live” music has continued to waft through our hospital corridors.
Every Friday, “live” music is streamed via SGH Workplace at lunch time and on the big screen at SGH Deck on 9. This virtual concert allows musicians to perform from their homes for SGH staff. Colleagues make song dedications to each other, making it a truly special and unique experience. Staff can also participate in a live-chat with the musicians and send real-time messages of love and encouragement to fellow colleagues, creating a true sense of community and support.
Our first concert kicked off on 29 May this year with heartthrob Benjamin Kheng, one half of the local band The Sam Willows. The online concert reached more than 1,000 staff - more than our usual number of attendees of a concert on hospital grounds.
“This is an unusual period for everyone. We feel that music helps provide some relief for staff who may be stressed and need a little pick-me-up”, said Mumtaj Ibrahim, Senior Manager, SGH Community Relations. “We hope such concerts create an environment conducive for restoring the body and mind during this stressful period.”
This is part of a brand new initiative “365 Days of Music@ SingHealth”, an offshoot from the very popular annual SGH Music Fest.
Originally conceived to provide live music for one hour, every day, 365 days a year, to patients, care givers and visitors at all SingHealth institutions, the COVID-19 pandemic put a check to this vision. Instead of shelving the plan completely, SGH and our partner, Sing’theatre, decided to rebrand 365 Days of Music as a virtual initiative to reach out to staff instead.
Residents of CCF @ Expo & D’Resort connecting with local Tamil singer, Mohamed Raffee, for our live-streamed concert. They watched this on their mobile devices via YouTube or on TVs in the halls.
Following the success of these online concerts, we extended this initiative to our COVID-19 patients at Community Care Facilities (CCF) at Expo, D’Resort and Bright Vision Hospital. Homegrown celebrities, Mohamed Raffee and Sudeshna Dasgupta, performed Bengali and Tamil songs to them via YouTube.
“We are grateful to our partner, Sing’theatre for enabling our staff to enjoy curated performances via social media platforms. Music has the power to encourage, soothe and lift the spirits of our patients. We hope that our virtual concerts provide a healing environment by enabling those who are socially isolated to come together and connect through music,” expressed Mumtaj.
Catch our next online performance by Daphne Khoo aka Haneri on 30 July, 1pm on Workplace* Everybody at SGH or Deck on 9*.
*Accessible only by SGH staff
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