‘IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE, THEN PLAY ON’ Joe Healy is the ‘The Keynotes Choir’ Conductor and Training Centre Instructor, Roscommon Mental Health Services. He explains how the choir came about.
The Keynotes Choir in action before Christmas.
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The video of the choir performing ‘O Holy Night’ can be viewed at https://youtu.be/1ALOnY4HwQ
any wonderful things have been said and written about the benefits of music while we continue living in these troubled times. Well, imagine having the honour of being involved with a group of people who sing, laugh, cry, hope and generally pull each other through the times we’ve been dealt. We are The Keynotes Choir and our members are drawn from the HSE - service users, staff, retirees and even the odd volunteer. We started out about four years ago when Mental Health Services Roscommon facilitated a music programme in their training centres in Boyle, Castlerea, Clorina House and Strokestown Day Centres. From humble beginnings we grew to performing at many HSE launches and a couple of years ago, we closed off a street in Roscommon and put on a street concert to celebrate the completion of a very enjoyable Music in Mind course facilitated through the National Concert Hall. Then along came COVID-19. Everything stopped. But giving up is not in the nature of our members. We were even thinking of changing our name to something to do with resilience. However, I digress. Once restrictions lifted a little bit, we started sending out CD’s or WhatsApp recordings to everybody containing the various music parts. Then we’d get a couple of people in at a time, record them, mix it on site in Castlerea and the end product distributed to all. They say no knowledge is ever wasted and this week proves it. We were asked to sing a song for the HSE virtual Christmas concert which aired before the Christmas break. A rough mix of ‘O Holy Night’ was put together for each individual with a separate ‘take’ for the harmonies. We recorded everybody in pairs, mixed it and prayed it would work out. It did. Participants were shattered but ecstatic. During the recording my eyes were truly opened. When ordinary people are thrown together in a common but unfamiliar task, the reaction is the same anxiety, fear, comradery, relief. The next day, we had to do D’Video! We all met on the grounds of Plunkett Community Nursing Unit, Boyle, Co Roscommon. The same emotion prevailed but multiplied by 10. It was freezing, but not many felt the cold. Then it was finished. We nearly blinded each other with the beam of our smiles. Hands were thrown up in the air with relief and bliss. This was as close as you are going to get to total happiness. For all of us, for those 10 minutes, the world was fixed.
LOCAL PODCAST ‘MEATH TALKS’ ABOUT LOCAL HEALTH ISSUES BY LOCAL PEOPLE FOR LOCAL PEOPLE Meath Talks is a collection of health and wellbeing podcasts developed and produced by the HSE Health Promotion and Improvement Team, Midlands Louth Meath Community Healthcare Organisation and supported by Meath Partnership. Meath Talks have been created as a wellbeing resource, cover a wide range of health related topics and feature the agencies which provide this support and guidance across Co Meath. Health Promotion and Improvement Manager, Emer Smyth, explained, “It is important that people living in our communities are aware of the large array of supports that exist to help them to stay well and to work their way through difficulties that happen as is normal in life. The conversations, like the work in health promotion are broad in range and topic and give a flavour of the work our team are involved in every day.” Meath Partnership CEO, Michael Ludlow, said that the company is delighted to have an opportunity to work in partnership with the HSE in communicating with those in need of healthcare services. He said the use of the podcast medium as produced by the HSE, enables service providers such as Meath Partnership to reach out and speak directly to those in the community entitled to support. Stressing the importance of the Wellness Hub, recently opened by Meath Partnership, and which offers support to both young and old, Mr Ludlow said this new service has a focus on mental wellbeing with a special interest in young people. Developer and host of Meath Talks, Anthony O’Prey, HSE Health Promotion Officer, said, “These podcasts give everyone an opportunity to listen to the voice of support that is available to them within their community. I would encourage everyone to listen to these conversations and share them among your loved ones; they are an invaluable resource especially during these challenging times.” Meath Talks joins the collection of health and wellbeing podcasts developed for the Midland counties, including Offaly Talks, Longford Talks, Westmeath Talks, Kildare Talks and Laois Connects Podcasts. Meath Talks can be accessed by visiting the Meath Partnership website using the link below or by searching on the Spotify app. https://www.meathpartnership.ie/pages/ meath-talks/
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