House Music
Intended Audience
All members including people diagnosed with cancer, family member and caregiver, as well as members of the general public.
Program Description
At Wellspring’s Friday night House Music concerts, musicians provide a lively evening of fun and engaging musical entertainment, free of charge for Wellspring members as well as members of the general public. As is the case with many of our musical programs, House Music promotes joy, friendship, and inspiration, as the attendees bond through their common love and appreciation of music. Whether in-house, or online, participants report feeling comfortable and relaxed, as though the musicians are in their own living rooms. Musical genres include a broad assortment, from classical to blues, folk, jazz, international, vocal, instrumental, and more. Some of the musicians are professionals, while others and equally delightful gifted amateurs. All are a part of the community, and are honoured to perform for and be a part of Wellspring’s program offerings.
“Music eases the soul, raises spirits and builds community.”
“I enjoy watching people smiling and not worrying about anything or anyone.”
“Music stimulates healing.”
Benefits and Impact
Music has been shown to play an important role in the lives of people living with cancer. Recent studies find that art- and music-based therapies can have a broad range of beneficial outcomes for cancer survivors, including pain relief, reduced anxiety, decreased fatigue, and improved quality of life (Bosman et al., 2021; Bradt et al., 2016; Köhler et al., 2020; Wood et al., 2011). One study from 2017 found that even simply listening to music may reduce the incidence of pain, anxiety, and drowsiness (Bilgiç & Acaroğlu, 2017). This program invites the kids of adult participants as it has been found that family-oriented support programs like this one can be effective at reducing isolation and normalizing the experience of children who have parents living with cancer (Ellis et al., 2017).
What to Expect at a Session
Wellspring House Music concerts are available online and in-person when centres are open. Wellspring members, as well as their families and friends, can sign up and enjoy these uplifting concerts featuring local artists of various genres and with an extraordinary range of talent. Concerts typically last for one hour with encouragement of comments in the chat box when joining online, and time for some social connection at the end of the evening when in-person. Guests are also asked to fill out an evaluation to help us meet our music targets and plan our future sessions.
