ON:SONG ran HUM, an online singing for wellbeing programme, from January until June 2021. With support from the Culture Recovery Fund, HUM was able to deliver sessions twice a week during lockdown for a community of people aged between 35 and over 85 years when many people were alone or had very little access to their own local communities.

Using Engel’s Biopsychosocial Model to consider how to measure wellbeing, combined with the Sheffield Hallam’s Social Prescribing surveying framework, ON:SONG collated qualitative and quantitative data from participants to any changes to their wellbeing associated with physical, psychological and social aspects of self-management: for example positive impacts on sleep,diet and body care. The data collected from this programme demonstrates how important a programme like HUM is in today’s society to use technology in an effective way to keep people connected, motivated and with a sense of structure and purpose, which is also inline with the NHS’ Long Term Plan for social prescribing.

In developing partnerships and collaborations for HUM to evolve, ON:SONG
aims to focus on specific areas where this singing for wellbeing model can be used to support communities. This will enable collaborations and partnerships to maximise outreach and engagement and provide greatest value for money for the communities and societies that they serve.

On:song (2021). Singing For Wellbeing Online Impact Report 2021. UK: On:song.