WATCH: Birmingham Children’s Hospital patients form virtual choir

Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s chaplaincy team has worked in conjunction with Ex Cathedra’s Singing Medicine Team to form, what is believed to be, the world’s first hospital-wide children and young people’s virtual patient choir.

This project, filmed pre-coronavirus, uses technology to ensure that regardless of their condition or capabilities, they would be able to sing together as the Lifting Spirits Choir.

Funded by Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, Oak Foundation, Froebel Trust, Arts Council England and many others, this special project features 15 patients across the hospital and changes the beeps of hospital machines into music to which the children start to improvise.

Rebecca Ledgard, director of education for Ex Cathedra, said: "We are so pleased to be able to facilitate our patients to sing virtually together in the Birmingham Children's Hospital Lifting Spirits choir.

"The challenge was always for the chaplaincy team and Singing Medicine, not the patients, to make a choir work with them in respect to their different ages, illnesses, conditions and capabilities. They are our inspiration.

"We hope that as you see the happiness on the faces of the original choir members, you too will have your spirits lifted.

"The skills of our recording and video editing team, we think, has produced something inspiring and hopeful for our time. We also look forward to sharing it with future patients for them to join in with and feel they belong as a part of this unique choir".