Musical renditions of patient stories

Two students from the Utrecht School of the Arts have created musical renditions of patient stories from the Psychiatry Story Bank for the Betweter Festival and The New Utrecht School. The final product could recently be heard at the festival, where scientists, artists and visitors come together.

Musical transformations

Transforming patient stories into a piece of music. That is not without struggle. Artist Noah chose a story and wrote down all of her associations while reading. Then she gave it more body by creating a metre and rhyme. Because of the complete artistic freedom the students were given, she could give her creativity free rein. According to artist Madelief, this was an essential part of the process: ''It is important to say yes to ideas. You'll figure out later if they're actually good or useful."

The power of music

The final result was musically showcased during the Betweter Festival. Passers-by could listen to the songs with headphones and directly tell the makers what the music evoked in them. The assignment has given Noah a lot of inspiration for the future: "For example, I think it would be interesting to set up something for people with dementia. There you can see that music, unlike text, can really linger and have an effect on someone."