City St George’s student midwives participate in creative health placement with Singing Mamas • City St George's, University of London

Students immersed themselves in an innovative placement experience, working alongside group leaders to engage with mothers and their babies

By Mr George Wigmore (Senior Communications Officer), Published Friday, 17^th January 2025

Midwifery students from City St George’s, University of London recently took part in an innovative seven-week pilot creative health placement with Singing Mamas, a national non-profit organisation dedicated to improving women’s wellbeing through the power of song.

Creative health placements

The idea of Creative Health Placements was shared by the University of Chester whereby student nurses were supervised by experienced dance, music, or visual arts artists as part of their practice placements. Evaluation of this practice placement showed that students developed self-confidence, improved their well-being, and understood the benefits of social prescribing in providing holistic care (National Centre for Creative Health, 2022).

Based on these findings, the Associate Dean for Partnerships and Placements at City St George’s School of Health and Psychological Sciences (SHPS), Dr Gemma Hurley, applied the creative health model, inviting Singing Mamas to provide a midwifery placement opportunity with an endeavour to empower student midwives, build their resilience and help them understand the wider context of health in developing person-centred care.

Starting in November 2024, the students joined a local Singing Mamas group every week to work with mothers and their babies, fostering connection, confidence, and improved mental health. The sessions took place at the King Square Community Centre near the University.

Singing for wellbeing

Singing Mamas was founded in 2010 by nurse Kate Valentine, who discovered the transformative impact of communal singing while raising young children. The initiative has since grown into a nationwide movement, with trained leaders hosting inclusive groups where women and children can sing simple songs taught by ear, share experiences, and enjoy tea and cake. Singing has been shown to boost mood by releasing ‘happy hormones’, reduce stress, and create a sense of connection—benefits particularly valuable for new mothers and pregnant women.

The organisation also partners with the NHS to train health professionals and offer singing ‘on prescription’. This unique collaboration has supported countless women, making it a natural fit for the City St George’s midwifery programme.

A unique learning opportunity

During the placement, students immersed themselves in the Singing Mamas experience, working alongside group leaders to engage with mothers and their babies. This hands-on approach provides the students with invaluable insights into community-based maternal wellbeing initiatives. Their involvement not only enriched their understanding of service-user relationships but also enhanced their skills in compassionate, holistic care.

Dr Gemma Hurley highlighted the significance of this partnership:

“Collaborating with creative health organisations is an essential part of providing high-quality education that prepares healthcare practitioners for the dynamic landscape of healthcare needs. Our NHS has embedded social prescribing as an important aspect of holistic care and as such it is only right that our students experience the meaning and impact of creative health in their educational journey.”

Building connections and confidence

A typical Singing Mamas session is an uplifting and relaxed experience. There are no auditions or sheet music, and no one sings alone. Instead, songs are taught line by line, fostering a sense of shared achievement. Group members often note feeling lighter, more connected, and less stressed after singing together. The inclusion of babies in the sessions creates a nurturing atmosphere, strengthening the bond between mother and child while providing social support.

Speaking about the impact of Singing Mamas, one of the mums said: “For me, it’s something to do that is for me, but it is totally baby-friendly, and that is such a unique thing to find. I’m sure as you may have already discussed, we could go to singing classes for babies until the cows come home, where we would sing nursery rhymes all day long. That is very nice and serves a purpose, although there are things that are more geared towards mums, and your baby can be there. But this is something that is such a nice blend of being for the mums and their wellbeing, while also ensuring our baby is having a really good time. It is not only accepting, but it is baby-centred."

Benefits for students

The collaboration reflects City St George’s commitment to preparing students for diverse and meaningful careers, and the students gained a deeper appreciation for the role of creativity in healthcare and its potential to transform lives.

For more information about studying midwifery at City St George’s, visit https://www.city.ac.uk/prospective-students/courses/undergraduate/midwifery

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