Heart of Gold at St John of God Bendigo Hospital
21 Dec 2015
21 December 2015
The entire process has been the work of the hospitals caregivers across a variety of departments. The music and lyrics have all been written by caregivers and volunteers and the video clip, which is completely unique, is performed by the caregivers, volunteers and even a few patients and visitors.
What started out as an idea to write a song to celebrate the milestone quickly grew into something so much bigger. When Evelyn Robertson from Pastoral Care suggested coming up with a hospital song to mark 10 years of foundation, she couldn’t have imagined it would become the full scale production that it has, with the involvement of so many people.
Astrid Notarangelo, Music Therapist at St John of God Bendigo Hospital said, “When the concept starting coming together we wanted to ensure that it engaged all of our caregivers and that they were included throughout the whole process”.
“We began with a survey of caregivers to decide on the genre. Next, we held lyric writing workshops. I was then able to create music to accompany the lyrics and to match the genre chosen. This was then played to caregivers involved with the song writing process and approved by them.
"After that, we recorded the song locally, at BRIT studio in Bendigo, working with local musicians to create the basic bed of sound and lead vocals. Our Caregiver Chorus were then filmed recording their part at a studio in Melbourne. Finally, after a lot of preparation, we filmed the rest of the clip. This involved caregivers, volunteers, visitors and patients and happened on site at the hospital in one day.”
St John of God Bendigo Hospital CEO, Darren Rogers was thrilled with the energy and enthusiasm of so many staff in making this happen.
“Our caregivers and volunteers are the heart and soul of this hospital and this was a way to give them a voice around what the hospital meant to them. It was a way to celebrate our 10 year birthday in a creative way. This song shows that at St John of God Bendigo we care about our patients and we like to have fun!”
The song launch will be held in the newly refurbished Atrium, which has now been completed as part of the $50 million redevelopment of the hospital.
Check out Heart of Gold