Singing for Health:
Singing Mums: Breathe & Sing
- Time: Tuesdays, 10:15 – 11:45
- Place: Antonsgasse 12
- Pricing: €15 per session: €150
- Contact: Tel: +43 660 7617256 ·
- Email: ornsy@gmx.at
Singing Seniors: Breathe & Sing
- Time: Tuesdays, 8:45 – 10:00
- Place: Antonsgasse 12
- Pricing:€15 per session: €150
- Contact: Tel: +43 660 7617256 ·
- Email: ornsy@gmx.at
If you are currently unable to pay the hourly rate, please contact us and we will discuss a possible reduction.
Introduction to the Project
Singing for Health Groups with Dr. med. univ Caroline Gotsche, MSc & Mag. Órna Loughnane
Caroline and Órna met in 2023 in the kindergarten Caroline‘s little son was attending where Órna was native Speaker and Music Coordinator. Within numerous conversations they discovered a mutual interest in the elements that contribute to children’s well being, to people’s feelings in general and the broader world of human sensitivity. Their shared desire for kindheartedness and tenderness in their immediate worlds reached beyond the pragmatism of daily routines in life and work and they bonded quickly.
Caroline had long wanted to remediate public access to singing for non musicians and other lay people whose lives would be enriched by the proven benefits of music in daily life be they affected by sickness, bereavement, loneliness or strain. So she suggested the project to Órna who had been immersed in music and especially singing since she was a small girl. Needless to say Órna jumped at the idea and the Creative Health Project ‚Singing for Health‘ in Baden breathed its first breath.
The aim for the singing groups is to offer an intimate setting where people can come together regardless of status, background or musical ability to discover in the group setting the shared resource of melody, sound, beat, breathing, listening and rhythm to soothe the soul and uplift the heart. Musical experience is not required though a sense of curiosity, a desire to hum and tap a foot is more than welcome.
Within the safe setting of the Singing Groups is the potential for friends to come together to sing, offering musical respite or an alternative to visual distractions and an enhanced sense of self. The Groups are intended to offer direct engagement with singing and song, resulting in renewed optimism and a positive emotional response to the sound of our souls, which music is.
Biography
Caroline is a medical doctor and public and global health professional. She worked clinically, in internal medicine, general practice and sexual health in Germany and in the United Kingdom. In research, her focus mainly is on sexual and reproductive health issues. It is particularly important to her, contributing to maternal and child health issues and to advocate against gender inequity. Caroline is currently a Doctor of Public Health candidate at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine working on syphilis control among pregnant women in Uganda. Since 2022, she is also a research scientist in health policy analysis at the Centre for International Health Protection at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, Germany.
Caroline has loved singing since she was very young and spent her childhood and youth singing in choirs. She is convinced that art and music in particular, have a powerful impact in supporting people’s health. By initiating singing groups for different people, and by teaming up with Orna, Caroline hopes to connect and create safe spaces for people who may feel vulnerable or isolated and to create a supportive community where the wonderful influence of singing can strengthen and empower people’s mental and physical health.
Órna is a classical violinist and piano teacher. She was born in Melbourne, Australia and finished her school education in Dublin, Ireland where her parents originated before moving to Austria to complete her musical studies. Her professional life as a violinist in Vienna was rewarding and inspirational but Orna missed the interaction with children and people in a closer, more intimate setting than that of the concert stage.
While raising her own children Orna became involved in the Austrian kindergarten world and discovered her love of teaching little children in English and through Music. Having been immersed in the world of Irish traditional singing with her own mother from her early years Orna understood the inherent communication and love that results in teaching through music ad song, how warmth and tenderness can bring the best out in people and how the sound of song can bring joy, trust and comfort to others. She continues to give instrumental lessons, group music for children of various ages, English for school children and public speaking support to adults.
From October 2025 Órna is excited to broach the Creative Health Project with Caroline Gotsche which will bring the joy and healing properties of song, togetherness and music to people in order to benefit mental and physical health.
Singing mums
In our singing group for young mothers we wish to bring mothers and their babies together with other mothers and babies in a safe group setting to share experiences and exchange ideas relative to their new roles, to empower them, ultimately to create beautiful moments and have lots of fun together. More information about the benefits of singing in new mothers coming soon:
Singing Seniors
Breathe and sing – Singing group for seniors
In our Singing Group for Retired People, we desire to support people in the transition of a new chapter in their lives by strengthening social interaction, physical movement in order to create a sense of togetherness and community.
More information about the benefits of singing in seniors coming soon: