Alumnae News
Caitlin Bull (2008)
After graduating from Sacré Cœur in 2008, I began my Bachelor of Music in flute performance at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music at the University of Melbourne. During my time at the Con I was Secretary and then President of the Music Students’ Society, and advocated for students’ rights following the amalgamation with the Victorian College of the Arts’ School of Music. I learnt about Music Therapy while studying, and thought it would perfectly combine my love of music with my drive to care for people. I took psychology classes, found observation opportunities, and began to learn the guitar in preparation for the Master of Music Therapy.
In 2012 I began my Honours year, and savoured my last opportunity to really focus on performance through solo, chamber and large ensemble works before heading out into the real world.
I then took a gap year to work, travel and prepare for my Master of Music Therapy application and audition. I was thrilled to be accepted, and spent the next two years being challenged, inspired and supported by my teachers and fellow students.
Following my graduation at the end of 2015, I slowly built up private and salaried work in a variety of contexts, including working with families who have experienced domestic violence and/or homelessness, culturally and linguistically diverse playgroups, and in aged care.
I currently work at Cabrini’s palliative care service, in the community with families experiencing homelessness, and as a research assistant in a large-scale demoralisation project at Cabrini Malvern.
Cabrini Palliative and Supportive Care is seeking Sacré Cœur Alumnae musicians to participate in their new Palliative Community Musician Program (PCMP)
Cabrini Prahran is a 22 bed specialist palliative unit that cares for people who have a life-limiting illness providing symptom management, discharge planning and end of life care. The PCMP invites musicians from the community to provide short performances in the Cabrini Prahran Lounge on Friday afternoons.
The use of live music in palliative care environments has been shown to have many benefits for patients, their families and friends, and even staff. Live music contributes positively to the unit environment, can help patients to reconnect with their love of music, and can provide a backdrop for patients to create lasting memories with their loved ones. The PCMP is an opportunity for you to contribute to caring for some of the most vulnerable in our society. Musicians will be provided with a Certificate of Service as recognition of their participation.
Musicians will prepare a 20 - 30 minute program of gentle, pleasant music, as appropriate for the main common area in the hospital. Patients and their families and friends will be invited to attend this informal performance: some may come into the Lounge to listen, and others may listen from their rooms. The daily life of the unit will continue around the performance, and there will be a range of distractions throughout, including patient buzzers, motion sensor alarms, phone calls, etc. I will brief successful applicants about the specific requirements and challenges of playing music in this setting, and will be available for support during and debriefing after each session.
If you are interested in participating, please get in contact via the details below:
Registered Music Therapist
Cabrini Palliative & Supportive Care
Sacré Cœur Class of 2008
Phone: 9508 5027