STROKESTRA®
Supporting patient-led recovery with stroke survivors and their carers.
Credit: Jasmine Waterfield
About STROKESTRA®
STROKESTRA® is the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s pioneering rehabilitation programme. By bringing together stroke survivors, their carers, professional musicians from the Orchestra and clinicians at the top of their field, the initiative has spent over a decade proving the transformative power of collective, creative music-making.
STROKESTRA® uses specially adapted musical techniques to meet the needs of stroke survivors and their carers. Physical rehabilitation elements aid functional movement, grasp and mobility while the social integration elements boost confidence and communication while offering, for many, a renewed sense of self. The programme supports patients and their carers to work towards holistic rehabilitation, setting and meeting goals that matter to them.
Developed in 2015 as a collaboration between the RPO and the Hull and East Riding Community Stroke Service, the program has undergone rigorous service evaluation. The results show significant improvements across the board:
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STROKESTRA® Research
Social
91% cited improved relationships and communication
Cognitive
86% cited better concentration, attention, and memory
Emotional
86% cited increased confidence, morale, and sense of self
Symptomatic
86% cited better sleep, reduced anxiety, and fewer dizzy spells
Physical
71% cited improved walking, standing, and upper arm strength
“When you have a stroke you think your life is completely over, because you can’t do what you did before. But coming here you found out that you can still do things; we’ve all got problems, but everybody’s got a big smile on their face these days, which they didn’t have before.”
Janet
Stroke survivor and STROKESTRA® participant
The Carer's Experience: Remarkably, 100% of participating carers reported an improvement in their personal wellbeing, citing both a necessary respite from their caregiving duties and a strengthened bond with their loved ones.
What began in Hull has since expanded into a global model for creative clinical intervention. STROKESTRA® has partnered with UCLH (University College London Hospitals) and the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando, continuing to evolve and adapt as new clinical insights emerge.
By blending the art of the orchestral music with the science of rehabilitation, STROKESTRA® continues to prove that while a stroke may change someone’s life, music can help support, ground and rebuild it.
STROKESTRA® is supported by The Linbury Trust and Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and is a registered trademark of Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited.
STROKESTRA® in the UK
STROKESTRA® was devised and delivered with clinicians in Hull, northeast England, in response to the high prevalence rate of stroke in the local population. This activity continued over an eight-year period, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is how it works:
- Patients are referred by clinicians, who work together to identify individual stroke recovery goals to aim for throughout the project.
- Family caregivers are invited to attend as equal participants, taking part in the creative process and experiencing a positive, non-care-related opportunity to interact with their relative.
- Participant groups commit to a ‘term’ of activity, lasting four to five months.
- Monthly projects run by RPO teams feature three musicians and a creative leader facilitating two days of workshops. Clinicians participate alongside patients and give advice and support to help maximise the therapeutic benefits of each activity. Clinicians are also encouraged to suggest adaptations or new activities for the whole group.
- Terms are progressive, with music and rehabilitation mastery taking shape across successive visits.
- Each term culminates in a celebratory performance featuring the music developed during the term, providing a communal goal.
Since January 2024, clinicians in Hull have been developing their own offer for STROKESTRA® participants after activity came to an end in December 2023. This has taken the form of a new music-making group, The Sensational Stroke Ensemble.
The RPO is committed to nurturing and supporting this group and the local workforce musicians who are now facilitating the sessions through regular training, check-ins and continued access to free tickets to our concerts at Hull City Hall.
Furthering pilot activity with UCLH in 2023, the hospital collaborated with the RPO in 2025, developing a two-strand programme of activity working with both inpatients and recent outpatients. The purpose was to create an onward trajectory for patients post-stroke by establishing a community and supporting ongoing therapies. A research component further enhanced this initiative as we gained valuable insights into the effectiveness of group music-making and sharpened concepts of best practice.
In 2023, we published an overview of the programme, its workings and its achievements. Read our 8 years of STROKESTRA® report here.
STROKESTRA® in Orlando
In September 2022, the RPO team partnered with Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Florida, to share a pilot of the STROKESTRA programme alongside clinicians and patients from AdventHealth. Since then, the two organisations have been working together to develop a sustainable model of STROKESTRA for Florida, working with local clinicians and musicians.
Building on the initial success of the partnership, the RPO and Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts have been actively developing the STROKESTRA® program in Florida through:
- Mentoring Local Musicians: Providing guidance and support to local professional musicians.
- Expert Facilitation: Engaging skilled facilitator Nolan Williams Jr. through mentorship with the RPO team and Dr. Tim Steiner, STROKESTRA® UK’s lead facilitator.
- Programme Development: Collaborating closely with Dr. Phillips Center to refine and shape the programme’s development and goals.
The first full cohort of STROKESTRA® participants culminated in a performance on stage at Judson's Live, Dr. Phillips Center's state-of-the-art venue, where the RPO were present to offer support, feedback and continued guidance. This partnership will continue into 2026, when the full RPO is back in residency at the Dr Phillips Center, and beyond as Florida continue to develop and cement their STROKESTRA® offer.
STROKESTRA® Projects
Previous activity across the UK and Florida
Get involved in STROKESTRA®
The STROKESTRA® team regularly shares learning and best practice with arts and health colleagues around the UK and abroad. If you would be interested in receiving training or consultation in our work, please email resound@rpo.co.uk and we will be in touch.
STROKESTRA® Awards and Commendations
- Winner: Working in Partnership with other Agencies, Humber NHS Staff Awards (December 2015)
- Selected: Presenter at the AESOP National Arts in Health Conference (February 2016)
- Shortlisted: Team of the Year, Nursing Times Awards (June 2016; final decision announced October 2016)
- Runner up: Leadership for Improvement Award, Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire Health Expo (July 2016)
- Shortlisted: Innovation and Progress Award, Humber NHS Staff Awards (December 2015)
- Commendation: Rank Foundation Documentary Gong, Hull Film Awards (December 2015)
