LIFT Music

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NHS Problem

Across the NHS and social care, limited access to specialist music therapy, costly equipment and workforce pressures make it difficult to deliver consistent, meaningful engagement for patients with cognitive or neurological impairments.

Conditions such as dementia, stroke, autism and brain injury affect millions in the UK, often leading to isolation, reduced mobility and poorer wellbeing. At the same time, staff face growing reporting and compliance pressures, adding to workload and costs. There is a clear need for accessible digital tools that support therapeutic engagement, reduce administrative burden, and improve outcomes across care and rehabilitation settings.


Founder Story

Headsoup was founded by Stuart Grimshaw, a professional musician turned software developer. Stuart has a unique perspective on how people experience and connect with music; his musical and technical background inspired the creation of LIFT Music, a tool designed to make music creation more accessible, expressive and inclusive for everyone. Developed with input from music therapists and piloted in SEND schools and dementia care settings, LIFT Music bridges creativity, inclusivity and digital health innovation to improve wellbeing through music.

The Solution

LIFT Music is an easy-to-use gesture-controlled music creation tool which stimulates:
  • Cognitive engagement
  • Movement
  • Supports socialisation

By translating movement and gestures into music, LIFT Music enables inclusive participation and easy integration into NHS care pathways, via an accessible, low-cost app available on phones and tablets, supported by an evidence-informed rollout.

Every session automatically records engagement, movement, and interaction, compiling it into downloadable reports for care notes, family updates, or learning reviews. LIFT Music combines the proven therapeutic benefits of music with data-driven digital insight to enhance care, reduce workload, and improve outcomes.

Impact

LIFT Music provides a low-cost, easy-to-use digital alternative, using gesture control to create music, stimulating cognitive activity while promoting agency and movement with no specialist training or equipment. LIFT Music supports The 10 Year Health Plan for England by delivering digitally enabled care that improves patient outcomes. Universally accessible across multiple settings from:
  • Dementia care
  • Rehabilitation
  • Physiotherapy, in clinical and home settings

With automated tracking of engagement and movement metrics, the cloud dashboard provides real-time, shareable, accessible reports for care notes, family updates, or clinical reviews. Through session data collection and automating reporting, LIFT reduces reliance on specialist staff, cuts equipment costs, and saves valuable clinician time.

Evidence and Collaboration: LIFT Music has been successfully piloted across SEND and healthcare settings, with detailed case studies available on our website. We are proud to be working in partnership with NAPA (National Activity Providers Association), BAMT (British Association of Music Therapists), TiME (Technology in Music Education), and to be collaborating with Universities on clinical research exploring the therapeutic and cognitive benefits of gesture-controlled music-making. LIFT Music was selected for DigitalHealth.London Launchpad programme, recognising its potential to enhance wellbeing and deliver measurable impact across healthcare.

Read LIFT Music’s launch blog and access their case studies to learn more about the service.