As we embark on testing for our music playlist app we look back to where it all began and the transformative effects of music that inspired the app’s creation.
Continue readingThe transformative effects of music.
Where we’re at. An update on our app.
We have now launched version 1 of this Web App and are looking for families affected by dementia, who would like to use the App and share with us their experience of using it and their perceptions of the effect the music is having on their loved one with dementia.
Continue readingSing from the Heart by Clare Childs
From Hertfordshire
Clare Childs shares her ‘Sing from the Heart’ project with us:
Her dementia friendly singalong started in a local care home in September 2019. Shortly after, the live singalong got postponed and she went online in March 2020. The project has gotten 140,000 videos views since. For December 2020, Clare created a musical advent calendar with daily videos for care homes, with songs to sing for residents living with memory loss or dementia (as reported by ITV News in the video below). She was inspired by her mother, who has dementia and enjoys singalongs.
Clare is now looking to develop this further to keep care homes, carers and families living with dementia connected in these isolating times! She is looking for funding that could help make that happen. Here is how to watch the videos and get in touch with Clare:
FACEBOOK Sing from the Heart – Harpenden: https://www.facebook.com/claresingfromtheheart/
YOUTUBE Sing from the Heart Harpenden: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCutgnvGbq9z0FdBDSqoEp4w
PLAYLIST Songs: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLILE2fquUYF0EJQpUWCBDqM_sFYao-vR6
INSTAGRAM: @singfromtheheartuk
TWITTER: @singfromthehea1
Sing from the Heart on ITV News
4 generations share 4 songs
4 Generations share 4 songs
Stefan Szczelkun shares how 4 generations were united by music
Stefan, together with his son and grandson, visited his mother Joan to sing, and play, some songs that she might remember from her youth – she was born in 1926. Here is what he shares about the experience:
‘I’d heard about music being a key way to communicate with people with dementia but hadn’t done much about it when I saw the BBC site of snippets of songs from decades. My Mum’s life began in 1926 so I started by listening to the ’20s and ’30s lists. I was surprised to find many songs I recognised from our family radio in the Fifties. Joan has always danced since she’s been in the care home – but not sung. It was only in the last year that I got more confidence in my own singing.
I started to practice singing some of the songs and downloaded lyric sheets. I then got my son and his son involved in playing and singing a small selection to my 92 year old mum in her care home. It was all a positive experience and I hope the video will inspire other people to try something similar.’
Source: https://szczelkuns.wordpress.com/2018/11/24/music-memory-and-mum-home-movie/
2.6 Challenge to Save UK’s Charities
We invite you to take part in the 2.6 Challenge to fundraise or donate money in support of our charity. Get active, stay safe and have fun!
Continue readingDementia Care and Music – News update
The National Campaign Music for Dementia 2020 has launched the first ever online Musical Map for Dementia. The idea is to have one centralised platform with information of all music-based activities and services nationwide, for people living with dementia, in order to improve their dementia care.
Continue readingColourful stones in support of Music for my Mind
Support for our charity comes from unexpected places all the time!
A group of seventeen 16-17 year olds joined Harpenden National Citizen Service this summer with an aim of supporting local charities.
They spent a week taking part in outdoor activities, a second week learning life skills such as first aid training, budgeting and meeting employers. The final two weeks they chose several charities to support.
Dementia affects so many of us and so they related to our cause, after watching our 3-minute video, showing the impact of music on those living with dementia. Though the tears, they decided that Music for my Mind was the charity they had to raise awareness for.
It was the summer holidays, so what better than a stone hunt for members of the community?! 30 stones were decorated and placed around Harpenden, Hertfordshire with details of our website to visit. One stone had ‘winner’ written on the back where the lucky finder would be awarded a prize.
Did you find any of these beautifully drawn stones? Or even better, were you the winner? Let us know or send us your pictures with the stones! You can contact us here.
Take part in our Popular Music Survey
Take part in our survey, trying to discover whether there is a period in a person’s life where they are most aware of popular music. Dive into some of your favourite songs from the past!
Continue readingJulian and his Nanny
From Northamptonshire
My Nanny, who died about a decade ago, had vascular dementia for the last 10-15 years of her life and by the end didn’t know any of us at all. Yet I recall well that she sang along with gusto to “We’ll Meet Again” by Vera Lynn during a music listening session during the last weeks of her life. She even remembered who some of us were while she was singing – encouraging us to sing along. A rare good memory from her final days and one we all treasure.
Song that stood out: Vera Lynn – ‘We’ll Meet Again’
Wall of Memories
Collage of Harmony and Hope
While carrying out work for the charity, whether that be in care homes, in talks with businesses and other charities, or even socially explaining what Music for my Mind does, we are constantly amazed by stories of personal experiences of music in dementia care. It seems everyone has a relative who, when living with memory loss, found solace – and in some cases momentary restoration – in their favourite songs.
These memories are incredibly heart-warming, really confirming to us that the charity is doing valuable work, but all too often the quantity of them leaves us ourselves forgetting who said what, which song which person sang along to, and most of all how many we have heard.
Well, now we are going to put this anecdotal evidence to work. Utilising the interactive elements of our website, and in support of this year’s theme for the BBC Music Day (Music and Well-being), we have created a ‘Wall of Memories’.
Music for my Mind would like to announce its newest venture, which is the ‘Wall of Memories’.
This is an interactive chance for you and your family to share experiences of music in care for people living with dementia. If you have ever witnessed the transformational power of music for those living with memory loss, or know friends or colleagues who have, we want to hear from you! Simply click on the button below, fill out the form and share your personal experience with us. We will then pin it to our interactive wall, creating a memory collage of harmony and hope.
This project will help Music for my Mind to show a real demand for music therapies in dementia care, with a whole host of personal experiences displaying the power of song. Proof of demand is essential for our ongoing projects and our hopes to secure funding, so the more memories you can share the better. Even a small sign, such as a tap of the foot, a smile or a snatch of lyrics, could, if shared, lead to great things in the future of dementia care and the families of those who live with memory loss.