We are delighted to announce the Sosei Heptares and Music for my Mind partnership. Sosei Heptares is a company aiming to make a significant contribution to improving the quality of life and health of people around the world, by discovering, designing and developing innovative and effective medicines, through its world-leading patent-protected technology and platform.
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We are delighted to announce that our charity has received a grant award from the National Lottery Community Fund!
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What have we achieved so far and what we plan to, looking ahead in 2019. The past year has been an inspiring and exciting one for Music for my Mind, filled with incredible support from so many people. Our journey and key milestones so far have included conducting pilot studies in care homes, assembling an influential and highly skilled group of Trustees, staff, advisors and during 2018 – gaining over 350 supporters.
We have developed important partnerships with a range of organisations and individuals who can help us, in the last year most importantly with Quantum Care – a group of care homes excited about innovation and use of technology to improve the quality of life of their residents.
Over the past year we have also been fortunate enough to expand our team and welcome a full-time Project Assistant, Dimana Georgieva. We also have the vital support and advice of many experienced consultants in strategy, fundraising, marketing and technology development.
With all these achievements, we are raring to go to dive into another year of this exciting journey. Looking ahead, our main activities in 2019 will focus on research and further technology development.
Research:We are working on our programme of feasibility studies and accompanying protocols, including consideration of appropriate levels of ethics review. Through this programme, we will explore some key operational questions such as the frequency, timing and length of use of personalised music, impact on sleep or wellbeing, etc.
Product development:Our other main are of focus throughout the year is to continue developing a tool for creating and delivering personalised playlists that can easily be used and implemented in care homes. During 2019 we aim to draw up the specification for an app to enable rapid creation of personalised playlists, using existing music delivery services (such as Spotify) and based on people’s musical and behavioural background. This involves a lot of tests and versions, to reach a product that will work best within a range of care settings.
Alongside these two main areas of activity, we will continue to raise awareness about the effects of personalised music for people living with dementia, through different campaigns and initiatives throughout the year. We will also keep our stakeholders and supporters informed of relevant news in this area and other relevant technological or therapeutic advancements.
We at Music for my Mind hope to get much closer in 2019 to our vision for every care home in Britain to have a music programme and for everyone living with dementia to benefit from personalised music as an integral part of the therapy and care they receive.
To support our app development, visit our crowdfunding page to donate.
Music for my Mind was delighted to be a part of the Redbourn Fun Run 2018 held on 20th May 2018, organised by a group of volunteer mums from the village. The event had a great turnout and support from enthusiastic and energetic families ready to participate in the fun. There was a great sense of close community coming from all of the 813 participants and the over 1000 spectators who attended.
The RFR chose Music for my Mind as one of the charities to sponsor through the event and we had a great time manning our stall and talking to families about music and dementia and trying to discover their favourite music playlists! Our Founder, Keith McAdam also started the 3km race and presented the winners with their medals and prizes.
As a result of the event, the organisers of the Redbourn Fun Run and their sponsors donated £1532.75 to our cause, for which we are very grateful. The money will be put towards our ongoing project of discovering people’s favourite playlists within an hour and finding the best, easiest to use way of delivering those playlists in a care home environment.
Congratulations to all the winners!
All photos © Wendy Gill
The Redbourn Fun Run was launched in a special assembly at Redbourn Junior and Infant Schools and will be in support of Music for my Mind.
Our founder, Keith McAdam, visited the schools to speak to the pupils about the power of music. The annual Redbourn Fun Run will be on 20th May 2018 at the Redbourn Leisure Centre and will raise funds for Music for my Mind. There will be 1 km, 3km and 5km races, plus a relay race with teams of 4. All participants will receive a Fun Run medal and winners will receive a trophy. The first 100 children to sign up will receive a free t-shirt. There will be activities and stalls offered all day to keep the family entertained.
Keith also congratulated the two pupils, Matilda Bennett and Poppy Bullen, who won the competition to design tambourines to be shaken by the supporters and to encourage the runners.
To read more and enter the Fun Run, visit their website: http://redbournfunrun.co.uk/
To read how the event went and see photos, read this article.
This week the team at Music for my Mind visited a music session by The Last of The Summer Ukuleles at The Red Lion pub in Studham. They have chosen us as their charity of the year and presented our Project Assistant, Dimana Georgieva, with the first donation for the year.
The Last of the Summer Ukuleles are a group of volunteers who have gathered together to entertain people and explore their passion for the ukulele. They come from all around Hertfordshire and visit care homes, day centres and clubs, where they play everything from Formby to Cash to Oasis and The Zootons and other material from the 50s and 60s. All their proceeds go to worthy causes and this year they have generously chosen Music for my Mind.
You can read more about the group on their website, where you can see their upcoming gigs and how to book them for your own venue: http://thesummerukuleles.blogspot.co.uk/.
We’d also like to thank the team at The Red Lion in Studham, who are the hosts for the monthly meetings of the group and who provide a great service and atmosphere. If you’d like to book the venue, you can contact them here: http://www.redlion-studham.co.uk/home.
If your company or organisation would like to choose Music for my Mind as their charity of the year, don’t hesitate to contact us here.
