Their story, in their words….
We organized a short, 45 minute recital to be performed outside at Moore Place Residential Care Home. This care home housed residents that suffered from dementia so we hoped this musical performance would brighten up their day. We were aware that Music can elicit emotions and memories and help provide a link to a person’s past. Musical memories are often preserved in Alzheimer’s disease because key brain areas linked to musical memory are relatively undamaged by the disease. Therefore, this care home really stood out to us, and so we wanted to perform for them!
Overall, this was a very positive experience and taught us about the social and emotional importance of music. The performance went smoothly and we were able to record segments of the recital as well. There was some difficulty with the setting up process, for instance finding a power source however we quickly became accustomed to our surroundings and eventually set up successfully. Moreover, we had a relatively large audience of the residents gathered, which was very encouraging. It was particularly heart-warming to hear their exclamations of ‘encore!’ They seemed to really enjoy the experience and take interest in the programme and the context of the pieces we provided. The carers expressed their gratitude and explained how much this had elevated the residents’ moods!
Preceding the recital, we were nervous because we did not know how our audience would respond or if our performances would go wrong. Due to our diligent practice, our performances were great and we felt proud that the residents enjoyed it. One resident even closed her eyes to listen to our music and it moved us to see how we could impact people so deeply. To our relief, transitions between performances gradually became smoother throughout the recital as we learnt how to set up our sheet music and equipment.
As well as the enjoyment that we got out from the raw aspect of performing music, we learnt many skills. For instance, we both learnt how to write and design a programme, altering our language so the residents can understand it well. We also learnt how to contact a venue and discuss complications and restrictions, especially in this trying time of Coronavirus. Coping with the pressure of performing to an audience and adapting to tricky environments
As a result, we are very grateful for Mark Evison’s support in our project, and we hope to continue making music in the future!
