On song for great cause

AT THE risk of spouting the blindingly obvious, isn’t music a remarkable thing? The ability to compose a brilliant song and to share it with the world has to be one of the greatest gifts one could wish for, especially if the world then sings along.

Or, better still, buys it. There is, of course, a risk that such talent will go to the gifted singer/songwriter’s head, somehow convincing them – or their most adoring followers – that their knack with a catchy tune and a snappy lyric somehow lends a greater weight or depth to the sentiments they express within their music. For example, John Lennon’s Imagine has such power over us that if I, despite being a huge Beatles fan, were to dare point out that it’s essentially hypocritical twaddle, lyrically speaking, I’d be inundated with objections.

So don’t worry, I’m not going to do that. But singing songs, of course, isn’t just about egos and hero worship.

Sometimes it’s almost the opposite – a brilliant, shared, communal, uplifting experience.

Nothing exemplifies this better than a choir.

And there are few choirs more inspiring right now (sorry, Gareth) than the wonderful bunch we catch up with tonight on BBC1.

Part two of OUR DEMENTIA CHOIR SINGS AGAIN WITH VICKY McCLURE (9pm) takes us back to July, as this extraordinary group prepares to perform at Nottingham’s Splendour Festival, along with pop star Tom Grennan.

It’s not just an exciting occasion for these singers (other acts lined up include The Human League, Razorlight and Melanie C), but also an opportunity to spread their message to a huge audience.

After all, the key purpose of this project, as Vicky points out, is to highlight the woeful lack of support right now for people living with dementia.

That, and to demonstrate that patients are “more than their diagnosis”. Hence the single we also saw them record last week at Abbey Road.

Which brings us back to my point about music’s incredible power. For many, if not all, of the people who’ve joined this choir of Vicky’s (formed after she’d cared for her grandmother Iris, who died with Alzheimer’s in 2015), the benefits seem to have been remarkable from a health perspective.

And this isn’t just fanciful talk or wishful thinking. It’s scientifically proven.

In the original series, four years ago, experts demonstrated that singing with others really did deliver positive medical benefits, helping people “to function better, to feel well, to feel happy, to feel optimistic”.

Listening to this one perform has a similar effect.