How choir is helping dementia patients to recapture the past
LOUGHBOROUGH Male Voice Choir are hoping to rekindle precious memories with their latest project.
Under the banner Simply Sounds, they are compiling an audio archive, including chorale singing and sea shanties among other sound memorabilia, all downloadable from a website.
The community project is being run by the participation team of Leicestershire County Council for the University of Leicester.
The archive will help to unlock memories of work or home to help dementia sufferers to reminisce.
The project builds upon the success of Memory Plus, which delivers multi-sensory resources, primarily to people in care.
The choir’s musical director, Chris Hill, told the Echo: “We are thrilled at taking part in this most worthy project which we hope will trigger memories for those who loved listening to music or singing in a choir.
“We know only too well how dementia affects people, and of how singing has helped some choir members with the disease to enjoy their musical experience.”
Research by charities such as the Alzheimer’s Society and Age UK suggests that listening to, or singing familiar songs can provide emotional and behavioural benefits for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
It is thought that musical memories are often preserved in people with A lzhe ime r ’s , because key brain a r e a s linked to mus ica l memory are left relatively undamaged by the disease.
Loughborough Male Voice Choir has been established for more than 50 years and has helped many charities through fund-raising concerts.
The choir has also maintained a keen interest in developing new talent and recruiting members through its Singing in Harmony course. This offers anyone with no prior experience of singing or performing in choirs the chance to learn how to sing and to join the choir.
It is hoped the courses will resume by the autumn, once government restrictions on performing are lifted.
The courses are free and open to men of any age who aspire to singing in a choir, including those with no formal voice training.
For further details, contact Norman Hockley on 0788 900 9928, or visit www.loughboroughmvc.co.uk