'Music in Mind': A collaboration with Manchester Camerata to develop an improvised music-making programme based on being 'in the moment' benefitting people with dementia, their families and their carers.

Impact: Health and wellbeing

Narrative

For over 12 years, the dementia and ageing research team (DART) has collaborated with Manchester Camerata and their programme of work for people with dementia called 'Music in Mind' and more recently, Music in Mind Remote.

Formed in 2012 in collaboration with Manchester Camerata as part of their community development responsibilities, 'Music in Mind' is an established 20-week improvised music-making programme designed for people with dementia living in either the community or in a care home and their carers. The fundamental objectives of 'Music in Mind' are to provide a democratic, percussion-based, improvised music-making space aimed at enhancing participants’ wellbeing.

Developed as a response to the pandemic, the 'Music in Mind' Remote online training programme for care home staff has so far reached over 200 people in North-West England. The 'Music in Mind' Remote programme takes the form of 20-weekly online hour-long training sessions delivered by specially trained musicians attached to Manchester Camerata, together with a music therapist. After an induction period, the techniques of 'Music in Mind' are specifically taught to interested care home staff who then undertake the programme with residents with dementia and family carers. There is an accompanying 'Music in Mind' Remote web resource containing instructional videos and downloadable music tracks that can be accessed by care home staff outside the training sessions.

To date, our structured evaluations of the time-limited 'Music in Mind' (in-person and face-to-face) programme (conducted prior to the pandemic) have focused on capturing and valuing the ‘in the moment’ benefits and experiences of improvised music-making for and by people with dementia, such as the participants’ continuing creativity and embodied relationships. This work has demonstrated that some people living with dementia may have an embodied memory of performing within the Music in Mind space, but limited (if any) later recall of their improvised music-making, even when those memories are replayed to the person with dementia via video.

The 'Music in Mind' programme has now reached over 11,000 people, mainly in the North West of England. The partnership has resulted in two funded ESRC CASE PhD studentships (one complete) and grant capture, including from the NIHR SSCR and the UKRI Design for Ageing funding scheme.
Category of impactHealth and wellbeing
Impact levelEngagement

Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms

  • Creative Manchester