Music in Mind
Music therapy-based improvisation for people with dementia.
Key People: Professor John Keady and Dr Robyn Dowlen
Partner: Manchester Camerata
Led by a team of specialist musicians and therapists, Manchester Camerata’s Music in Mind programme employs group musical improvisation to help people living with dementia to express themselves, communicate with others, and showcase their creativity.
Our research together has particularly spotlighted the ‘in the moment’ benefits of music for people living with dementia and the ripple effects that such moments create for all participants connected to the group work, including care home staff and the professional musicians.
We have also looked to employ visual and sensory data collection methods to capture the relational and performance dynamics of all people taking part in a Music in Mind session.
About the project
Manchester Camerata’s team of specially trained professional musicians and music therapists have been delivering its pioneering music therapy-based programme ‘Music in Mind’ to people living with dementia in care homes, and in community, since 2012.
Its methodology of musician-facilitated improvised music-making has been developed and researched in partnership with researchers at the University of Manchester.
Initially starting with Professor John Keady in 2012, but developing over time to embrace others such as Dr Robyn Dowlen who was an Economic and Social Research Council Cooportative Awards in Science and Engineering (ESRC-CASE) PhD student between the University of Manchester and Manchester Camerata during 2014-2018, Dr Henry McPherson, Dr Alexander Gagatsis and Professor Caroline Bithell.
This relationship has spanned over a decade, and over the course of this time, Music in Mind has expanded to involve multiple of the boroughs of Greater Manchester.
As part of this long-standing programme, Camerata has also been developing a bespoke training programme to enable care workers to deliver Music in Mind workshops independently. Through a network of ‘community champions’, the programme supports professionals to integrate the principles and practices of Music in Mind into their daily care practice. This innovative programme is a prime example of how creativity and the arts can better the wellbeing of local communities.
During the pandemic, Music in Mind adapted to deliver its programme remotely: Music in Mind Remote (MiMR). This began in Greater Manchester but soon expanded across the UK. Since then, MiMR has seen substantial coverage and is now bringing its benefits to an international audience, in Sweden, Taiwan, and Japan.
Music in Mind is about making a difference where it’s needed most – with carers and in care homes. The musical and human skills of our region’s fantastic musicians have made this all possible.
Bob Riley / CEO of Camerata
Outputs
As part of Manchester Camerata’s ambition to deliver and communicate the transformative nature of music, Rebecca Parnell, Creative Producer for Creative Manchester and Manchester Camerata, has produced a digital film series which tells real-life stories in an up-close and intimate manner.
Released on World Alzheimer’s Day 2021, the second full-length episode tells the story of a man (‘Keith’) diagnosed with young-onset dementia. It is a deeply personal account of how the condition affects the everyday life of him and his wife, Joan, but also how music can help in transformative ways.
This short film can help audiences better understand dementia, a key educational resource for showing what it is like for those living with the syndrome and building support for them.
For more information on the ‘Untold’ film series, you find out more via our news story.
By Robyn Dowlen, Henry McPherson, Caroline Swarbrick, Lizzie Hoskin, James Thompson, John Keady.
This Open Access paper was part of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Special Issue exploring Innovations in Care and Support for People Living with Young Onset or Rarer Forms of Dementia.
The project involved research exploring the role of musical improvisation in a residential dementia context, using a lens of Care Aesthetics, and explores the generative, inclusive properties of group improvised music-making to enable communication, connection, and support the creativity of people living with young onset dementia.