A dedicated orchestra for people living with dementia has significantly improved participants’ confidence, mood, and sense of belonging, according to recent work by the Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI). The community ensemble brings together people with dementia, family carers, professional musicians, university students and volunteers to create meaningful musical experiences that strengthen social ties and rekindle skills.
The BUDI Orchestra will be featured in a screening of performances during the annual Festival of Social Science, showcasing how collaborative music-making supports wellbeing and challenges public perceptions of dementia.
Created in partnership with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO), the orchestra performs a varied repertoire that has ranged from Maurice Ravel’s Boléro to Henry Mancini’s Moon River. Weekly rehearsals and performance sessions have produced clear, positive outcomes for participants: people living with dementia have relearned or refined musical abilities, rediscovered creative confidence and enjoyed regular social interaction in a supportive setting.
“Music touches everyone in some way, either by listening or playing — and the BUDI Orchestra has been a life-enhancing project which has benefited everyone,” says Professor Anthea Innes, Head of BUDI. “Giving people with dementia the chance to perform and display their abilities creates a well-deserved opportunity for them to shine and to counter negative assumptions attached to the diagnostic label. Working together to produce a shared musical outcome brings out strengths beyond technique: it fosters communication, new friendships, mutual care and practical support.”
In the UK an estimated 850,000 people are currently living with dementia, a figure projected to rise substantially by mid-century. Dorset’s older demographic means many local families face the day-to-day challenges that accompany cognitive change, so community-focused responses have particular relevance across the region.
Arts-based approaches are increasingly recognised as valuable contributors to health and wellbeing, both inside clinical settings and within community life. Research across arts and dementia indicates that activities such as singing, playing instruments and shared creative projects can stimulate memory, lift mood and provide meaningful, non-stigmatising social roles for people affected by cognitive decline.
The BUDI Orchestra is one of several creative initiatives run by the institute to show that learning, enjoyment and social participation can be sustained alongside a dementia diagnosis. Supported by funding from Dorset County Council, the most recent course involved eight people with dementia and seven carers who took part in eight weekly sessions of two hours each. Sessions were led by Andy Baker, a former BSO community musician and double bass player, and were supported by two additional professional musicians as well as Bournemouth University students and staff volunteers.
Previous workshops have shown that most participants learned a new musical skill and that the sessions were greatly enjoyed by everyone involved. One participant, Jack, was a professional double bass player who had to step back from performing after eye cancer and the onset of dementia. His wife also engaged with the project and picked up the violin for the first time since school. Both reported that the orchestra reduced feelings of isolation and helped restore Jack’s confidence through shared musical activity. Volunteers and professional musicians also reported that their assumptions about music learning were positively challenged by the capacities and engagement demonstrated by the group.
Professor Innes and her research team have developed a practical guide, created with input from the professional musicians who lead the sessions, to help others establish their own community-based music groups for people affected by dementia. Dr Michelle Heward of BUDI adds: “Our creative work shows that people with dementia can participate fully, learn new things and have fun at the same time. Projects like this provide both evidence and practical models for expanding arts-based support in local communities.”
The wider issue of dementia awareness will be explored at a public event titled ‘Creativity and Dementia: Making A Connection’ on 11 November in Poole, Dorset, as part of the ESRC’s Festival of Social Science. The event will include presentations on Bournemouth University’s Dementia-Friendly University initiative and a screening of the film Still Alice, alongside the BUDI Orchestra showcase.
Source: Simon Wesson – ESRC
Image credit: The image is in the public domain.