These music sessions are free for people living with dementia and their carers to attend and provide a joyous and inclusive environment enabling people with dementia to express themselves through music.
Manchester Camerata’s Music in Mind is an internationally renowned programme that uses the principles of music therapy to improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia. Manchester Camerata musicians and music therapists support volunteers and paid carers to become music champions and continue to run the dementia music cafés in their community. Dementia United is pleased to be one of the delivery partners working with Music in Mind.
Music in Mind has been developed by Manchester Camerata orchestra and research partner University of Manchester over 12 years. In May 2024 Manchester Camerata won the UK Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia established by the National Academy of Social Prescribing.
There’s a weekly Music Café session in each of the 10 GM boroughs. To find the nearest Music Café to you check the schedule on https://www.musicinmind.org/music-sessions/schedule
After a successful bid, Manchester Camerata, which runs the Music in Mind programme, was awarded the distinction of being Centre of Excellence from The Power of Music Fund, established by The National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP). Although founded by NASP, The Power of Music Fund has received generous support from the Utley Foundation, the Arts Council England and Music for All. The aim for the Centre of Excellence is to establish a true partnership between health and care providers, voluntary organisations, music providers and dementia support organisations to improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia.
Music in Mind is working closely with Social Prescribing Link Workers to support people and carers to access their dementia support sessions. The Music in Mind sessions have been very positively received by the Social Prescribing Schemes, as community support for people living with dementia is an identified gap. GM universities are also currently scoping how the Music in Mind sessions can support placements for their health care students with Manchester Camerata.
Manchester Camerata and The Alzheimer’s Society are recruiting, nurturing and training a volunteer and community workforce of 300 ‘Music Champions’ who will be trained to deliver the Music Cafes, helping to support over 1,000 people living with dementia in Greater Manchester. Mind, Age UK, HMR Circle, Together Dementia Support and Bolton Dementia Support Group are also supporting the initiative.
The long-term goal of the Centre of Excellence is to use the knowledge and research built up over the next three years to analyse how the use of music in dementia care can reduce use of health and care services while improving quality of life. The University of Manchester will undertake anonymised data-driven research into the impact and power that these music sessions have for people living with dementia.
NHS GM and GMCA are pleased to support the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia in Greater Manchester. The organisations know that health and care services are only part of what contributes to the health and well-being of residents. Opportunities like this for people with dementia to stay active and creative in communities can help them lead happier healthier lives. This enhances our work as a Creative Health City region, developing creative activities, such as art, singing or dancing, to support people’s mental and physical health, and our broader commitment to everyday support in every neighbourhood, changing how we work with communities and in public services to grow opportunities for everyone to Live Well.
