Centred on connection, validation, and mutual respect, Room to Room Music is our creative music-making project for care home residents living with dementia who are physically isolated in their rooms or unable to find connection through other activities. Musicians are invited into residents’ rooms to create a connection through music, using responsive musical improvisation to forge in-the-moment connections with residents inspired by their stories, movements, or physical presence.
Through this practice, we aim to affirm the value of those who often lack opportunities for creative interaction and self-expression, reinforcing their links to the outside world and improving wellbeing for everyone involved. To learn more, read this blog post from our Director of Participation Fiona Lambert.
Listen to Gabrielle Painter, CLS’s Assistant Leader, talk about her experiences of Room to Room Music.
Watch a care home resident and her son reflect on their experiences of encountering CLS musicians through Room to Room Music sessions.
‘The establishment of trust, rapport, and capitalizing on creating an experience with the residents and not one-sidedly for the residents has become an intrinsic element of the sessions. They continue to be a goal to be pursued further and explored.’
—Jakub Walczak, Social Care Coordinator at Jewish Care
‘Music is a language where everyone can know where they are.’
—Care home resident
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City of London Sinfonia’s work is made possible by the generosity of our supporters. A regular gift allows us to bring our work to more people.