Residents at Austin Heath, a retirement village operated by Inspired Villages, were treated to a mini performance on Monday [14 September] by members of the Warwick-based choir and music education charity Armonico Consort together with the wine expert and TV broadcaster Oz Clarke.
The visit was the finale of Oz & Armonico’s Great Bike Adventure – a four-day, 200-mile charity bike ride from Bournemouth to Coventry, led by the popular writer and TV personality, who is a former choral singer.
The travelling musicians entertained residents with a short, socially-distanced, performance of classical music and songs such as ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’, bringing a little cheer to people who have been shielding for many months.
The tour was aiming to raise awareness of the benefits of music therapy for older people and those living with dementia and launches the charity’s partnership with The Alzheimer’s Society to deliver specialist music and singing therapy projects to support people with dementia.
Armonico Consort also organises a regular choir for the Austin Heath residents which continued virtually during lockdown and, more recently, in a socially-distanced outdoor setting.
Music has been scientifically-proven to offer mental health and well-being benefits for older people, also helping to reconnect memory and alleviate anxiety in people living with dementia.
WATCH: Armonico Consort’s mini performance at Austin Heath Retirement Village
Alison Harrison, Village Manager at Austin Heath, said: “The residents at Austin Heath very much enjoyed being visited by Oz Clarke and the Armonico choir for this special performance. Inspired Villages focuses on helping people live independent, healthier lives for longer and music, with its many wellbeing benefits, is crucial to that, so we always encourage music activities within the village – such as the choir and socially distanced dance sessions in our grounds. The residents at Austin Heath love participating in Armonico’s regular choir sessions and we were thrilled to be the finale on Oz and Armonico’s Great Bike Adventure.”
Oz Clarke said: “Despite the pain of last year’s bike ride it wasn’t difficult to persuade me to get back in the saddle to support such a worthy cause which has the potential to change lives for people with dementia and their carers, helping them to reconnect through exploring musical memories.”
Christopher Monks, Artistic Director of Armonico Consort, said: “It was wonderful to end such a successful tour with a mini-performance for our friends at Austin Heath. We have organised a choir there for many months and know first-hand of the value and benefits of music and singing to people living independently in a community such as Austin Heath.
“Earlier in the tour, we visited Elm Grove care home in Cirencester, which specialises in dementia care. What took us all by surprise was addressing our audience – people living with dementia – we got little reaction before we began but, by the time we had finished performing, they were cheering, joining in, singing, playing instruments; the room was electric and I have never in my life experienced music having such an effect on the human mind. Afterwards, we were told that the residents would not remember our visit by tomorrow, but they would remember that today was a happy day, that they experienced a happy emotion, and that has made the entire bike ride worthwhile.”
The first of the new projects - Unlocking Baroque/Musical Memories – is a series of one-to-one live music therapy sessions for which Armonico Consort’s professional musicians have received specialist training from The Alzheimer’s Society’s Singing for the Brain project. The musicians will be paired up with individuals living with dementia and their carers to help unlock memories through musical engagement, with the help of Remind Me technology.
The new project builds on Armonico Consort’s existing resources for older people and those with dementia which include group singing sessions and a new library of online sessions, filmed during lockdown to help people isolated in their own homes and in care settings.
Armonico Consort is especially grateful to Phillips 66 and JET, BluDog, Corratec Electric Bikes and Waitrose & Partners. Special thanks also to Mr Roger Medwell MBE, DL and Mr Baljit Shergill for generously supporting this event.
For further details please visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/bike2020