Greater Manchester is to become the UK’s first ever Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia thanks to the launch of a major programme with more than £1m in funding.
READ MORE: Open-air gallery featuring Lemn Sissay, Rob Rinder and Jeanette Winterson to launch as part of huge festival “It’s not about us doing our own thing, it’s about making a longer-term impact,” Bob explains. “I regard that as when you change the system and create a movement. The most exciting thing for us is that people with dementia and their carers have told us that work like this can be a lifeline. It’s about us continuing that, but ensuring it carries on much longer and provides more opportunities for people.
“The training of people who have no musical skills to become music champions who can then work in lots of different ways is really exciting,” Bob said. “We have this amazing opportunity to train others to use music in their care. Music brings great joy, we see that every day, and it can help transport you or create shared connections. That’s what it’s about - having that connection with another human being.
The four music cafes, two of which will be provided by the orchestra’s Music in Mind programme and two from Alzheimer’s Society’s Singing for the Brain programme, will provide online support and face-to-face mentoring, which can then be utilised through music in different lines of work. It’s an impact that Bob, in his twelve years at Manchester Camerata, says he has been able to see for himself.
Speaking about the project, which will make Greater Manchester the first Centre of Excellence for Music in the UK, Mayor Andy Burnham said it was ‘fantastic news’ for the city-region and would also serve as a reminder of how music can have a powerful impact on people.