Funding Awarded for Music & Dementia Centre of Excellence in Hertfordshire

Music24 is exceptionally proud to announce our involvement in a pioneering initiative that will use the power of music to transform dementia care across Hertfordshire, improving the lives of thousands of people living with dementia and upskilling care staff to integrate music into everyday practice.

Hertfordshire has been selected as the UK’s second Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia by the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) through its Power of Music Fund. Greater Manchester was named as the first Centre of Excellence in 2024.

Led by Age UK Hertfordshire, in partnership with Music24, the Hertfordshire Care Providers Association (HCPA), Hertfordshire County Council and other expert organisations, and forming part of the Hertfordshire Dementia Strategy Delivery programme led by the Hertfordshire Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism (MHLDA) Health and Care Partnership, the project will develop and deliver a comprehensive training programme for care professionals. The goal is to create Music Champions within 100 care homes, training 6,000 staff to embed therapeutic music techniques into dementia care, benefiting approximately 5,800 residents over the funded period.

Music has been proven to help people with dementia communicate, reduce anxiety and depression, improve self-esteem, stimulate memory, and reconnect with their cultural identity. This initiative will create personalised music experiences for residents by considering their musical preferences and histories. Care staff will be trained in various techniques, including passive and active music listening, singing and playing instrument, talking about music and encouraging reminiscence, and dancing and movement-based engagement.

Music24 will lead the training development alongside HCPA, drawing on expertise from organisations such as Herts Musical Memories, Music For My Mind and the Hertfordshire Music Service. The training programme will be co-produced with experts, care staff, and people living with dementia, ensuring it meets real-life needs and creates lasting impact.

To ensure sustainability, the programme will establish a Music Champion’s Network, providing ongoing peer support and professional development for trained staff. The initiative will also be evaluated in partnership with the University of Hertfordshire and Hertfordshire County Council Public Health, ensuring robust data collection to measure the long-term impact on staff confidence, resident wellbeing, and care home culture.

Through this project, Hertfordshire is set to lead the way in embedding music into dementia care on a large scale, influencing both local and national approaches. The Centre of Excellence will not only support care homes but also eventually extend training opportunities to community groups, mental health services, and hospices, ensuring that more people can benefit from the life-changing power of music.

Further details on this programme will follow as it develops over the next few months. We look forward to working with all partners on this exciting initiative!

Music and Wellbeing: The Impact of Music Therapy

Music is a universal language.  It connects people in ways words sometimes can't. Whether we're tapping our feet to a catchy beat, finding peace or revisiting memories in a familiar tune, music has a unique ability to make us feel better. This is where music therapy steps in, offering not only emotional healing but also physical and mental support.

At Music24 we have first-hand experience of the transformative influence that music has on people’s lives.  Bringing music therapy principles to our community music group sessions, we help individuals across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire who live with dementia, learning disabilities, and mental health conditions. Every week, we demonstrate the profound benefits of music therapy and the powerful impact it has on people’s lives.

What is Music Therapy?

Music therapy is an evidence-based practice that uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs. Trained music therapists, qualified in both music and therapeutic techniques, use music in a structured and purposeful way to help individuals achieve improved communication skills, enhanced cognitive function, emotional expression and creativity.

Unlike simply listening to music, music therapy is an active, therapeutic process. Sessions can involve activities like playing instruments, singing, songwriting, or even rhythmic exercises. The therapist tailors the activities to each individual's needs, using music to develop an ever-growing sense of accomplishment, self-expression, and connection.

The Benefits of Music Therapy

1. Improved Cognitive Function For people living with dementia or Alzheimer’s, music therapy can improve memory and cognitive function. Music activates areas of the brain simultaneously, including those involved in memory, attention, and emotional processing. For individuals with dementia, listening to familiar songs or participating in music-based activities can trigger memories and help reduce confusion or agitation.

2. Emotional Expression and Healing Many people with mental health conditions struggle to express their emotions. Music provides a safe outlet for self-expression, helping individuals connect with their feelings and express them in a non-verbal way. The rhythms, melodies, and harmonies of music can bring a sense of calm and joy by making music ‘in the moment’.

3. Social Connection Group music therapy sessions provide a unique opportunity for individuals to engage socially, creating bonds with others in a supportive, non-judgmental environment. Whether it's singing together, playing instruments in unison, or just sharing the experience of music, these sessions encourage collaboration, reduce isolation, and create a sense of belonging.

4. Physical Benefits Music therapy can also have a positive impact on physical health. For people with physical disabilities or those recovering from illness, rhythmic music can improve coordination, motor skills, and muscle strength. Percussion instruments, for example, can help develop motor skills, while dancing or movement activities can improve balance and mobility.  Singing is also proven to benefit those living with lunch conditions and improves breathing.

5. Reduced Anxiety and Stress Music has the power to soothe and relax.  This is particularly helpful for individuals with mental health conditions like anxiety or depression. The calming effects of music can help lower heart rates, reduce blood pressure, and promote a state of relaxation, making music therapy an effective tool for overall well-being.

Music24 Brings Therapeutic Music Sessions to the Heart of the Community

Everyone is a musician in our eyes!  Music24 is dedicated to providing high-quality music therapy-based services to individuals in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. Our weekly community music group sessions offer a space for people living with dementia, learning disabilities, and mental health conditions to experience the benefits of therapeutic music sessions in a welcoming and supportive environment.

Each week, we bring people together to participate in music-based activities, all under the guidance of trained, qualified music therapists, our session support workers and experienced volunteers. The community music groups offer a safe and inclusive space where everyone can take part, regardless of their ability level, whether it's joining in with a simple percussion instrument, singing along, or participating in more complex musical activities, the goal is to nurture a sense of togetherness and achievement.

How Music24 is Making a Difference

For over ten years, Music24 has been making a difference to people throughout Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. From providing our Dementia group service users with the opportunity to connect with their carers, loved ones and others in the group through song and gentle dance, to those with learning disabilities who we support by helping them to gain confidence, enhance their creativity and build social skills; Music24’s work is a testament to the transformative power of music.

One participant, who struggles with their mental health, recently shared how our sessions had brought a sense of purpose and joy back into their life.

“I’m on medication for ADHD and Bipolar, but you need more than medication to take care of mental health conditions.  Music24 gives me an opportunity to create music and it is very therapeutic.  It helps if I’m in a depression, I’ll come out and be in a good mood.”  They went on to explain, “Music24 gives a really spontaneous, generative form of creativity that is very immediate and wonderful.  It’s jamming really.  When I leave each session I’m on a great note;  I have a spring to my step. It makes me feel enabled, very happy and full of potential. ”

Music is a powerful tool for healing, health and wellbeing, through it we can inspire change and improve lives.

If you or a loved one could benefit from Music24’s services, please contact us by email info@music24.org.uk or telephone 01582 250024.

Connections, Luton - Intergenerational Music Making this Summer

We are delighted to be facilitating a series of free intergenerational workshops this summer with our ‘Music24 Connections’ project.

Bringing together elderly people with Dementia and families with early years children, these free workshops will be held every Monday afternoon in Farley Hill in Luton from 29th July. 

Booking by telephone or by email in advance is essential as the workshops will attract a high level of interest and spaces are limited. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian throughout the duration of the workshops. Our flyer below gives more details about these events.

Hoping to see many of you soon!

Music24's Dementia Choir's Performance at Luton Dementia Conference

Participants of Music24’s dementia group in Luton were please to be invited to represent the charity at the Alzheimer’s Society’s Luton Dementia Conference 2022.

For the occasion, the group wrote a special song about being together and their experiences from the therapeutic music sessions they attend at Music24 every week. Here’s the group in action on Wednesday 12th October 2022:

Sing Together by Music24

Verse 1

Come and sit down

Tell me what’s going on

Just a cup of ‘Rosie Lee’

Soon it won’t take long

To see your smile again

Come on, my old friend – and let’s

Chorus

Sing – sing together

Sing – together we’re better

Sing – let’s sing together

Sing with me

Verse 2

Sometimes, it might get mad

And other times, we’re glad

You bring the sunshine to my heart

Yeah we have a good laugh – when we

Chorus

Sing – sing together

Sing – together we’re better

Sing – let’s sing together

Sing with me

Bridge

Sometimes when things get tough

Oh yeah, when you’ve had enough

I’ll be there for you

Like you are there for me! And we’ll –

Chorus

Sing – sing together

Sing – together we’re better

Sing – let’s sing together

Sing with me

Music24's First News Edition

We'd like to recommend a good read.... Our lovely new newsletter that summarises a few key achievements of 2016! The team are delighted to present this to you....

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