A documentary has been made about the “vital lifeline” of music therapy and is now available to watch online.
Film-maker Holly Cassidy joined Together in Sound music therapy groups in the spring, before and during lockdown.
Her finished film called Together in Sound: A Voyage with Dementia shows the process and impact that music therapy has on participants.
The project for people living with dementia and their companions is run in partnership by Saffron Hall Trust and Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research at Anglia Ruskin University.
It focuses on music-making and listening, with a goal of supporting communication, relationships and increasing the quality of life.
Angela Dixon, the chief executive of Saffron Hall Trust, said: “Together in Sound has become of vital lifeline for members of our community over the last couple of years.
“We are delighted that our participants felt they could share their experience and stories with a wider audience.
“We hope this film demonstrates the impact of the project and how music and the arts can not only play an important part in the wellbeing of people living with dementia and their carers, but also be a valuable source of training and experience for the professional musicians that engage with it.”
Thomas Hardy, the director of learning and participation at Saffron Hall Trust, said: “It was very important to us that the making of this film was a truly collaborative process with people from across the Together in Sound Community.
“Filmmaker Holly Cassidy has created a film which honestly shows the reality of life for those living with dementia, as well as the power and impact that music can have.”
Professor Helen Odell-Miller OBE, the director of Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy at Anglia Ruskin University, said: “Together in Sound, in addition to benefiting the participants as the film so clearly demonstrates, also adds to the international research base in this field.
“The innovative music therapy groups engage people living with dementia and their companions, which enables new possibilities for music to be beneficial not only within the groups but in everyday life.
“The project has had a wide impact, including contributing to the national development of music and dementia care.”
The film was funded by a grant from the Research and Innovation Collaboration Fund from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, at Anglia Ruskin University.
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