Turtle Song

Turtle Song is an opportunity for people with Alzheimer’s or dementia and their companions (husbands / wives / carers) to sing and compose their own songs with professional musicians. The group meets once a week over 10 weeks. The aims are to enjoy singing together, to write a song cycle, to record the songs on CD and to give the brain and the body a bit of stimulating exercise. The sessions are led by an experienced creative team supported by 6 students from the Royal College of Music.

This year’s project took place between January and March 2010, and resulted in a song-cycle called A Seat By The Window, about a rather strange train journey. It was performed at the Cadogan Hall at the end of March.

The last project resulted in a song-cycle called A Picture in a Frame, which was performed at the Royal College of Music in March 2009. The story, devised by the group, was based on a meeting with a an actress called Dorothy Ellen Gracia.

Turtle Song was piloted with the ‘Singing for the Brain’ group run by the West Berkshire Alzheimer’s Society.

‘The achievement of creating something entirely new was a thrill and a source pride for the participants. It was a stimulating workout for the brain. The continuous engagement of the group in novel work was delightful to see. The opportunity to create and to give something to others is so enabling’. Chreanne Montgomery-Smith, Support and Development Officer Alzheimer’s Society West Berkshire

Turtle Song is free to all participants and their carers.
There are DVDs available of the two projects run in 2007/8 and 2008/9.

Read an account of Turtle Song 2010 in this newspaper article.