Turtle Song

We are delighted to be continuing our ongoing project for dementia and Alzheimer’s sufferers and their partners and carers with a 10-week residency in Suffolk, at Warden’s Trust Centre, an ‘Outings Centre’ for young and old people with disabilities.

Turtle Song is an opportunity for participants to sing and compose their own songs with professional musicians. The group meets once a week over ten 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 (Jon Petter and Alys Kihl) supported by students from the local area.

Sessions begin on Tuesday 10 April 2012, and continue every week until the performance at the Centre on Saturday 9 June 2012 at 11.00am.

If you, or a friend or partner, are interested in taking part in the project please contact Charlotte Cunningham at Turtle Key Arts on 020 8964 5060, charlotte@turtlekeyarts.org.uk or Tim Yealland at English Touring Opera on 020 7833 2555, tim.yealland@englishtouringopera.org.uk.

‘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

“My mother came back from the first session on Tuesday the happiest I have seen her for a very long time – what she really loved was the interaction with others.” A relative, 2011

Read an account of Turtle Song 2010 in this newspaper article.
There are DVDs available of the two projects run in 2007/8 and 2008/9.