A charity that uses the power of song to bring joy to people with dementia and their families is taking to social media to involve the public in an exciting and personal project.
Each week, Forget-Me-Not Chorus choirs in Cardiff North, South & Vale and Newport, meet to sing, rehearse and have fun under the baton of Kate Woolveridge, the choir’s Artistic Director, mezzo soprano and previous recipient of ITV1 Lorraine’s Inspirational Woman of the Year Award.
The Forget-Me-Not Chorus Will launch #MySongMyStory on Wales Millennium Centre’s Glanfa Stage on September 23 Picture: Dan Green
The Chorus aims to empower both people with dementia and their families to use song to express themselves, using the power of music to provide a sense of normality, and to give families a positive experience of being together.
Now the charity, supported by digital commissioning agency The Space, is inviting the public to get involved in its exciting new Desert Island Discs style project #MySongMyStory asking the public to share their favourite songs and stories via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #MySongMyStory.
#MySongMyStory will launch on Saturday, September 23 on the Glanfa Stage at Wales Millennium Centre and run until mid-October during which time people will be encouraged to join in the conversation surrounding dementia and share the song that is most important to them using the hashtag #mysongmystory.
The Forget-Me-Not Chorusare taking to social media for their Dementia Awareness project #MySongMyStory
“We want to challenge people’s perceptions of dementia and invite conversations about the condition with those who aren’t necessarily affected by or involved in it, says Kate Woolveridge, Artistic Director of Forget-me-not Chorus, “It’s a community chat about raising awareness, about the joy of singing and about why song matters. Participants can simply write ‘Hi, I’m Kate and I love Save the Last Dance for me because it reminds me of…’
We can then collate the material and say ‘Wow. Look at the power of song. Look at the power of singing together. Look at what we are doing and achieving with Forget-me-not Chorus.”
With the #MySongMyStory campaign, the charity would like the public to join in the conversation by sharing their favourite songs and stories via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #MySongMyStory.
Forget-me-not Chorus was formed in January 2012 by Kate and Sarah Teagle, who have been working with the group since 2010 when it was set up by Welsh National Opera and Cardiff and Vale Alzheimer’s Society.
Kate says: “As the charity began at Welsh National Opera it is fitting that the project launch will take place prior to the opening night of WNO’S Khovanshchina where 40 to 50 choristers will take to the stage to sing five of their chosen songs accompanied by a member of the WNO chorus and musicians.”
- #mysongmystory launches at Wales Millennium Centre’s Glanfa Stage on Saturday September 23, 2017 at 6pm
- Share your #MySongMyStory online and follow Forget-Me-Not Chorus via Twitter @FMNChorus