The Development of Music for Life
Some Key Dates
1993
Music for Life founded by Linda Rose, investigating approaches to working with older people in residential and day care settings with musicians from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama working in Jewish Care settings.
1997
Music for Life invited to participate in an action research programme for the European Alzheimer’s Clearing House to look at the specific challenges presented to care and nursing staff and musicians working with people with severe dementia.
1998-2003
Music for Life worked on a training and research partnership with the orchestra Sinfonia 21. This led to the SHIMMER project, a research programme with Hammersmith Hospital and their Department of Geriatric Medicine.
2002-2005
A three year programme with Jewish Care exploring possibilities to integrate workshops and staff development more closely.
2003
Music for Life’s work with Jewish Care reached the finals of the Department of Health ‘Health and Social Care Awards’ (Older People section).
2005
Music for Life integrated into the work of Jewish Care’s Dementia Care Development Project to participate and contribute to the overall development of provision for people with dementia across the organisation.
2005-2008
Musician development programme Dementia Awareness together with Wigmore Hall Learning, run in partnership with Westminster Adult Services, NHS Westminster and service providers in the City of Westminster.
The projects have trained musicians from the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and City of London Sinfonia, as well as community musicians wishing to extend their work into this challenging area.
2009
Management of Music for Life transfers to Wigmore Hall.
