Writer Graham Palmer, and composer and Adopt a Music Creator mentor Jenni Pinnock, call on East of England singing groups to take part in...
Quentin Maxwell-Jackson, an active member of several Making Music groups, is a filmmaker looking for vocal and instrumental groups to volunteer to be filmed for a TV channel dedicated to helping people living with dementia.
About 1 million people in the UK live with dementia, with another 500,000 people caring for them. Dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK in 2024.
However, according to Alzheimer’s Research UK, up to 45% of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by improving brain health. As with other parts of the body, for the brain the rule is: 'use it or lose it'. Music has been shown to be extremely effective in stimulating a very wide range of brain pathways and networks, and so can play an important part in the prevention and treatment of dementia.
My Life TV (MLTV), a UK-registered charity, is a dementia-friendly TV streaming service which offers a wide range of content to facilitate personalised activity sessions for groups or individuals living with dementia, as well as stimulating conversation and connection with others. Users of the streaming service in care homes have seen improvements in the mood and wellbeing of those under their care, providing moments of calm, joy or stimulation as needed.
Quentin shooting in Southampton for the Somerville Heart Foundation
Music and singing have proved particularly popular on the channel, and MLTV has commissioned Quentin as a volunteer filmmaker to film more music programmes for the channel. They are particularly looking for choirs and other vocal groups which would be prepared to be filmed singing songs, with lyrics displayed on the screen for singalongs. They are also interested in instrumental music videos. They’re looking to film a wide variety of repertoire, including 50s-60s songs, folk/traditional songs, popular classics and hymns/religious music.
The benefit to the music groups which become involved in the project would be to increase their outreach activities for people who might not otherwise have a chance to attend a live performance. Groups would be able to use their videos on their own websites and social media channels as part of their own marketing and recruitment activities.
If your group would like to take part in filming for MLTV, please contact Quentin Maxwell-Jackson at quentin.maxwelljackson@gmail.com
You can view some of the videos Quentin has made for charities on his website
Find out more about MLTV on their website
