'A whole month of pleasure' - making music on the South Downs

This article describes an innovative project for people with dementia and their carers at Glyndebourne Opera House. During November and December 2008 and 2009, the Glyndebourne education department provided a series of 4 sessions for people with dementia and their carers. The Glyndebourne project was jointly funded and developed through a partnership between Glyndebourne Festival Opera and the Lewes Villages Dementia Carers Outreach Service. Between 20 and 30 people with dementia and their carers took part in the project each year. The participants met at Glyndebourne for 1 morning a week for 4 weeks. Each workshop provided various opportunities to listen and play musical instruments, to sing, reminisce and create visual props, and ended with a short performance from the musicians. In 2009, dance and movement were also included. The project was evaluated using various methods, including coded observation on the level of engagement and enjoyment of the carers and people with dementia, recording of participants