Co-Becomings: Monday Afternoons

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Co-Becomings in Creative Music Workshop Practices: Monday Afternoons

• IRAS ID

  305073

• Contact name

  Ursula Crickmay

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Exeter

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  The proposed research is an investigation of creative music workshop practice involving people with Young Onset Dementia [YOD], their family carers, and professional musicians who work with them. It is based on a series of participant observations of an ongoing music group that is hosted by Wigmore Hall in London.
  Wigmore Hall, known internationally as the pre-eminent venue for chamber music and song, is also home to a pioneering musical programme for people living with dementia, recognised in the field as a flagship programme which has developed through research, partnerships, training and practice since 1993. The specific group that forms the focus of this research is called ‘Monday Afternoons’ which is a free to access music group for people with YOD who are living in their own homes to attend together with their family carers, and involves improvised music making with instruments and voices.
  The purpose of the research is to develop more knowledge about creative music workshop practices, with the aim of improving the experience for participants who are living with dementia in the future. There is lots of evidence that shows that music has a positive impact on people with dementia, but there is not very much research that focusses on the musical practices themselves so this research aims to address this gap.
  The approach to developing knowledge focusses primarily on the musicians, considering how they understand themselves and their music making in this particular context.
  This study forms one part of a wider PhD study which takes a similar approach to investigating music workshop practice in a range of different contexts. Ethical permission has already been secured for the overall study which is in progress, and additional permission is being requested for this section of it due to the inclusion of people living with dementia.

• REC name

  Wales REC 7

• REC reference

  21/WA/0299

• Date of REC Opinion

  27 Sep 2021

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion