We recently launched our new campaign, Chiltern Cares: Community.

As Music Therapists, we are taught to ‘meet the clients, wherever they may be’ emotionally, but at Chiltern, we wanted to take this further and meet our clients wherever they are, in every context. For us, community means supporting people where they feel most comfortable; whether that’s through one-to-one sessions in their home, attending a local group at a community centre, or joining a session at one of our community hubs.

As part of this campaign we want to share our learning and development when it comes to setting up and running community groups. This is a huge part of our culture internally that we want to share externally.

Last year we realised the need for different types of groups for people with the same diagnosis.

We have been running our Silver Singers groups in Buckinghamshire for over 10 years. It is a space for older adults with dementia to come and sing in a choir. It continues to be one of our most popular groups. It’s an inclusive space for people to come and sing together without pressure in an informal setting.

However, we realised that Silver Singers may not be appropriate for someone in the later stages of dementia if they are losing their language skills, struggling with word-finding, or finding large groups overwhelming and noisy.

We created Safe in Sound - a smaller group still aimed at adults with dementia. The musical accompaniment is richer and more varied, supported by musicians from English Sinfonia alongside volunteer musicians. There’s less reliance on speech and song, with more opportunities for expression through musical improvisation. The group also benefits from a much higher ratio of practitioners and volunteers to participants, allowing for more individualised support. Carers are actively welcomed and engaged as part of the group experience.

Like Silver Singers, the sessions include a break for refreshments and social time, which helps to build relationships and foster a sense of community.

Both groups are thriving and we hope to be able to set up more Silver Singers and Safe in Sound groups in other locations.

To find out more about all of our community groups or to let us know if you would like a group in your area, check out our Community Groups page.