The Courtyard’s resident orchestra, Orchestra of the Swan will be hosting a weekly music café at The Courtyard for Armed Forces Veterans living with dementia.
Café Muse is an initiative to allow veterans living with dementia the opportunity to meet and take part in a range of interactive music workshops. Participants will explore the sounds of musical instruments; learn or rediscover a new musical skill; participate in composition and improvisation sessions to enjoy well known songs and music and create new friendships and social interactions.
The Courtyard became the first dementia friendly Arts Centre in the UK by joining the Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) ten years ago and won Dementia Friendly Organisation of the Year at the Alzheimer’s Society’s annual Dementia Friendly Awards in 2019.
Aside from delivering regular, free Dementia Friends training sessions, where participants learn a little more about dementia and some of the small ways they can help those living with it, The Courtyard offer a range of participatory and non-participatory events.
Playing Together, is an interactive, intergenerational play session for older adults and pre-school children. Sessions run every Tuesday at 10.30am in partnership with Wyldwood Arts.
Dementia Friendly performances are also available for most in-house productions at The Courtyard. Coming up next is The Courtyard’s annual pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk on Tuesday 4 January at 2.00pm. Small adjustments are made to these performances including sound and lighting, seating plans, signage and refreshment services. Dementia Friendly performances are for everyone but may particularly benefit those living with dementia.
Orchestra of the Swan’s Café Muse, kindly supported by The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and Armed Forces Covenant, will run weekly at The Courtyard on Wednesdays from 11.00am – 3.00pm. The day is free to attend from August to December, and £7.50 per person from January. It includes two workshops and discussions, teas and coffees and lunch.
For more information or to book a space at Café Muse, or to find out more about The Courtyard’s Dementia Friendly work visit courtyard.org.uk.