All About SongShape

Back in the fall of 2016, the Choral Artisans partnered with the Harrison Center in launching a new community chorus which would serve the city with collaborative art experiences through the craft of choral-music making. The vision and mission of the community chorus grew into a larger enterprise called the Resonance Initiative which is an artistic and cultural multi-faceted effort using the power of group singing to build bridges and enhance the life-stories of individuals and communities. The organization encourages people to reconsider how music and story connect to their own lives in order to access the songs and stories locked inside themselves. The Resonance Initiative and the Harrison Center have worked together on several artistic-fusion projects. Recently, the Resonance Initiative has launched a new chorus for those individuals who deal with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia and their care parters, called SongShape.

Currently, 5.8 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease or other related dementia with a projection of 16 million by 2050. In fact, every 65 seconds, a diagnosis of dementia/Alzheimer’s occurs. Twice as many care partners of those dealing with the condition indicate substantial emotional, financial and physical difficulties. 75-80% of individuals with dementia live in communities, not nursing homes, or assisted living facilities. The majority of those affected become isolated from their communities, and even disengage from family and friends experiencing a narrowing of life.

However, it is possible to experience a good quality of life with dementia. Emerging research in neuroscience associated with music and the brain shows that music memory is retained in the part of the brain last affected by the disease. In partnership with CICOA Aging and In-Home Solutions and Dementia Friends of Indiana the SongShape Chorus uses the power of singing to bring hope and connection to people in the early to mid-stages of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and their care partners. By participating in SongShape, they will create something unique, engage in community life, and rediscover the fullness of what life with dementia and Alzheimer’s can be. On Sunday, November 10th at 2:30pm at Tabernacle Presbyterian Church, SongShape will give its premiere performance called “Sing Your Story.” All of the music was chosen by the participants themselves, looking back at those songs and artists who have been a meaningful part of their past. SongShape has been featured recently by differing media outlets concerning their work.