A few stories of the people we've helped through music...
Let's, talk about Joe. Joe arrived at his first Shepway Primary Singers group session aged 6. He sat under the table at the back of the room for the whole session. The following week, the same. He sat under that table for four weeks. In the fifth week we edged out. The sixth he sat near the music. Next, he sat in the back row. Three months later he's in the front row. Fast forward three years, and Joe sang his first solo. Being surrounded by a supportive musical environment with friends all singing, and leaders ready to embrace everybody where they are in their own journey, Joe's confidence, self esteem, and personal inner strength grew and grew. That is The Real Power Of Music.
This is Stephen. Stephen suffers with dementia. He struggles to remember most things, both long term and short term. We sat and sang with Stephen at Hawkinge House Care Home. We sang songs from his youth. We sang 'We'll Meet Again' and 'The White Cliffs Of Dover'. Stephen sang every word. Communication with speech was not something he could easily achieve, but through music he could communicate all over again. But that's not the whole story. He'd not used his daughters name for a long time. Whether he couldn't remember it, or even remember her, we didn't know. But after singing, something triggered his memory, and he spoke her name. That is The Real Power Of Music.
Let's talk about Alex. Alex suffered from COPD and was finding it hard to breathe. He was recommended to join a singing group. He was in his 70s. He'd never done something like that, he was a sporty man and singing clubs were not his thing. But he found a new home at Folkestone and Dover Melody Makers Collective. Not only did it massively help his breathing, and improve his lung health, but he found a community that embraced him for who he was and where he was right at that time. He even joined multiple groups once the music had found him. His physical and mental health were positively changed. That is The Real Power Of Music.
There are many many more stories just like these. We could go on and on. People lives are changed by music everyday. Mental health, physical health, communities, friendships, confidence, reduced loneliness, and so many other things, all improved through music.​
Here, at The Real Power Of Music, we are committed to giving stories like this a chance to be written everyday, everywhere.