Manchester to host UK’s first dementia music therapy centre

Manchester has been selected to host the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia.

The centre, under the stewardship of Manchester Camerata, will explore how music can help improve the quality of life for those living with dementia.

Over £1million of funding has been committed by Andy Burnham, Sir Richard Lees (Chair of the NHS Greater Manchester) and the National Academy for Social Prescribing’s Power of Music Fund to enable Greater Manchester to become the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia.

The project will also receive in-kind support from the University of Manchester and Alzheimer’s Society.

Groundbreaking research-based music therapy

This vital funding will enable Manchester Camerata and Alzheimer’s Society to continue their ground-breaking research-based music therapy programmes – Music in Mind (Camerata) and Singing for the Brain (Alzheimer’s Society) to offer more musical support to people living with dementia across all of Greater Manchester.

Alzheimer’s statistics UK

According to the NHS, there are over 940,000 people in the UK who have dementia with 1 in 11 people over the age of 65 being most affected.

Alzheimer’s Society suggests that by 2025 there will be over 1 million people with dementia in the UK, projected to rise to nearly 1.6 million by 2040.

Currently, the care of these people in the UK costs over £34billion per year.

The long-term goal of this – the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia – is to use the knowledge and research built up over the next three years to analyse how the implementation of music in dementia care can reduce the need for health and care services whilst simultaneously improving quality of their life.

Music in Mind and Singing for the Brain

This significant and successful bid will see both organisations run four weekly music cafes (two ‘Music in Mind’ and two ‘Singing for the Brain’) in each of the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs.

Together they will collaborate with the University of Manchester and the NHS to undertake anonymised data-driven research into the impact and power that these music sessions have for people living with dementia and the way in which they can reduce pressure on hard-pressed frontline NHS and social care staff.

Manchester Camerata’s Music in Mind is an internationally renowned programme that uses the principles of music therapy to improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia.

The programme was created in collaboration with research partner the University of Manchester and the programme was devised from the foundations of some of the world’s leading dementia experts and their research.

The Camerata has established training, delivery and support offers to help partners create Music Cafes and recruit Music Champions, and has worked with partners in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Sweden and Japan to help them set up their own music and dementia programmes.

Music Champions

Manchester Camerata and Alzheimer’s Society will recruit, nurture and train a volunteer and community workforce of 300 ‘Music Champions’ who will be trained to deliver the Music Cafes, helping to support over 1000 people living with dementia in Greater Manchester across three years starting from October 2024.

The research and data analysed by the University of Manchester will demonstrate the impact of embedding music support as part of dementia care and how this model can be scaled up and rolled out across the UK and result in cost-saving measures for the NHS.

Bob Riley, Chief Executive of Manchester Camerata, said: “This is a colossal moment built on over ten years of work and research in partnership with The University of Manchester.

“We know it will bring much-needed support for people living with dementia and their carers. It will create new opportunities for our amazing musicians in the UK, and bring about changes in the way we invest in music to bring the widest possible benefits to society.

“Sincere thanks to the leadership and vision of Andy Burnham, Sir Richard Leese and NHS GM, the National Academy of Social Prescribing, The Utley Foundation, Arts Council England and many others.

“We appreciate their boldness and commitment to the power of music, and in recognising the outstanding musicians whose passion and commitment makes such an incredible impact on and off the stage.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “This is fantastic news for Greater Manchester, and a reminder of the power of music to shape our lives and our communities.

“Manchester Camerata have played a key role in our Music Commission, and I’ve seen firsthand the transformational impact of what they do in our city-region.

“They are the ideal partner to pioneer the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia, working with the Alzheimer’s Society to unlock the potential of music as therapy.”

“Life changing dementia support”

“This project will provide life-changing support to people with dementia and their carers in our 10 boroughs – support that is grounded in our communities and delivered with a real expert focus. It will also generate groundbreaking research that will influence health and care policy across the country while directly improving lives across Greater Manchester.”

Charlotte Osborn-Forde, Chief Executive of the National Academy for Social Prescribing, said: “We worked with the Utley Foundation and Arts Council England to create The Power of Music Fund, to ensure that many more people living with dementia can benefit from musical projects.

“Through the Centre of Excellence, we aim to demonstrate how prescribing music to people living with dementia can improve quality of life, reduce isolation, and lessen the need for medication, hospital admissions and GP appointments.

“We were delighted to choose Greater Manchester after an outstanding bid. This project will provide a lifeline to people living with dementia in Manchester, but also provide new evidence and a model that can be replicated across the country.”

Alzheimer’s Society’s Singing for the Brain is a programme based on music therapy principles, bringing people living with dementia together to sing a variety of songs they know and love, in a fun and friendly environment. The sessions also include vocal exercises that help improve brain activity and wellbeing whilst also creating an opportunity for people living with dementia and their carers to socialise with others and experience peer support.

The Power of Music Fund was established by the National Academy for Social Prescribing, with generous support from the Utley Foundation, Arts Council England and other partners. It builds on the recommendations of the 2022 Power of Music report. In addition to the Centre of Excellence in Greater Manchester, the Fund is also awarding small grants to 70 grassroots music and dementia projects across the UK and will support more than 5500 people in total.

You can find out more about Music in Mind by clicking here