Monday 16th September 2024

This week has been a different week for me largely spent filling in funding application forms. It’s always fun to try to understand what each funder wants to hear. Although you may be applying for the same thing, each funder needs a variation so sending the same application isn’t an option. It is not only about development and funding new things but finding the money to continue with the work we are doing. These applications were about future development which is exciting and will lead to new opportunities.

Our newsletter will be due in the next week so I was doing an interview of a carer and a person with a lived experience of dementia. We aim to feature their story in this issue so it was good to hear just how Forget Me Notes and music impacts upon their lives.

Thursday was a pretty full day which started in the morning when I was visiting one of our volunteers who is in hospital. She is an amazing volunteer with a strength of spirit like you have never seen. It was good to see her and support her at a time of her need. She is so often the person supporting others. I then had a meeting with Paul and look at various things that we will be doing over the next weeks and months. If you have attended our Sing-a-thon before then you will be keen to know that we are doing this again on the 9th of November. It is always a day of great fun as we sing for twelve hours.

When I got home on Thursday evening I had a very pleasant surprise. I opened a letter that was sent to me and Paul from the Provost of Edinburgh. Following our showcase, one of the Councillors who had been at the event had gone back to a council meeting and spoken about Forget Me Notes. This led to the Provost sending on behalf of the council a letter of thanks for all that we have delivered to the people of Edinburgh. I am sure you will understand when I say I was shocked and overjoyed. Our role is to raise the voices of those we work with and to help tell their stories so that we build a community that has a greater understanding of each other. It is an immense privilege to work with those we work with and when it is recognised that we are doing this well it is pretty wonderful.

My week finished off with sessions at Strachan House and Craighall. I have to admit that following the letter I had a spring in my step and an increased sense of what we are all achieving together.

One of the things I enjoy about being the administrator of the Facebook Posts is that I get to see the names of those people who either love or like the post. There are always people I know and people I don’t. I am always grateful for the way in which our lives have crossed over the years. For those who I haven’t met then I can only look forward to meeting you all some day. It feels like a good week to thank you all for your support, we couldn’t do this without you.

Have a great week.

Monday 9th September 2024

This week I have spent my time between filling in funding applications and delivering services. I ought to include writing procedures which I find quite interesting if honest. I have often found working for organisations that expect people to fit policies and procedure rather strange. It feels as though it is the wrong way round. If a policy or procedure does not encompass the needs of the people it is written for then surely it is the policy and procedure that needs to change as the person may not be able to (I will leave you to reflect).

Writing funding applications is again an interesting task. Trying to see beyond the guidelines that you are given to what the funder is wanting to hear about the project, which sometimes feels like second guessing, other times the funder is clear and it becomes more possible to write an application that has a chance of success. We have a pretty good success rate which is why we have been able to introduce new projects. We recently secured some money for a digital project so we will now be able to produce both video and audio recordings with those we work with, this will enable us to use musical interventions when people need it. It feels like another exciting opportunity lies ahead of us.

Kenny and I were at Marian House on Tuesday afternoon. It’s not a place we go to every month now so we had not been there in August. What a joy when I walked into the room and a gentleman who is non-verbal greeted me with a huge smile as did his wife who was there to visit. It was one of those “glad to see you back” greetings. On Thursday we were in the park at Saughton. We must have had as many as fifty people singing or listening. It was great to have the group from Alzheimer Scotland. One lady is a long standing friend of two people who come regularly to Forget Me Notes and when she sees them her face lights up. The three of them were dancing and singing together expressing the joy that their friendship brings..

At Together in Song on Friday it was a packed house. We were celebrating theatre and film with a whole variety of songs. Songs like ‘Supercalafragalisticexpiallidotious!’ I am pretty sure I have spelt that wrong but the spell check is not helping me out. You all know the song I am referring to don’t you. We also did ‘If I Were a Rich Man’ and the singing was fun and infectious.

In the morning Alan and I were at Ashbrook and we had a visitor to the group from Salon Boom called Rachel. Her role is to listen to those with experiences of dementia and then tell their stories in ways that will enable us to learn. We decided that we would introduce ourselves to Rachel through the songs we had chosen. Singing a song and then sharing how we had come to Forget Me Notes and what it means. I come to Forget Me Notes each week to learn from others and I wasn’t disappointed on Friday. I heard people share stories of Covid and how Forget Me Notes had been there for them in dark days. I heard people talk about the songs we sing but I heard even more about the relationship we share. I discovered that one of our group took part in the Morecambe Music Festival, a festival that played an important part in my life when I was younger. I played in a brass ensemble and told the group a part of my story. It was at that point one of the group spoke about how they experience the group at Ashbrook and described the group as an “Ensemble of Support”. Could there be anything better than that?

In all that we have tried to achieve at Forget Me Notes, to be considered as an “Ensemble of Support” is simply wonderful. If I am honest there was a tear in my eye and a smile in my heart as I listened. While listening I realised that what we aspire to be has been reached for different people at different times and I was truly humbled.

I hope we can continue to be that “Ensemble of Support” to people this week and I hope you can be a part of someone’s “Ensemble of Support” too.

Have a great week!

Monday 2nd September 2024

One of our new volunteers has given talks for Marie Curie for quite a few years now. He offered to do the same for Forget Me Notes and would take his talk to the Guilds first and then see what might evolve. For this to happen, I had to do the slides and make them Forget Me Note friendly which was a lot of work. However, as I did this task it was interesting to reflect on all that we offer, including the number of people who each month are supported by The Forget Me Notes Project. It might surprise you to know that more than 450 people a month use and enjoy the variety of services we offer.

One of those services is a new Music Therapy service and this past week Paul and I were delivering an orientation session to Music Therapists who we will then match with those people who will benefit most from this service. It is exciting to be able to build this project. We have always seen Forget Me Notes as a bridge from using music for entertainment to using music therapeutically.

Also this week we held a meeting with one of our Music Facilitators to see how we might make further steps in developing the service. I was delighted when Kenny rang me to say that he had received a call from a special needs school to say they would like to work with Forget Me Notes. The new dementia strategy for Scotland brings those with Down’s Syndrome who are more prone to dementia into the mainstream of dementia support. I have a particular desire to work with those with Down’s as my granddaughter is someone who lives with Down’s.

I also had a meeting with Rachel. Rachel works for a group whose role is to highlight people’s stories and she would like to help tell the stories of those people who use our services.

There is a new musical touring Scotland in the autumn called “Dementia the Musical” and we have been asked to provide some voices for the production, it will be fun to be involved. Raising the voices of those with a lived experience of dementia is vital if we are to build a world that is more inclusive of those who are different. The truth is of course that we are all different and unique. It is also true to say, as they say in Scotland, “We are all Jock Tamson’s bairns” so supporting each other is the responsibility of us all. I hope that as we evolve, we will grow to understand in all its fullness of what it means to be human. It could be such a different world.

Have a great week and look after each other!

Monday 26th August 2024

We have to say a huge thank you to Foresters Financial and Karen and her family. They have managed to secure a community grant of £600 for us to purchase a battery operated PA system. We have had great use out of our original system which we have used at Saughton Park and wherever else we’ve been that needed amplification. This new system will be well used and something that will help us immensely.

I got an amazing surprise on Thursday when I came home after the Indoor Choir and Stenhouse Music Memories session. I opened an envelope to find a £1000 cheque sent to us from Wise Music Foundation. I sent a letter of thanks straight away. It was so generous and will be well used, we promise. Is it too simplistic to say if you look after the quality of the work you do, then the finances will take care of themselves. Perhaps there are one or two more issues to look after but I think there is truth in the thought that finances, relationships and quality are linked to good practice.

This week’s Music Memories included St Bride’s, St Cuthbert’s, Eagle Lodge, Open Door, Stenhouse and Eildon House. There were some lovely highlights at each of the places we have been. John has developed great relationships with two guys at Eagle Lodge. They are both Hibs supporters so with John being a Hearts fan you can imagine the banter. The great thing is that these guys remember John and the banter each time we visit. At Open Door we were doing a session on music to relax to. The response from those there was interesting. We spoke about music without words and Paul played some music for us to listen to. It was lovely to just breathe and let the music wash over you. Those there really enjoyed what Paul played and wished that it had gone on longer. At Eildon House we sang the song Wonderful World, and one of the residents who is non-verbal had the biggest smile you have ever seen during the song. As Kenny said to me, we cannot know what memories she was experiencing but we do know they were memories that caused a wonderful response.

We also had a trustees meeting on Friday. It is always good to look and reflect on work done and then project on work to come. We have been working on a development plan that will take us forward for the next three years. The development plan covers each of the projects that we are committed to. Music Memories, Volunteer Project, Choir Project and the Music Therapy Project. It is really good to have this in place as we now have a focus that will cover our fundraising, policy and practice. To those of you who might be wondering if we are going to have a Sing-a-thon this year, well we are. It is going to happen on the 9th of November and the good thing to know is that Paul’s sister will be present.

There is never a dull week at Forget Me Notes so we will see what happens this week. Hope you have a great week too.

Monday 19th August 2024

What a day on Tuesday. I said that I would let you know how the Showcase went well it was a brilliant day. Thank you to Elizabeth who posted the pictures at the end of last week and presented the Volunteer section of the Day. It was wonderful to hear people participate from the volunteer project and listen to families tell of the impact the support given was having. We had a gentleman and his volunteer playing the violin which really was a highlight. As part of the exhibition Elizabeth had plotted on a map of Edinburgh the places where each volunteer made visits too. It really showed so clearly the impact Forget Me Notes is having all over the city.

The Café space featured so many people singing and playing. What was evidenced so well was the warmth and friendship experienced by those within Forget Me Notes. Along with presentations about Music Memories and the Choir it was a huge success. We included our evaluation tree and encouraged people to write a message about the day and hang it on the tree. We had messages that said “Can we do this again” and “What a wonderful afternoon singing with people from different cultures and making new friends”.

The day finished with a Ceilidh, and it was so inclusive. So much so that my friend Tasha was instructing people on how to do the dances. I think it is true to say that we all thoroughly enjoyed the day. We have made new friends of the MP Scott Arthur as you will have seen from Elizabeth’s post and several councillors who are keen to support us into the future.

Toward the end of the week, we held a review of the service we deliver at Open Door as the funding for year one of the project is coming to an end. We not only got the opportunity to look back and reflect but to look forward as we have secured the funding for our second year. This funding will allow us to increase the project to five days over the month and include the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday groups. When the project started, we hoped to be able to show the Open Door as a place of excellence when using music for Health and Well-being. The new funding will allow us the opportunity to do that and to influence a wider group of people when considering how we use music for health in our everyday experiences.

This has been an exhausting week but one that has had an impact that we will only fully measure as we move forward. Thank you for all the support you give to us in all the various forms it takes.

Let’s see what this week brings!

Monday 12th August 2024

This coming week is a big week for the Forget Me Notes Project as it is all systems go for the Showcase on Tuesday. We have some amazing volunteers who have stepped forward to help us to make the day something extra special. At the Showcase we will be able to listen and hopefully understand more about the Music Memories Project, the Choir Project and the Volunteer Project. Our volunteers take music into the homes of people who struggle to be involved in services that are delivered within the community. The presentation will include live performances which I am looking forward to hearing. We will also listen to people performing in the Cafe and exhibition area. The thing I am looking forward to the most is to hear and understand how the relationships between people have evolved using music. There will also be some food, and we will finish the day off with an inclusive Ceilidh that will feature both chair and traditional dancing.

Talking of dancing, what a great session we had at Craighall on Friday. One of the residents, who was a British Champion at long distance running, danced for a whole hour. I think that all that running and training has influenced the energy that he still has today. He is 90 years old this weekend and is sharing his birthday with family and friends. I had to go home for a lie down just watching him I was exhausted.

On Wednesday I was on a webinar about evaluation. The title of the course was Understanding and Quantifying Your Social Value. I discovered a saying that maybe I should have heard of before, but I hadn’t. The saying was “If it’s not measured it can’t be managed”. The saying made so much sense, the person delivering the training went on to say “however, measuring everything you do might not be the best use of resources”. His point was that if measuring would make an impact and have long term results then go for it.

I hope you have a great week, think of us on Tuesday and I will let you know how it goes next week.

Monday 5th August 2024

This week I attended the funeral of one of the folks who came to Choir in the Park. Her all-time favourite song was “You are my Sunshine”. She would finish the song by singing “oh Gordon Smith”. She was a real character who brought so much to Forget Me Notes, so this week in the park we started with this song and together we remembered her.  At Choir in the Park this week I think over the hour we had more than the 57 that we had at the previous session. It was lovely to have several children join us and the singing of Baby Shark was amazing. Unfortunately, the next time we are at Saughton Park the children will be back at school so there might not be so many people in the park.

Friday’s Ashbrook group was also good fun this week and although not as many people were there, the energy was brilliant. We did the song Summer Holiday, and I asked the question: who played the part of the bus conductor in the film? Now I wonder if you know. I will give you the answer at the end of this post.

We were successful in securing some funding for a project we hoped to deliver, so now we can go ahead. As you know we take music for well-being into Care Homes, Day Centres and amenity housing. We can’t always be there to deliver things in person, so we hope to build a digital library of music sessions. This will mean that people will have the capacity to use the resources to use Forget Me Notes sessions whenever it is suitable for them. It is another way in which we can support people.

Just over a week to go and it will be the Showcase. I am happy to say that we have had several special guests confirm that they will be coming. Funders, MP’s and Councillors, as well as people who receive services from us. I am really looking forward to what we hope will be an inspiring afternoon. The Showcase begins at 2pm until 4:30pm and will feature the Choir, Music Memories and the Volunteer Project. We will also be showing film and audio presentations along with an exhibition of the work that we are doing. Then at 5.30pm we will share together in a Ceilidh which will be inclusive of those who chair dance and those who dance in a traditional way.  The tickets are available through Eventbrite so please have a look and book your ticket. If you are having difficulty booking a ticket let me know and we will do it for you.

Now who was the bus conductor in the film Summer Holiday? If you said Melvyn Hayes well done because that is the correct answer.

Have a great week and we will speak soon.

Monday 22nd July 2024

Jean and I have spent this week touring the North of England, from Burnley to Lancaster to Newcastle and then just over the border to Chirnside. The weather has been pretty good, and it has been a joy to catch up with people we haven’t seen in a while. My post this week won’t be based on this week’s activities because I am going to have to catch up on all that has happened. I know that St Bride’s happened, Eagle Lodge happened because Jean saw Paul and John on their Facebook page. Saughton Park also took place on Thursday, so I am really looking forward to finding out how it all went.

While travelling between Newcastle and Berwick I came across one of those very posh camper vans, it looked lovely, but it had a message written on the back that upset me and if it were possible I would have spoken with the owner of the van. The comment said “Adventure before Dementia”. Why did this upset me so much? Well, because living with Dementia or caring for someone with a lived experience of dementia is an adventure that no one would choose, so to trivialise this journey for me is unacceptable. I am sure the person who had this on their van was not meaning to be offensive, but when you have walked with people on a journey that can be isolating, fearful and full of loss then that is how it felt. Over the past years I have discovered a deep sense of respect for all those who journey through dementia, I have learned so much from them and their experience. If we all set our discriminations aside and build authentic relationships with those living with dementia, then their journey doesn’t have to feel so isolating, fearful and full of loss. When working together we can learn from each other and discover a world in which we all have a part to play.

On Tuesday 13th August at the St Bride’s Community Centre in Dalry we are holding a Showcase of the work that Forget Me Notes deliver. The day will start at 2pm and finish at 6:45pm. At 2pm until 4:30pm we will feature the work of the Choir, Volunteer Project and Music Memories. We will also have an exhibition and an audio and video presentation. At 4:30pm we will provide a light tea for everyone. At 5:30pm we will share in an inclusive Ceilidh. This means we will have both traditional and chair dancing. Lucie from Capital Theatres will help us with the chair dancing and Kenny and his band will provide the music and call the dances for those dancing in the traditional way. All this will be free; however, we will have buckets for donations.

It is going to be a great day, and we would love for you to be a part of it. You can book a ticket for the Ceilidh at Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-forget-me-notes-showcase-ceilidh-tickets-922976767357  

If you are not sure what to do, then let us know and we can help you book tickets.

Have a great week and I will catch up not only on last week but look forward to the week ahead.

Monday 1st July 2024

On the 12th of July we are holding a musical Garden Party at the Ashbrook Centre at 492 Ferry Road between 2pm and 4pm. The recent Dementia strategy published by the Scottish Government brought with it some changes. People living with learning difficulties have always been more open to dementia and have received their support through the learning support environment. The direction for the future is that dementia services should be delivered under the one umbrella. The Garden Party sees The Forget Me Notes Project making an active step towards providing a service for those with learning needs as part of those with a lived experience of dementia. It will be great to have young people from the Yard and others with special needs, as well as people from the care home at Eagle Lodge. This event is open to all, it is going to be The Forget Me Notes answer to Glastonbury and a real musical jamboree.

This week we have delivered music sessions at St Brides, Lauder Lodge, Open Door, Stenhouse and Morningside. Listening to the stories of people is such an important role. There is a saying that we all have a book within us, in my view we have several books. The significance of each person’s story is that they are unique, they tell us of the different ways that people interact with each other, with the environment and with music. Helping people to express themselves more fully is about listening to emotions that may have laid buried for many years.

This week we reviewed the Music for Health and Well Being project at Open Door. We are building a musical scrapbook for each person who uses the service. The scrapbook will tell the story of how music is used for travel, relaxation, for social eating and to enable people to tell others about who they are. These musical scrap books will sit alongside a more traditional care plan that will help share a creative story of the persons life. It will be a resource to use for communication when verbal communication or memory loss makes it more difficult to tell their story.

Have a great week wherever you might be in the world (some of our members are on holiday abroad).

Monday 24th June 2024

Our Zoom choir was established during Covid. It was a way of bringing people together at a time when we were going through a period of our lives like we had never experienced before. We have all moved through that period and so has Zoom choir. We wondered if Zoom Choir would fade away as people were allowed to get out and about again and able to sing face to face. Not the case at all! We still have around twenty people gathering from all over the UK, we share in singing and telling stories. Life without Zoom choir would be strange and life without those people who make this choir what it is would be very different.

Eagle Lodge are back in their lovely new sitting room. New décor, new furniture and a lovely new sky light that floods light into the room. It was good to have more people being able to participate. Eildon House on Tuesday afternoon was a wonderful session. Eildon House is only a small care Home with about twenty people and most of them were in the sitting room. It is always good to have staff with us singing as it enables us to see a care home community participating together. Being a care worker isn’t easy, it can become so task focused, so any opportunity that we can take to enable a meaningful relationship to take place between staff and residents is great. Music allows us all to find things out about people we never knew before, this can be of great benefit to care staff.

Thursday was a wonderful day. Elizabeth, thank you so much for your organisation of the volunteer picnic. I think we had everything you could think of, seating, umbrellas, sun hats, musical instruments, drinks and cake! I have a feeling there were lots of other things in Elizabeth’s bag, but we didn’t need them. It was good to meet up and exchange stories of what it’s like to be a volunteer at Forget me Notes and celebrating the people we work with. The fact that it was in Saughton Park meant that we were able to sing together at Choir in the Park. The weather wasn’t hot, it was dry and a little less windy than the last time we were there. We must have had more than fifty people enjoying the community created through music.

The main aims at Forget me Notes is creating community, to “challenge isolation, build community and enhance self-expression using music”.

Do you remember those days of isolation during covid and just how awful it was? We never want to live in that setting ever again. However, there were important things to learn from such an experience and one of the most important was just how much we need each other. During the current election period when we are being told that the economy is the most important thing, we should remember that without people there is no economy. The world is full of people who are our most valuable commodity. Standing with each other at times when we need each other, those living with dementia and their carers need to feel that they are a part of a valued community and Forget Me Notes aim to make that clear.

Hope you have a great week.

Monday 10th June 2024

This week we took delivery of our new leaflets. Thanks to Libby and all those who were involved in putting these together. The leaflet is excellent, and we have already been able to give them out to quite a lot of people. We are hoping that the leaflet will give people the information they need in order that they can make choices about what services are relevant to them. We are also about to publish the second edition of our newsletter. Having seen the draft, I think you will enjoy catching up on those things and people who make the Forget Me Notes Project so special.

Also, this week I have been involved in our team meeting which was positive and so helpful. Then it was a development meeting, Zoom choir, Saughton Park and four more Music Memories sessions.

Saughton Park is always interesting and again we had thirty people turn up to sing together. The weather is always a significant factor when singing in the park and this week it was cold. We always have issues with wind and being in bandstand meant that we needed the hot drink at the end.

Friday was another Together in Song at Festival Theatre. We had the visit of Rachel who is a member of Scottish Opera, we heard a little about her journey into Opera and we all enjoyed the warm up exercise she taught us before we continued with our musicals afternoon. I think the singing was amazing which may well have been influenced by our warm up exercise!

All these activities are a reflection on the relationships that we share with people, and I think it is wonderful. This week we will be looking at our development plan for the next three years which will help us as we evolve and give more opportunities for people to receive services. This will enable us to build more relationships with people who at a time when they need support can find a place to receive it.

Hope that you have a good week.

Monday 3rd June 2024

My week started off at St Brides with Kenny and John. I love the group at St Brides it is such a wonderful mix of culture from Scottish to Chinese, from English to Eastern European. It is a reminder to me of all that we can learn from one another. It was also great to have Roddy on violin and the sound was amazing.

Tuesday saw me writing an evaluation support for St Brides following the gathering of people’s comments on our evaluation tree. It is always good to hear what people are taking from the different groups that we offer. Hearing the voices of those who attend mean that we can evolve in a direction that those using the service are happy and content with.

I also attended a webinar about fundraising, it was good and informative so hopefully when filling in our fundraising forms I can be more focused and achieve more success.

We had a great day on Thursday, in the morning we delivered training to our next group of volunteers. I am not sure where Elizabeth gets them from, but we are privileged to have such high-quality volunteers. It was so good to hear their questions and enquiries, this active learning makes me feel very positive with regard the project and what we can deliver in the future. In the afternoon we were in The Gyle shopping centre supporting Alzheimer Scotland with Dementia Awareness week. It was a brilliant afternoon with both choir members and shoppers singing together. Sweet Caroline was so good, so good, so good!

On Friday I did a review of the Music for Health and Well Being at Open Door. It was so encouraging to read the feedback from participants. It is very clear just how much people feel that they are supported and listened to and have a chance to express themselves through the project. During the project each person has created a music mosaic that tells the story of their journey through life using music. What came out of the review was that we will use the next few months to build those mosaics into a musical scrapbook. A scrapbook that considers the music we sing in the shower, the music we listen to when having our meals, the music we listen to when doing the ironing, hoovering or washing up. We originally thought of these as music health plans, but they sound so much more creative and vibrant as a scrap book.

Hope you have a great week; you never know you might be inspired to do your own musical scrap book.

Monday 27th May 2024

What a great day we had on Saturday sharing Paul’s wedding, it was a wonderful celebration. Thank you, Paul, for allowing us to share the day with both of you.

The week ahead in Scotland is Dementia Awareness Week. It is an important week, a week where we can consider the issues faced by those living with dementia and their carers. Far too often people become isolated by their diagnosis and it is important to keep those living with dementia a part of the community. I have had the privilege of working in this field for more than thirty years and what I have come to realise is that no two people living with dementia present in the same way. We all then need to be in relationship with those living with dementia if we are going to learn about what they bring to our world.

People who live with dementia are intelligent, inspiring people but if you want to understand what I mean then you will need to develop relationships with those living with dementia. Be prepared to develop unique, emotional and beautiful relationships with people as you engage, your life will be so much brighter.

Thursday this week is a big week for me. The Forget Me Notes are singing in The Gyle Shopping Centre with Alzheimer Scotland as they have a stall in the centre with an aim to raise awareness and raise the voices of those living with dementia. As a former employee of Alzheimer Scotland, I will get the chance of working alongside some wonderful staff (Paula & Debbie) even if it is only for just one day. If you live in Edinburgh and can get to the Gyle then we will be there at 1:45 until 3pm and its going to be great.

I listened to a political pitch this week that promised to make my life richer. Well, if all you have to offer me is money then you have really missed the point. I am happy to tell you that my riches are found in the relationships I have with people. So, my understanding of Dementia Awareness week is of celebration. It is a celebration of all the wonderful carers and those people living with dementia who have touched my life.

Now if you still haven’t listened to our Forget Me Notes Song then this is your chance, you can find it at: www.forgetmenotes.org.uk/film-audio

When you have listened tell me what you think. Have a great week!

Monday 13th May 2024

Have you listened to our song? If not you can find it at www.forgetmenotes.org.uk/film-audio . Our aim is to get as many people as possible to listen to the song for Dementia Awareness Week that starts on the 27th May. I am sure you will enjoy the song as it reflects what our participants think about Forget Me Notes and what they receive from the various parts of the project.

Monday saw me at a meeting for our showcase that will be held on the 13th August. It is a celebration of all things Forget Me Notes. The aim is to show what the Forget Me Notes Project offers in the way of support and show just how powerful the world of music is to health. We hope to encourage our participants and to invite those who fund us and those who haven’t funded us yet, to come and see what it is that they can help us with. Our desire is to reach people and support them in their journey.

We had great sessions at Eagle Lodge, Open Door, Stenhouse, Strachan House and at Craighall. At Craighall we even had dancing as we shared in the stories of those residents who live there.

A special thanks goes to Alan one of our music facilitators. Alan is also a freelance writer for some of Scotland’s leading newspapers. Alan did a press release for us telling the story of our Forget Me Notes Song. Not only did his release feature in the North Edinburgh News but it was also heard on Black Diamond Radio. All this publicity is so good and helps in reaching out to those who would benefit from our support.

Why is it so important that The Forget Me Notes song is heard and that we raise the voices of those living with dementia? Well, we need to challenge the discrimination that is felt by those living with dementia. We will only do that as we hear their stories and understand the potential that each person living with dementia possess. It is also important that we all understand the significance of music within our own health and learn to use it in ways that will be unique for us and positive for all.

Take care and have a great week.

Monday 6th May 2024

I started on Monday with speaking at a community connection group for the Link Workers at Alzheimer Scotland. It was a great group and what I did was well received. It was good to hear that people were using music already and to know that they were singing in different music groups was heartening.

We arrived at Morningside Music Memories group to some news that was totally unexpected. One of the volunteers Dave had died at the weekend, he was a great guy and gave a lot to the group, he will be missed, and our thoughts are with his family and friends. The session was a little muted as you can imagine.

Zoom Choir was just what I needed to lift my spirits. It is quite amazing that a group that was created during the pandemic has still got such a place at the forefront of what the Forget Me Notes project offers. I think it says a lot about what we have shared together and the reason for its creation has added to the community that has been built.

Alan and I were at Lauder Lodge on Tuesday which was particularly good with the room bursting with people. We have a family member who is present each time we attend, and it is self-evident how much this helps her. Her husband was a saxophone player, so music has been something that they have shared together and means so much.

I am not sure where we get the wonderful volunteers and facilitators that we have. On Thursday morning we delivered a training session for potential new staff members. The level of awareness and knowledge was good, and it gives me the feeling that yet again, we have quality staff that will soon be joining us.

Thursday also saw us in Saughton Park Bandstand. The weather was the same as usual, blowing a gale! This meant that Alan and Paul needed all the clothes pegs they could muster to keep their music on the stands. We had more than fifty people turn up to share the afternoon together. We had people from Clovenstone and Davidson House Care Homes, also a group from Alzheimer Scotland came to join us. It was also good that a couple who attended the community connections group on Monday came to join us too.

Friday we were back at the Festival Theatre for Together in Song. We hadn’t had a session in April due to it falling on Easter weekend, so it was good to be with everyone again. What is so clear is that the community being created to support those with a lived experience of dementia is one that people want to be a part of.

We have more great news for you. We were able to record our song called the Forget me Notes song in a recording studio. The song is now on our website at https://www.forgetmenotes.org.uk/film-audio . This has been released for Dementia Awareness Week in Scotland at the end of the month. We would like as many people to listen to the song as possible. So go and have a listen to it and share with friends and neighbours and let’s raise the issues faced by those living with dementia.

Have a good week.

Monday 29th April 2024

This week I have had the opportunity to meet up with folks who are either a part of our team or people who are in a related business, to chat about how we might grasp a vision for development and ways of moving forward.

On Monday I had a team meeting with Libby and Paul. It was good to meet up with Libby in person and gain an understanding of how being an Administrator at Forget Me Notes works when we all work in different spaces. Libby has been a great asset in the last six months. Looking at our website, our newsletter, a new leaflet and seeing how our stored information is so much more ordered is wonderful. When the two Co Chief Executives are also delivering services, it is difficult to always stay on top of all the administration. It is good to have someone who can not only do the role but also develop the role.

On Tuesday I met up with a friend who is also running her own charity and to see how she has progressed over the last seven years to be able to provide services that are meeting the needs of so many people. Chatting through various issues with her allowed me to understand where we are and what we can learn from other people.

We are preparing for the next Together in Song at the Festival Theatre. We are going to feature the work of the King’s Theatre and see how the renovations are getting along. We will also be able to chat to one of the staff who is part of the development strategy, this will be good to help us to understand what we can expect from The King’s when it opens.

At Indoor Choir on Thursday, those gathered were still buzzing from the concert on Saturday. What a great evening it was, and the feedback has been tremendous.

On Friday I got to chat with a couple of people who are looking to establish a music therapy business. In talking to them about how Forget Me Notes has found its feet along the development pathway was great. It enabled me to see more clearly just how far we have come over the last six years and just how much more development is possible.

In the afternoon we were at a brand-new care home called Eildon House. I had never been there before, it was great, it is a small care home which meant that we could take our time to make sure that each resident was listened to. I enjoy this part of my role, hearing the stories that people tell me. I found out about a resident born in the East end of London and how another resident used to get front row seats at the Usher Hall because she worked in the whisky industry. These snippets of information will help when we go back next month. We can now sing songs like “Campbeltown Loch, I wish you were whisky” or “Maybe It’s Because I’m a Londoner” and see if these songs inspire more memories. The hope is that this will allow people the chance to recall stories of their youth.

I wonder what songs would make their way into your playlist and why? You could always drop me a line and tell me if you like.

Have a good week.

Monday 22nd April 2024

It is very difficult not to start this post with last nights concert as it was such a success, however I am going to resist and look at some of the things we have done this week.

It started with Libby, Paul and I looking at the design of our new leaflet. I must admit I love it. It’s not entirely finished yet and we have to find another picture but overall, I think it is clear and to the point and will grab the attention of people quickly.

We were at Eagle Lodge on Tuesday, and it was great to share with some residents we have not met before. I think I can safely say it was a colourful session. It was brilliant but I don’t think I should go into detail!

Kenny and I were at Marian House, and we had more people than we have ever had with family and friends joining the session. Paul and I were at Open Door on Thursday morning. We are in the middle of a project called Music for Health and Well-being. The attendees have produced musical mosaics describing something of their lives and the music that has played an important part for them. This has led to us singing many of the songs represented in the mosaics. During our Thursday session we have recorded some of the stories and emotion shared. There was real energy and emotion in the room that was inspiring.

At Saughton Park we took our new evaluation tree and after what was another great session with a full house, we asked people to fill in labels to hang on the tree about what they thought of Choir in the Park. One person wrote “When your family are far away this is just what you need”. I am a man in my sixties, but it didn’t mean I didn’t have a tear in my eye when I read this. Beautiful.

On Friday I was at Ashbrook which was amazing with more than twenty people sharing what was a great morning, then I went to Cramond for a session with Kenny. They had some young students who were on placement from Edinburgh College. It felt like a real intergenerational session with several residents attending for the first time.

In the morning, we had our Trustee meeting, and it was good to welcome a new trustee. The wonderful thing about working with our trustees is that we know that all have The Forget Me Notes Project best interest at heart. Amongst all the good news I am sharing with you is some new that is not so good. The day care settings in Edinburgh are having further cutbacks to their budgets. This has meant that certain of the groups that we deliver have had to be suspended. We were chatting through just how we might be able to approach this and turn what is a negative situation into a positive.

Well now I must tell you about the concert last night. It was amazing! It was held in a premiere building on the corner of Princes Street and Lothian Road at the iconic St John’s Episcopalian Church. The audience were from everywhere. There were people from America, Europe, England and then there were people from the Forget Me Notes family. The Church was full and I am not sure they knew what to expect. We were a part of the concert at the invitation of The Edinburgh Brass Band and they were brilliant. Their playing was great and with the different styles of music they played there was something for everyone. The Forget Me Notes sang a variety of songs inviting the audience and the band to sing with us. I am not sure that some of those in the audience were prepared for this but when we got to Sweet Caroline then they got going. It was great to see so many people who support Forget Me Notes in the audience. There were people who come to St Bride’s, Ashbrook, Royston and it was just great to see them. The Band allowed us to take a bucket collection at the end of the concert which was so generous of them. You can hear that it has been a pretty amazing week, a week that will live in my memory for a long time.

I am sure there will be more to report next week but it’s not quite as busy as this last week. Have a great time and speak to you next week.

Monday 15th April 2024

I was reflecting on the different facilitators that I work alongside when delivering Music Memories sessions and the differences they bring to their role. I have worked with Paul for several years now and it’s like putting on a comfortable pair of slippers, we understand the way we work and can rely on each other for the skills we know we have. Don’t get me wrong, we always have to be prepared that every session will ask something different from us, so we must be on our toes. John has been a part of Forget Me Notes from its conception and working with him at Eagle Lodge has meant enabling people to participate in ways that have moved us all. I now also work with Alan and Kenny who both bring so much to the work they do, and I am so happy to have the chance to work with them. Alan began work with Forget Me Notes because he came as a participant who played the guitar at one of our sessions. He now delivers sessions with me at Ashbrook and Lauder Lodge. Alan has grown in confidence in his role and takes the lead chatting to participants and sharing in some truly awful jokes. It has become very clear just how much those who come to our sessions value Alan. Kenny brings with him a working knowledge of delivering music sessions for those with learning difficulties over many years. I enjoy working alongside him seeing his understanding of how music works for people. To see those skills being used with those who are living with dementia is brilliant. It is very easy to get carried away with the skills he has on the guitar and not acknowledge the gentle way in which he supports people to take part. We also have Tilly and Alice who work away at Seagrove - the Facebook posts and videos show just what a great job they do.

I hope what comes across in this post is that I work with music facilitators who I respect and have the chance to share in special relationships as we watch people open up and share their stories using the medium of music. I must make mention of Friday afternoon at Craighall. Craighall is a very small care home with just twelve residents so getting four residents and two staff is a good percentage of the home. Kenny and I did the song Rock Around the Clock. It was great to see one of the male residents who I think would be in his eighties rock and rolling with the young activities co-ordinator who would be in her early twenties. The joy that was expressed in their faces as they both danced was brilliant to see.

Saturday 20th of April at 7.30pm sees us in concert with the Edinburgh Brass Band. We had the privilege of working with them a few years ago at a Christmas Concert so it will be good to share this time with them. If you fancy coming along then you would be most welcome. The concert is free and there will be a bucket collection at the end of the concert. For those who might be reading these posts who I have never met before, if you plan to come to the concert why not come up, introduce yourself and say hello, it would be great to meet you. I am sure it will be a fun night.

You can book a ticket via Eventbrite. Here is the link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/music-for-spring-tickets-867702941857

Have a good week and speak to you next time.

Monday 8th April 2024

Our first Music Memories this week was at Eagle Lodge, the refurb appears to be going well. We were in the first-floor lounge and there weren’t a lot of people as some were going to a garden centre. It was, however, an interesting session with people interacting at various levels. For example, one resident who appeared to be sleeping was singing along, another resident whose capacity to sit in the room and sing was a challenge. He would get up and walk out of the room and then by attracting his attention as he walked in the corridor he would come back and sing again. It was a lesson in allowing people to access the session at a pace and level that they are able. As someone facilitating there were many lessons to learn about delivering for those with a lived experience of Dementia.

Saughton Park on Thursday was a welcome relief to the continuous rain we have had this last week. We were in the glasshouse and when I arrived, I thought we might have water everywhere but that was not the case, and so I could put out the chairs. When we began, I thought we were going to have a smaller number of people but five minutes after we started there was very nearly a full house.

We were at Ashbrook on Friday. We were back to pouring rain and wondered just how many people would arrive. We had a brilliant morning with two of the group who had spent the winter in America were back with us, it was great to see them. We also had new people and different people with us and the energy that was created was great. People always interact well at Ashbrook but on Friday it was particularly good.

Sharing your story means feeling confident with the environment and confident with the people you are sharing it with. It is important that all stories are respected as belonging to the person who is sharing. Understanding what emotional pain or strength lies behind the story of another person means being aware of how our own story impacts upon us. When this way of listening finds a home in the heart of the person telling the story and the person who is listening, it has the capacity to turn a music session from singing together and having fun into an experience that transforms the well-being of both parties.

Have a great week.

Monday 1st April 2024

I am reminded today of the great Norman Wisdom who in my view was one of the all time greats of comedy film in his era. Why today you may ask? Well, today is April Fool’s Day and Norman made the song “Don’t laugh at me cos I’m a fool” his own. His shy, awkward behaviour was characteristic of a man who knew his craft and delivered it well.

When building an organisation, the behind-the-scenes work needs to be in place, for without a strong team of people, it is likely to fall apart. With that in mind we are looking at how Forget Me Notes is supported by its Trustees. We have written a policy for Equality and Inclusion in management. On our team we want to have those with a lived experience of Dementia, those with learning difficulties, people with mental health issues all at the centre of Forget Me Notes and we are working to make this happen. We are not there yet, it is still a work in progress and those of us who are a part of the team now need to equip ourselves to welcome our team of the future.

While we have recently been able to tell you about new services becoming a part of Forget Me Notes, we have had to suspend services this week. This is hopefully temporary, but while the organisation has applied for money it hasn’t yet come through, so for April we are not able to do some sessions that we have been doing for just short of six years. It was sad to have to tell people who we have worked with for so long that we are having to take a break. However, we are optimistic that we will be back shortly.

We have fixed a date for the Showcase. You will be wondering what that is? We are all really excited about the 13th of August as we are going to present the work of The Forget Me Note Project using the people who attend. It will be held at St Bride’s in Dalry and we will feature the Music Memories Project, Volunteer Project and Choir Project. We want to share with people, including funders, what the values and the work of Forget Me Notes is all about. This will focus on the positivity (as John calls it) of working with people living with dementia and music. We are going to create a working group and see what we can achieve to tell our story in the best way possible.

Not only is it April Fool’s Day it’s also Easter Monday, so I hope you are enjoying your weekend. It is usually a time to get into the garden but it’s still a wee bit cold so getting up for painting the shed which is what I need to do, is a bit of a struggle. However, I think I will give it a go later. See you next week.