Activity ideas: Enjoying music

People with dementia often continue to find great meaning and enjoyment in music, even in the condition’s later stages.

Singing and playing music with others can be a powerful way to feel connected and express ourselves, including through a Singing for the Brain group, a choir or religious worship.

Many people enjoy attending concerts, and many arts venues are trying to become dementia friendly. If you know a venue that could benefit from our advice, you could refer them to our guidance for arts venues.

When going to a performance isn’t possible, radio and TV – including online players like BBC iPlayer – provide many opportunities to enjoy music.

If using complicated controls is difficult, simple ‘one-button’ radios and music players could help. As well as listening to music, people may like singing along to CDs and using songbooks.

Creating a playlist of favourite music can be done using many devices and streaming sites. However, Playlist for Life provides support that is specially designed for people affected by dementia. 

BBC Music Memories offers around 1,800 clips of music from the last 100 years, which could help to explore what someone would like on their playlist.