What We Offer
Our aim is to bring a new lease of life to the older generation. We want to reignite memories that remind them of happy times that have faded but are not forgotten. At the very least will will bring smiles to their faces, and hopefully a dance or 2. Below are a couple of services we can provide but as with music and art, we are not limited in a creative process. If you have a specific activity e.g. Communal Drumming which you think could work for one or multiple clients then we will be able to accommodate most needs.
Standard Performance
We offer 2 types of standard performance.
- One Man Band – This comprises of myself Toby Harris playing guitar as a solo performance including by my Portable Music Studio where I provide accompanying backing tracks. The set can be either acoustic or amplified depending on the clients’ requests. The set will consist of 60’s and 70’s covers as well as my own material. If residents have specific requests then these can be learnt and rehearsed for the following session.
- The Duo – Here I (Toby) will perform on my drum kit and be accompanied by my partner Rich who is a very accomplished guitarist. Rich also uses a “loop pedal” to create extra layers to create a fuller sound. Don’t worry though… just because there is a drum kit, it doesnt mean it has to be loud. Brush sticks are used to produce a quieter ouptput.
Interactive Performance
This is where we take either “Standard Performance” set up and try to get the residents add their bit to the music.
We have a range of simple percussive instruments such as, tambourines, shakers, triangles, wood blocks and bells etc.
Residents will be shown how to hold and use each piece of equipment and encouraged to join if they do so wish.
On top of this we would hope that some of the folks will feel inspired to get up and dance.
Personalised 1:1 Creative Music Sessions
Here there is a whole range of different opportunities to take advantage of:
- Learn an instrument – begin to learn to sing, play the keyboard or guitar and even have a bash on drums!
- Composition – thanks to the Portable Music Studio we have the chance to create anything we want! Any type of genre, era, we can record live performance if a resident has any previous music skills or maybe they would like to simply record their voice and together we can discuss ideas and build out a whole song using MIDI instruments to create beautiful professional compositions.
- Regenerate memory – this is where we will relive the music a resident would have enjoyed in the past in order to bring back joyful memories from their past. Together we will discuss what they used to listen to, search and replay those tracks using the extensive library of music available on the internet and play through my portable studio speaker. If they cannot remember what they once listen to then we will hone in on the era most specific to their teenage years and work our way through the decades until we find a song that sparks that hidden memory. For more information on music + degenerative mental health click here
Pricing + Costs
Standard Performance (+/- Interactive) – One Man Band = £50 per 1hr session
Standard Performance (+/- Interactive) – The Duo = £80 per 1hr session
Personalised 1:1 Creative Music Session = £40 per 1hr session
Travel costs = £0.45p per mile