In Our Element: Intergenerational Music for Wellbeing

Celebrating two years of our Arts and Health programmes, for the first time we welcomed members of all three of our groups to make music together.

Regular attendees of Pulse, BLOOM and Our Music Club took part in a joy-filled intergenerational morning of music, singing and dance – ages ranging from just a few months old to 80! Led by a team of professional musicians and creative facilitators, the theme of the session was ‘In Our Element’, with activities taking everyone on a journey through earth, air, fire and water.

After getting to know each other over a cuppa and warming up together, each group shared what they had been working on – everyone encouraged to join in with shakers and percussion:

• Parents and babies from BLOOM sang catchy power ballad ‘Light Me Up‘, which they wrote collectively with BLOOM facilitator and musician Nuala, based on their experiences with parenthood.
• The musicians from Pulse improvised together, connecting with the earth using instruments and their voices. Everyone was also treated to a wonderful, emotional poem written for the occasion.
• Our Music Club shared their version of the River is Wide – using lyrics written by the group, brought together into a new song personal to them with facilitator and musician Chez.

The day finished with an group rendition of Beatles classic ‘Here Comes the Sun’ along with some personal reflections from participants.

The inclusive, intergenerational session allowed everyone to take a moment to share, celebrate and reflect on the impact of their musical experiences.