http://sparetyre.org/whats-on/events/autumn/
On Wednesday 2nd November I went along to a practitioner training day run by Spare Tyre Theatre Co (see link) hosted by Chichester Festival Theatre.
I currently run the Mind Body Song dementia friendly singing group on Friday afternoons which is part of Chichester Festival community programme which is how I came across the workshop.
The workshop was led by the director, Arti Prashar, and was aimed at arts practitioners who work with people with dementia. Their current touring show 'The Garden' is an interactive piece of theatre specifically for people living with dementia.
I went with an open mind, thinking I may be asked to do some acting, which I was looking forward to, as I think it's not since my A Level Theatre Studies that I've actually done any acting.
There were other arts practitioners there, plus three people who work in the care sector and one carer. It was a very enjoyable and enriching day. In the morning we shared ideas and thoughts about 'older people', 'dementia' and 'the arts', and doing practical exercises to explore ideas of trust, communication and emotion.
The afternoon session Arti set up the room for the performance, so we got to experience the show and also we were able to ask questions and talk about how the multi-sensory theatre piece worked. There was a large video projector, the lighting was soft and subdued, sounds of bird song, tactile objects, hand held projectors, photos, plants, leaves, snow, butterflies, washing & washing lines, water, fish....
I came away with lots of ideas, realising there is such a wide scope of different arts disciplines that can be employed to connect and engage group participants. All these things have been my interest since I was young. I studied them, but above all I DID them.
It really made sense to me with all the interactive work I already do:
That singing is NOT a spectator sport, that to led a song is an invitation to others to join in and make it their own.
It's not about sticking to a script, but that participants bring their own understanding to a song, a dance or a drawing.
The time spent in the activity is the 'thing'. It's not about producing a final piece that will be consumed by others at a later date.
The authenticity of the artistic project is the interaction between people not whether it sticks to a particular style or genre or a rule.
The two other main ideas I came away with were about using fewer words and about the role of gesture. I've found that leading singing workshops with people with dementia, you can just start doing an action, a warm up stretch and they will just start copying you.
Also, if you over explain things, you've lost them. It's better to just get on with the activity, let the song, the tune, the dance, the drawing, the hanging of the washing, the dusting, the fishing... let those things be the focus and out of that comes the awakening and therefore the reconnecting.
Being participant focused is what it's all about.
Creating an environment that is safe is key.
Keeping your plan, your story in the background.
The activity inspires imagination.
It's an invitation not a lesson.
It's being listened to and not talked at.
It's participation not performance.
It's about being in the moment.
It's experiential.
It's about relationship.
It's about equality.
It's soul work.
It's mindfulness.
It's healing.
It's joy.
We also talked about reminiscence and nostalgia and whether that is a positive model for people with dementia. Arti said that in their experience reminiscence seems to lock people in a particular time. It's not very creative. Jogging memories might help people to speak and share their memories, but perhaps it seems to be more important for the carer or the public's perception that if a person with dementia is able to recall and talk about the past that that means they are 'normal'. There is no space for silence or the imagination in this. The theatre piece 'The Garden' demonstrates that people living with dementia still have the capacity to creative, to play, to listen, to be absorbed in a story, even if is no traditional dialogue or obvious narrative.
It's also being a challenge for me to look to other forms of music as support for singing. I've been very anti-backing or accompaniment in my vocal work so far, but I can see now when working with people with dementia, or other people who may be living with other conditions that mean their voices are not strong (Parkinson's is an example) may need support, With my regular choir work I'm still very much a champion of unaccompanied singing. However, using 'Singing for the Brain' (AS Society) as an example, I soon found that if you didn't have enough singing volunteers then the singing in the group would suffer. If the carers in attendance had all had a bad week and didn't feel like singing (they probably felt more like crying) then I could see it was too much to ask of the them to sing. They needed support. However, piano accompaniment I think it still to over-bearing. What ever accompaniment you have needs to SUPPORT people rather than dominate and take over. So percussion and ukulele work well, as dose the shruti box, drones and sound effects like ocean drums and rain sticks. It also then leaves it free and flexible enough to improve and therefore to create!
It's a very exciting time for me personally as I'm now seeing how my passions and interests can come together in the work that I do, a multi-disciplinary approach. At the beginning of the workshop we had to tell our story about how we have got to this point in our lives. I ended up drawing a picture of what seemed to be a cross between a scarf and a loom. The knitting had three balls of wool (Art, Music and Theatre) and the threads that went back in time had musical notes of them. The idea of weaving on a loom is nice as you can just throw in a completely new colour or texture and it works.
There is a feeling of gathering in at this time of year, of mulling things over (mulching!) and I'm enjoying the rather unsettling process of looking at all the work I do and seeing where I am going with it all....
How I can add in new dimensions to the singing work I do in the community
How I can bring together circle dance and musical improvisation so the experienced musician and dancer can mix with the people who are new to playing and dancing, or for those who have mobility issues.
Developing the ideas of drawing and painting for wellbeing.
Developing models of 'drop in' workshops at community events and festivals for people to try out and have a taster of dance, song and drawing.
Offering creative activities under the umbrella of wellbeing to people, many of whom still have never tried or been given the opportunity to be creative in their lives or at least since school.
Right, better get on with it.....
