Fiona Pritchard is our new Music and Arts Partner, a role we introduced in February 2018 to help support our homes with their music and arts activities. Here are some Qs and As to help explain a little more:
What do we mean by music and arts activities?
Music and art play important and powerful parts in all of our lives. We are all affected by them; they can make us laugh or cry. For our residents, they have a particularly therapeutic affect, and can aid in engaging interest, regulating mood, maintaining dexterity and hand-eye coordination, stimulating creativity, and are also often a calming influence when a resident is at their most anxious.
Whether it be through storytelling, singing, drama, reading or writing poetry, dance, music and movement, colour therapy, collage work, puppetry, digital art apps, or games using mime, we are now able to ensure each resident has the opportunity to explore the many ways in which music and arts can have a positive impact upon their lives and enrich their wellbeing.
Who is Fiona?
Fiona is a professional musician who studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She has performed with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, English National Ballet and the Scottish Opera Orchestra, and has been teaching music at Ringwood School for 25 years. She also writes and arranges music and songs for LETTERLAND, Monkey Music Ltd, Warwick Music, the BBC and ITV.
In addition to this, Fiona has trained in Neurologic Music Therapy and is currently studying for an MSc in Dementia Studies with Arts and Activities at Bradford University. She has worked with Colten Care since 2014; first at Belmore Lodge for the Customer Services Team and then at Kingfishers and Linden House as part of the Companionship Team. Fiona is one of the musicians running the BUDDY orchestra for people with dementia and their carers.
You can read more about Fiona and her role in this Care Home Professional article