Lifesongs Project Study ,Arts and Health

1. Lifesongs
The Lifesongs project aims to bring to life memories, reflections
and feelings of older people through a combination of theatre,
humour, spontaneous music-making and songwriting.
Since January 2014, Klawitter Theatre Group’s Hedda Kaphengst
and Rod Paton, founder and director of Lifemusic, have been running
regular workshops and performances in selected care homes. The
project confronts issues involved in the aging process touching on
meaning, significance, memory and loss.
Aims
• To bring to life stories told by nursing home residents and to hear their voices by
creating a music theatre piece based on their stories
• To work with singers/actors to devise a piece based on these narratives and voices
• To provide a model for contemporary creative practice
Methods
In 2014, Hedda Kaphengst and Rod Paton ran a series of Lifemusic workshops in three
care homes in Bray and Wicklow. The Lifemusic method was developed by Dr. Paton
and follows these principles to unlock the musical potential in participants:
Everyone is musical.
There are no wrong notes in music.
Every sound has a meaning.
Making music is an act of trust.
Using a wide variety of simple instruments, participants create entirely original pieces of
music based upon ideas, images, stories and feelings.
The number of participants in the workshops was between 12 and 20. Stories that
emerged during the music-making were noted down and formed the basis for the lyrics
of the songs written for residents. A workshop performance in the theatre of Mermaid
Arts Centre, Bray was presented to participating residents, care staff and relatives. The
Lifestories project is still ongoing and develops in different stages. Stage 3 has been
completed.
Stage 1 – visiting, performing, listening, recording
Stage 2 – reflection/scenography/songwriting
Stage 3 – return visits with interactive workshops
Stage 4 – creating the music/theatre piece
Stage 5 – performance

2. The following criteria applied:
• Participation is in agreement with the management of the homes.
• Contact with residents is non-intrusive, voluntary and monitored.
• Conversations are informal and grow spontaneously out of the music sessions:
there are no questions.
• None of the information will be used directly or explicitly in any way and will serve
only as a general background and inspiration in devising a longer piece about the
experiences of ageing.
Artistic Outputs
From January to April 2014, Hedda and Rod conducted 12 musical performances in
three nursing homes followed by 21 Lifemusic workshops from May to December 2014
facilitated by Rod and assisted by Hedda.
Klawitter conducted a workshop performance at Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray in November
2014 as part of ‘Yarn - the Bray Festival of Story and Song’. The experimental
performance was attended by an audience of over 100 people consisting of nursing
home residents, care staff and relatives. The show was intended to present the realities
of later life through creative exploration of narratives as they were recalled and re-
imagined by the actors through improvisation. The performance included an element of
audience participation using percussion instruments.
Eight songs were written based on stories told by residents in the care homes involved.
Five of those were included in the workshop performance.
Rod, Hedda and pianist Darren Baird returned to the care homes with four musical
performances of all eight songs. These performances included audience participation
such as dancing, singing and playing percussion. Two full days of Lifemusic workshops
were facilitated for the workshop performance team including actors and musicians.
In January 2015, Lifemusic workshops were facilitated by Rod and Hedda in four senior
artist colonies in Los Angeles followed by performances of the songs written.
Evaluation Methodology
• Questionnaires for care staff, residents and managers
• Interviews with actors, residents and care staff by independent evaluator
• Evaluation meetings of the workshop team
• Critical reflection, discussions amongst the creative team
• Creative reflection
• External Review by an independent evaluator
• Peer review of research output
Evaluation Outcomes
The outcomes of the project were conducted by an independent evaluator. The final
report will be shared with community and academic partners as well as funders and will

3. be published on the Klawitter website in April 2015.
A significant challenge for the project is the self-image of care home residents. Some
feel that their voices are insignificant. They often feel like dependent, non-contributing
members of society. Feedback from care home residents on the project was very
encouraging overall:
"Dear Hedda and Rod, Thank you for composing the beautiful song ‘The lost child’ in
memory of Maura being lost in March 1924 when she was two and a half years old. You
have brought a lot of joy to Maura and her family. With every good wish and gratitude.
Maura (the lost child), Renee, Eugenie and Annette.”
- Maura Kelly, a resident at Belmont House and her family
“I feel this is giving me something, I feel it in my heart but can’t put it into words.”
- Wilma, a resident at Kinvara House after a Lifemusic session
“At first I thought it was weird, but I really got into it. The music that came out was really
good”
- A male resident at Kinvara House
Testimonials from performers
"I found the lifemusic workshop with Rod an amazing experience for me as a person as
well as a performer."
"For me it was an honour to hear the stories of Maureen, Maura, Helena, Ralph and
Glady and it was very special to sing their stories/songs in front of them".
- Aoife Moore, singer and actor
“I thought it was so rewarding seeing and hearing the feedback from all the women and
how they felt about the show. I know that certain people in the third and fourth row were
missing out and didn't get instruments so maybe if each person before the performance
is given something before the show, so nobody is left out."
- Jessica Plunkett, actor, on the performance workshop at Mermaid Arts Centre
Documentation & Dissemination
The evaluation report on the Lifesongs project will be published on the Klawitter website
in April 2015.
An evaluation report specifically on Klawitter’s work can be found here:
http://www.theatregroup.ie/images/Klawitter_Giving_Nnursing_Home_Residents_a
_Voice_2014.pdf
Images and videos from the project can be viewed on the Klawitter website and
Facebook page.
Videos of the workshop team rehearsing for their performance at Mermaid Arts Centre
can be viewed at the following links:
https://vimeo.com/120397543
https://vimeo.com/120404584
https://vimeo.com/112942514

4. https://vimeo.com/112942510
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Dates
January 2014 to December 2014 (Stages 1-3)
Participants
Older people resident in care homes
Care staff and managers
Activity coordinators
Relatives and friends of residents
Performers involved with Klawitter
University of Chichester/Lifemusic
Lead Organisation
Klawitter Theatre Group
Partners
Dr. Rod Paton and Lifemusic
Funded By
Community Foundation for Ireland
Dr. Rod Paton, Klawitter Theatre Group
Location
Dublin City, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, Wicklow
Web Link
www.theatregroup.ie
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Artist(s)
Anne Marie Kelly, Anthony Bolton, Aoife Moore, Darren Baird, Hedda Kaphengst,
Jessica Plunkett, Joe Quinn, Kevin Mc Namara, Rod Paton
Artform
Music, Theatre
Context
Older people in care homes, People living with dementia
Nature of Project
Collaborative research, Performance, Training/ Continuous Professional Development