The Charlotte Symphony in North Carolina is partnering with two area organizations for a new study examining how people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease respond to live orchestral music. The study, in partnership with Queens University of Charlotte and Southminster, a retirement community, uses different musical selections to determine levels of audience engagement. Queens University music-therapy students will conduct the study, designed for mid- to late-stage patients, consisting of ten performances by former Charlotte Symphony cellist Deborah Mishoe and current flutist Amy Orsinger Whitehead, at low and high socio-economic senior care centers. The purpose of the study is to determine whether music has a universal impact on memory recall or if having had previous exposure to orchestral music makes a difference in recognition. Five performances each will take place at Complete Care Management Myers Park and Southminster. The new partnership is an expansion of the Charlotte Symphony’s Healing Hand program, which has sent professional orchestra musicians into Charlotte and surrounding area hospitals, nursing homes, and senior care centers for nearly 20 years.
Posted January 10, 2018
