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“Well, it’s not natural to have so little contact with the older generations. It may be normal,” argued the parent of the three-year-old helpfully handing round scarves to the residents of the care home, “but it’s not natural.”


This desire to give their children more contact with the elderly is fairly common amongst the parents attending the intergen- erational music ses- sions I am involved with. Often these par- ents have no elderly relatives living close enough for regular vis- its but even those who do, appreciate the structured activity and songs that are designed to encourage the eld- erly and the very young to interact with each other.


June 2017


All Together Now Music – Toddlers in Care Homes Rachel Shearer


ing and after our sessions, particularly where there is a degree of dementia. A resident with eyes closed may still be clapping along to ’Baa baa, black sheep’. Another ‘la-la-ing’ a melody although usually unspeaking. The transfer of en- ergy between genera- tions is considerable. For the children, the parents report that they grow in confi- dence, becoming more outward looking and less daunted by unfamiliar adults.


All Together Now music session photo credit: Bridge House Care Home


Music, even in the form of nursery rhymes is something enjoyed by young and old. In the care home settings we sing the traditional rhymes and children’s songs that connect the elderly with memories of their own childhoods and of raising their own children. On some occasions we have had four generations of the same family enjoying time together.


The toddlers bring an astounding level of energy with them. In the sessions we harness that energy to encourage interaction. The children hand out scarves for waving and playing peekaboo, simple instruments for jingling and shaking and even soft toys for ‘Old MacDonald’ and his farm. Ac- tion songs and rhymes aim to get everyone mov- ing, clapping, tapping or wafting rainbow mate- rial high and low. The residents will join in as much as they wish but are more likely to partici- pate when it is a three-year-old handing them a shaker or a toddler playing peekaboo from behind a scarf. Even simply watching the little ones en- joying themselves can make people happy.


The Activity Coordinators of the care homes re- port residents’ greatly enhanced engagement dur-


So if it is a ’win-win’ situation all round why isn’t this sort of intergenerational group more common? Everyone I talk to – from parents, care home activity organis- ers, fellow early years musicians to the Ox- ford Diocese and the


Mental Health Foundation – think that these ses- sions are an excellent idea but other than a few scattered groups across the country, it is not hap- pening. Community choirs in care homes are becoming more widespread. I would dearly love to see All Together Now music sessions doing likewise.


Rachel Shearer runs the Abingdon Court Toddler group – a collaboration between St Helen’s Baby and Toddler Group and the Abingdon Court Nursing Home and All Together Now – an intergenerational music session at Bridge House Care Home organized by the Abingdon Music Centre. Both run once a month.


www.Facebook.com/AbingdonCourtToddlers www.Facebook.com/AllTogetherNowMusic


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