There are 70 choirs for the memory impaired all over the world. Vista de la Montana Methodist Church in Catalina will be number 71!
Recognizing the misperceptions of our culture for those whose short-term memory is compromised, the church has created the Vista Song of Joy Choir. The choir will consist of fifteen memory-impaired singers and their spouses or other caregivers, as well as members of the chorus team. The group will meet for two hours, one afternoon a week for eight weeks. The session will start with a social time with snacks, followed by the choir practicing long-time favorites such as I’ll Be Seeing You, You Belong to Me and Down By the Old Mill Stream. At the end of the eight-week session, the chorus will present a community concert.
It is becoming well known that although short term memory is quite limited for some, long term memory is remarkably intact. Music is a very effective stimulant of long-term memory and offers comfort, joy and pleasure. The chorus gives the memory impaired a chance to be competent again, to bring joy to others through song, as well as feel happiness at belonging to a choir with others.
We are in the process of recruiting memory-impaired singers and their spouses or caregivers, so please contact Dr. Jane Stump, director of Vista Song of Joy Chorus, at [email protected] or 520-288-6840 for questions or to sign up.