Top Takeaways from Our Dementia Choir and Vicky McClure

Nearly a million people and rising live with dementia in the UK. BAFTA-winning actor Vicky McClure MBE shared the moving story behind Our Dementia Choir and how music is medicine – bringing joy, connection, and a voice to people living with the condition. Hosted by Leeds legendary broadcaster Andrew Edwards and joined by Leeds Playhouse’s Dr Nicky Taylor, a pioneer in accessible theatre and an advocate in how the arts can offer hope in life with dementia, the frank and heartfelt talk culminated in a heartfelt live performance by the documentary-famed choir.

Top Takeaways

Finding Hope in Creativity: Music is Medicine celebrated the transformative power of music in supporting people living with dementia. Actor and advocate Vicky McClure MBE joined Dr Nicky Taylor and host Andrew Edwards to discuss the impact of Our Dementia Choir and how music fosters connection, joy, and hope.

The dementia-friendly evening featured moving performances by pianist Duncan Goodwin and Our Dementia Choir, alongside a short film and an emotional audience Q&A.

“When my grandma was diagnosed we just had no idea was going on. One day she was screaming almost constantly. We started singing nursery rhymes, and it comforted her. Thankfully there’s been a huge rise in understanding of what dementia is.” – Vicky McClure

“There are so many examples of music reaching people with dementia. The whole idea of joining a choir, memory cafes, and dance communities, they’re all so important because evidence show us that people’s social connections often fall away when they get a diagnosis.” – Dr Nicky Taylor

“We need to talk more about dementia. We need to talk about care, the funding of care, and how to live a life with dementia as well as it can be lived.” – Andrew Edwards

“There are moments when you can sing an entire song even though you can’t remember who you’re sitting next to” – Dr Nicky Taylor

Further Reading

• Music, Health, and Wellbeing edited by Raymond MacDonald, Gunter Kreutz & Laura Mitchell Explores music’s therapeutic, social, and neuroscientific dimensions, with UK-based case studies.
• Singing in the Brain: Ageing, Dementia and Music Interventions (British Geriatrics Society / journal articles collection) A selection of UK research showing how music interventions affect cognition, mood, wellbeing in older populations.
• The Arts on Prescription: Social Prescribing and the Role of the Arts in Wellbeing (UK policy / NHS literature)  Looks at how arts programmes (music, choir, theatre) are being integrated into health and social care in the UK.
  

Related UK Podcasts, Media & Projects

• BBC Andrew Edwards – Mum and Me – Soundtracks to Our Live
  Andrew Edwards shares his diary in an unfolding story about his Mum, who has dementia. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio Leeds.
  
• “Creative Health: The Arts for Health and Wellbeing” (All-Party Parliamentary Group report, UK) While not a podcast, this UK report is widely cited and explores policy, case studies, and arguments for integrating the arts into health systems.
  
• The Alzheimer’s Society – Dementia & Creativity video series / podcast episodes
  The UK Alzheimer’s Society often features people with dementia and carers talking about the role of arts, music, storytelling in life with dementia.

Action & Support in the UK / Leeds Context

Because this event touches on dementia, community, health, and arts, here are UK / Leeds-area contacts, projects, and opportunities you can include or link to in your article.

• Alzheimer’s Society (UK) Support, resources, research, community groups. Helpline: 0333 150 3456.
• Music for Dementia (UK campaign) Advocacy for integrating music into dementia care, policy support, case studies across UK.
  
• Sing for the Brain (Alzheimer’s Society, UK) A UK singing programme for people with dementia and their carers, promoting social connection through music.
• Leeds Older People’s Forum / Age UK Leeds
  Local organisations that often partner with arts / wellbeing programmes in Leeds — good for community outreach or partnership
• Voluntary Arts / local choirs & dementia-friendly arts groups in Leeds

For example, cross-sector groups that run community choirs, arts workshops for older people, dementia-inclusive theatre.