“Music does bring people together…no matter what language we speak, what color we are, the form of our politics or the expression of our love and our faith, music proves: we are the same.” – John Denver
A sense of belonging and connection with others is so important, not only for our social-emotional health, but for our overall wellbeing. There is an expanding research base that highlights the “growing concerns about the critical rates of loneliness in residential care” (Theurer et al., 2015). It is obvious through our rich activity programming that we at KP are dedicated to fostering engagement and connection between our residents. Our Music Therapy Groups are designed to aid residents in deepening peer relationships in a smaller, more intimate setting. Chu et al. (2013) found group music therapy to be “a noninvasive…therapy” that elevated mood and slowed cognitive decline like short term memory loss. Take a look at our various groups across campus!
Our Woodlands Women and Groves Gals groups meet once weekly, where we focus on connection through singing, conversation, and music-inspired reminiscence. Launching in September are two new groups: Connections Chromatics and Music Men. The Chromatics group seeks to engage our Groves residents in creative expression through active music-making and singing, with music serving as the bridge of connection. The Music Men group is bringing the music-appreciating men of the Woodlands together for singing, reminiscence, and exploration of various genres of music.
If you would like to learn more about our music therapy groups or any other programming, please contact Melissa Pate at mpate@kensingtonsl.com.