They have had their first rehearsal and they will have to work hard in the Participation Choir. In this special singing company, people with dementia rehearse together with an accompanist for a real concert later this year. But it was not an easy road to do so.
The supervisors, also known as ‘cloak singers’ in this project, help people with a faltering brain. “In terms of timing, for example, Kees gives me a signal when I have to start,” says Franc Janssen (70), who has been participating in this choir from the start and is musically inclined.
“There are moments of peace,” adds singer Kees Stet (75). “During that break you have to keep counting and then I will indicate where and when we will start again.”
According to Franck, music is important for people with dementia: “Because you have something to hold onto and you work together. And, it’s incredibly beautiful when you see people look moved while singing. Beautiful.”
There are multiple participation choirs in the province and there is even there one in Belgium. On April 2, the Haarlem vocal ensemble will perform the famous St Matthew Passion by JS Bach in the Adelbertus parish on the Rijksstraatweg in Haarlem.