A NEW choir is finding its voice at Gibraltar Nursing Home in Monmouth. Family Members and team members have suggested and voted on a name, chosen their first song, and plans are already underway for their debut performance.

The newly named Silver Song Birds Choir will meet for rehearsals twice a week, with the first taking place in Fernlea, one of the homes households. Its larger dining room can rearranged for everyone wishing to join from across the home to gather together, while warmer afternoons may see rehearsals move outside into the households decking area.

With September approaching, thoughts have already turned to the choir’s first performance at the home’s annual Christmas Fayre, which invites relatives, loved ones, friends of the home, and the wider Monmouthshire community to enjoy the festive spirit.

Family members were asked which carol they would like to begin rehearsing and chose Away in a Manager, a song many remember singing when they were young.

One of Gibraltar’s team members, Jiso, is working on designing an emblem for the Silver Song Birds, which will eventually be embroidered onto T-shirts for everyone to wear during performances.

Church hymns are likely to become part of the choir’s repertoire in the future too. For some family members, these are songs they have known for much of their lives through attending church or singing in choirs, with some still able to remember every word of their favourites.

There is already plenty of musical experience around the home. Family member Mark previously sang with the Caldicot Male Voice Choir and can often be heard singing to himself and those around him. Several family members also play the piano and will sit down at the home’s keyboard when the mood takes them.

The choir will give those who have always loved music another way to stay connected to a passion that has long been part of their lives. Music can be especially powerful for those who may be living with a Dementia or are on a cognitive journey.

Rhythm and melody activate parts of the brain linked to emotion, movement and long-term memory, so although someone might struggle to recall a recent conversation, they can sometimes still remember the words or beat to a song form years ago.

As Bridget, House Lead of Fernlea and organiser of the choir put it, “Being perfectly in tune is far less important than having the opportunity to sing alongside other people and be part of something together! There are many of our family members who would have been part of a choir at some point in their lives or simply love singing and being part of something.”