There are 70 choirs for the memory impaired all over the world, and the choir at Vista de la Montana Methodist Church in Catalina will be number 71!
To address 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 individuals 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 first part will be a social time with snacks. Afterwards, the choir will practice 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.
Although short-term memory can be limited for some, long-term memory is remarkably intact, and music is an effective stimulant of long-term memory, not to mention that it offers comfort, joy and pleasure. The chorus gives the memory impaired a chance to be competent again, bring joy to others through song and feel happiness from working in a chorus with others.
We are in the process of recruiting the memory impaired and their spouses or caregivers. 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.