A singing circle at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw has brought people living with dementia and other neurological conditions together with their carers in an hourlong, music-centered support session. The gathering is aimed at more than entertainment, participants and organizers said, offering a structured environment where families can share songs as cognitive and physical abilities change.
Megan Worthy said the sessions pull her back to her musical childhood in Canberra, after her rare early-onset dementia began affecting her vision and other brain functions. The 58-year-old described her condition as “pretty brutal,” adding that she is “starting to lose everything,” while also saying the Amsterdam singing circle has been “really rewarding” and has “make[s] me have a lot of memories.” Worthy participates with her daughter, Bronte, in a group led by opera singer Maartje de Lint at the landmark hall.
The singing circle is designed for seniors with what Worthy called “vulnerable brains,” many of whom have forms of dementia or Parkinson’s disease. About each attendee pays 20 euros (about $23.50) to take part, and organizers set up participants and carers in a circle of chairs in the Concertgebouw’s ornate Mirror Hall, beneath 14 crystal chandeliers.
De Lint moves around the circle, often dropping to one knee and reaching out to connect with singers, while she and other helpers also crisscross the Netherlands and Europe to lead similar workshops. De Lint told the Associated Press that singing is a way of keeping the brain active and bringing family members closer, describing the approach as a kind of brain training that can support resilience and the “perspective” participants still have.
Selien Kneppers, 78, who said she once managed a Dutch boogie woogie and blues band, said the group’s message resonates with her as she regularly attends the sessions. “We always say, music is like vitamins,” Kneppers said, describing how the routine centers on connection for both participants and those supporting them.
During the sessions, carers and helpers hand out paper tissues as people become emotional, and some participants reach out to touch one another’s faces while they sing. The group sings songs including Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender,” Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon,” and “Amazing Grace,” with the hour ending in a shared moment that Bronte Henfling said feels meaningful even when it is not framed as medical care.
Henfling said it felt good to bring her mother to a new environment that was not a medical appointment, describing the emotional effect of seeing people come together. “Just hearing everyone come together and sing … it reminds us that we’re all human and there’s a humanity out there which is really pleasing and nice to be a part of,” she said.
Neurobiologist Brankele Frank, who is not connected to De Lint’s project, said researchers are studying how music may benefit people with dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, as well as people with traumatic brain injuries and stroke. Frank told the Associated Press that music “speaks to brain areas that haven’t really been degenerated yet,” explaining that verbal skills often are compromised but that music can engage parts of the brain tied to emotion and identity.
Scientists have found that music can light up multiple brain regions involved in language, memory, emotion and movement, Frank said. For families, organizers said, the value of those potential effects is reflected in the tone of the room—where singers, carers and helpers are arranged not for clinical assessment, but for shared listening and participation in a common rhythm.