TEA in the News: Diamonds – The Power of Music

Alzheimer’s is such a highly challenging disease. It strips away the pieces that make you feel like yourself, and often leads to isolation. This makes people feel even more disconnected from themselves and their communities. That’s why making meaningful connections to other people is even more important for patients of Alzheimer’s and dementia. That is where middle school students from TEA stepped in.

“The goal of this project was to celebrate the lives of our students and the residents at the assisted living facility,” said TEA’s music director and program chair, Emily Tessmer. “We wanted to bring together young people and those who are in their later years, so both groups could find connection and joy through the arts. I think it was a smashing success.”

Over the course of the fall semester, TEA’s middle school choir class learned about the power of music when it comes to tackling dementia, and how, especially for people with Alzheimer’s, it can tap into memories that are otherwise inaccessible. One of TEA’s main tenets is to encourage students to put what they are learning in the classroom into action in the real world. So, TEA students chose and rehearsed a set of songs to perform for residents at the Stone Valley Assisted Living Home in Reno, Nevada.

After the performance, the residents and students had the chance to get together in small groups and bond over music – talking about the songs that held special meaning for them in their lives. At the end of the project, the students crafted custom playlists for the residents to capture the essence and joy of the experience.

“We’re not interested in ‘preparing future leaders,’ but rather tapping their creativity, right now,” says TEA Co-Founder Taylor Simmers. “To do so, we engage students in real world projects that tackle the most pressing issues in our communities and world around us. If we are going to train young people to be change-makers of tomorrow, then we want to start their journey doing this work today.”

“Singing at the Summit Estate… it was amazing,” says TEA student, Cruz. “Being able to see everybody’s reaction, they were all really happy and some of them were singing, which was pretty cool.”