Getting started

Egg Shakers (1 per participant)
Bucket drum and 2 sticks (per person)

Colourful streamers
Small bean bags
Balloons

Speaker and mp3/CD player (essential)
Laptop (optional)
Projector (optional)

Before starting it is important to find out some information about the participants e.g. any mobility issues, one or two favourite songs/artists/genre of music. If they are unable to provide this information there are some options in Appendix 1.

Songs from when participants were aged 10-30 years (also known as the ‘reminiscence bump’ or the time of a peak in autobiographical memories) are most effective at stimulating memories so choosing songs from this time period is suggested.

Any recreational officer (RO) can facilitate the MMM program using this manual as a guide. They do not need to have any formal music therapy qualifications, music training or experience. The number of facilitators required depends on the number of participants in the group. The ideal group size is 8-10 participants.

Ideally there should be 2 ROs to facilitate each session. This allows for one to run/explain the activity and the other to work the PPT slides and assist participants engage in the task.

Place seats in a half circle to face the projector screen where the PPT slides are displayed (if available). Set up the bucket drum, sticks and shaker in front of the participants so that they are easily accessible.