Music, memory, and meaningful care at JS Festival in Tochigi
The Interactive Workshop on Music and Reminiscence Therapy at the 1st National Elderly Welfare Facility Conference and Research Meeting brought an engaging, practical dimension to the JS Festival in Tochigi. Designed for care professionals, facility leaders, researchers, and related suppliers, the session explored how familiar sounds can support communication, emotional wellbeing, and person-centred care.
Music is closely connected to personal history. A song from childhood, a traditional melody, or the rhythm of a familiar activity may awaken memories that are difficult to reach through ordinary conversation. In eldercare settings, these responses can create opportunities for connection, self-expression, and participation.
The workshop reflected the wider purpose of the conference: sharing evidence and experience that can be applied in daily practice. Alongside research presentations, study tours, exhibitions, and networking, the session encouraged participants to consider how small, consistent interventions can improve the quality of life for older adults.
Why music belongs in care
Reminiscence therapy uses meaningful memories, objects, photographs, stories, and sensory experiences to encourage conversation and emotional engagement. Music can strengthen this approach because it often remains accessible even when speech, short-term memory, or concentration has declined. Familiar melodies may prompt humming, movement, facial expressions, or memories of people and places.
The value of music does not depend on a performance being technically impressive. A care worker may play a well-known recording, tap a steady rhythm, or invite residents to sing a chorus together. The essential factor is relevance to the individual. A song associated with work, family celebrations, military service, local festivals, or seasonal traditions may carry far greater meaning than a generic activity track.
The workshop also positioned music as a social bridge. Group singing can reduce isolation, while paired listening can support quiet, one-to-one interaction. When staff observe carefully, they can learn more about a resident’s preferences, mood, and identity.
Building an interactive workshop experience
An effective session begins with participation rather than a long lecture. Attendees may listen to several musical excerpts, describe the memories or images they evoke, and discuss how the same piece could affect different people. This simple exercise demonstrates why personal background matters when selecting music for older adults.
Facilitators can then introduce practical methods such as life-story interviews, personal playlists, seasonal song collections, and family-supported music histories. Participants might create a sample “music biography” containing favourite artists, meaningful occasions, disliked sounds, and preferred volume levels. This information can become part of an individual care plan.
Safety and consent are equally important. Some music may evoke grief, trauma, or confusion, so staff should watch for signs of distress and be prepared to change the activity. Hearing loss, cognitive impairment, cultural differences, and sensory sensitivity should also shape the pace and format of the session.
From memory to meaningful interaction
Reminiscence work is most effective when staff respond to what the older person communicates instead of testing memory accuracy. If a resident recalls a workplace, a sibling, or a village festival, the goal is not to correct every detail. A supportive response might acknowledge the feeling, repeat a meaningful word, or invite the person to describe the atmosphere.
This approach can be particularly helpful for people living with dementia. Music may support procedural memory, allowing a person to sing a familiar refrain or follow a simple movement even when other abilities have changed. Such moments can reinforce dignity and help staff see strengths that are not always visible during routine care.
Documentation can help teams build continuity. After a session, staff might record the music used, the resident’s response, and any themes that emerged. Over time, these observations can guide more personalised activities and improve communication between care workers, families, therapists, and volunteers.
| Approach | Main purpose | Useful activity | Key consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Music reminiscence | Connect music with personal history | Familiar songs, life-story playlists, singing | Choose material based on the individual |
| Guided listening | Encourage calm attention and emotional expression | Short listening sessions with gentle discussion | Control volume and duration |
| Group music activity | Build social connection and participation | Chorus singing, rhythm instruments, movement | Offer different ways to join |
| Individual music care | Support mood and one-to-one communication | Personal playlist during care routines | Respect preferences and consent |
| Creative expression | Encourage identity and confidence | Lyric writing, dance, storytelling, percussion | Focus on enjoyment rather than performance |
Connecting music with everyday care
The workshop’s ideas can extend beyond scheduled activities. Music may accompany bathing, mealtimes, exercise, relaxation, or preparation for sleep, provided that it supports rather than interrupts the person’s comfort. A consistent song can signal the beginning of an enjoyable routine, while quiet instrumental music may help create a calm environment.
Integration requires coordination. Care teams should agree on suitable volume, timing, equipment, and responsibility for selecting content. Families can contribute recordings and stories, while residents should retain control over whether and how they participate. A short, meaningful session is often more successful than a long activity that causes fatigue.
Practical care training at the conference followed the same principle of making learning usable in real settings. Staff who want to connect therapeutic activities with safer daily support can review this transfer skills workshop, which complements the broader focus on dignity, confidence, and attentive practice.
Learning across professional roles
The JS Festival created space for different parts of the eldercare field to learn together. Facility administrators could consider how music programmes fit staffing and resource plans. Practitioners could exchange activity ideas. Researchers could examine outcomes such as engagement, mood, communication, and participation. Suppliers could explore tools that make personalised audio and group sessions easier to deliver.
This cross-sector setting matters because successful reminiscence care is rarely the work of one profession. A music therapist may offer specialist guidance, but care workers often notice the everyday responses that shape future sessions. Families contribute personal history, while managers create the conditions for consistent implementation.
The event’s wider leadership themes also highlighted the role of administrators in supporting innovation. Reflections gathered in these leadership lessons show how organisational culture can influence whether promising ideas become sustainable practice.
Practical takeaways for care teams
A facility does not need expensive equipment to begin. It needs curiosity, good observation, and a respectful process for learning what each person values. Teams can start with a small pilot, review responses, and adapt the activity over time.
Useful steps include:
- Build a music profile with the older person and, where appropriate, their family.
- Use familiar songs to encourage conversation, movement, or shared participation.
- Monitor facial expression, body language, mood, and signs of fatigue during each session.
- Record helpful preferences and avoid music linked with distress or discomfort.
- Share successful approaches during team meetings so care remains consistent.
Evaluation should include more than attendance numbers. Staff can note whether residents initiate interaction, remain engaged for longer, show signs of relaxation, or connect with others after the session. These observations help demonstrate value while keeping the focus on lived experience.
Carrying the learning forward
The music and reminiscence session represented the practical spirit of the JS Festival in Tochigi: professional knowledge became more useful when participants could discuss it, experience it, and adapt it to their own facilities. The same principle applies to every care innovation. Ideas gain strength when they are tested respectfully and shared across teams.
The conference also showed how research, workshops, exhibitions, and informal conversation can support one another. A product displayed in the exhibition may become more meaningful after a practitioner explains a real care need. A research finding may become more accessible when a workshop demonstrates how it works in practice.
Although the event was held in the past, its learning remains relevant to organisations seeking more personal and compassionate eldercare. For information about the conference programme, related resources, or event enquiries, contact the event secretariat and continue exploring approaches that place each older person’s story at the centre of care.