It is an absolute delight to be back with my dear friends after such an absence with the rolling closures with Covid 19. I rejoined the team early in February 2022. When we do get to be together, we spend celebrating and bringing joy into the room.

Every session ends with a well deserved cup of tea.

Poneke House is a delightful dementia care and rest home for elderly persons living in Newtown, Wellington. I have been visiting them on and off over the last four years. First with Playback and Alpha Omega Playback Theatre Company and then I transitioned into Song leading then Social Singing. Each project has differences in how we create music together.

In Social Singing, we work with both units of Poneke House. We sing music that is familiar from their repertoire, Purea Nei, Pokarekare ana and songs introduced from me, covering world music and traditional songs that reflect us as a community.

We use instruments and sing to live music to guitar and ukulele, when the occasion calls for it, I like to share a more full recorded track to support the full chorale experience for our group.

I love seeing the transformation in music, it is such a visceral experience, and invitational, as if we call people into the room and the play we have is so fun people want to join or show what they can do.

I like to encourage engaging in upper body movement and creating play so we are physically taking action and moving our brain, giving the left and right hemispheres a little shake-up if residents have been resting in their rooms for long periods of time. This can be wonderful to see this blossoming in front of you via transformation, playfulness and dance.

Now, if we can get that covid under control I can back to visit again.