What is Perfect Harmony?

Perfect Harmony is a music resource that helps care partners identify appropriate generational music and activities to engage individuals living with dementia in a shared music experience.

 

That said, music is beneficial for everyone and these resources are perfectly viable for any generation to engage through music! Get creative and use Perfect Harmony with your family, in school or in your community.

 

How can you use Perfect Harmony At-Home or in your community?

Each month, our staff and volunteers will release video resources and music activities that are created with a cohesive theme in mind. We will offer one new activity that you can use each week to engage a loved one or resident in your community on an individual basis or in a small group.

 

So that you can plan ahead, we have listed our upcoming themes: 

 

  • January 2021 - New Year
  • February 2021 - Love's Delights
  • March 2021 - Let's Dance!
  • April 2021 - Make Me Laugh

 

Past Perfect Harmony resources

January 2021: New Year

 

After facing a difficult year, we're happily welcoming 2021 with music. Our Perfect Harmony activities this month focus on what we're looking forward to in the new year, getting to know one another better and dancing!

 

This month's songs:

  • Auld Lang Syne
  • What Are You Doing New Year's?
  • I Could Have Danced All Night
  • Que Sera, Sera
  • Getting to Know You

 

Video Resources:

Our staff and volunteers have recorded renditions of our January tunes for you to sing-along with, but if you are a musician and prefer to play or sing your own version of these songs, please feel free! You can also sing many of these songs a cappella (without accompaniment) - that said, having a steady beat and melody to follow is often very helpful for older adults.

 

 

Activity Resources:

This is your one-stop-shop for activity outlines, lyric sheets and visual resources! We hope these will be helpful to care partners who are planning musical activities for those in their care.

 

We recommend printing the Activity Outlines, Lyric Sheets, and Visual Prompts to follow along with our video resources.

 

Additional Resources:

In addition to our activity resources, please download our tip sheet that includes information about the power of music, effective communication tips, generational music and more. We encourage you to follow our Spotify account as we continue to build helpful playlists with timeless songs that may resonate with those in your care.

 

 

Special thanks:

We are proud to consult with board-certified music therapist, Allegra Hein (MT-BC), who provides expert guidance and feedback on our musical resources and recorded the accompaniment for all of our fabulous singers!

 

Additionally, we are grateful for our dedicated Perfect Harmony volunteer core. Our volunteers make everything we do possible.

 

Sponsored by:

A special thank you to our our sponsor, American Senior Communities, for generously supporting Perfect Harmony's mission to promote holistic well-being and social engagement through music.

 

to The Songbook Academy

Perfect Harmony Music Packets

Contact us for more information:
The Great American Songbook Foundation
317.843.3800
Info@TheSongbook.org

The Great American Songbook Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the music of the Great American Songbook.