Creative Journeys Report 2019

Creative Journeys 49 It is about a group of individuals, so it is caring about each of those individual people but ultimately also getting them to work together as a whole unit. (Arts organisations focus group) The distinction between active and passive participation was also brought into question in the Sinfonia Viva with Orchestras Live case study. Despite lots of active participation - heads nodding, feet tapping and dancing, singing together, clapping after live music, and contributions to composing a melody and writing song lyrics - there was also forms of participation that could be considered less ‘active’ in the traditional sense. For example, some residents did not join in the sing-alongs during sessions, despite their enthusiasm for the arts. This was sometimes due to a lack of confidence or experience in participatory arts, or was again an issue of their capacity to participate to the same extent as others, but they were often smiling throughout and offering an explanation that they were “no good at singing” or just preferred to listen and observe the others. Whereas some people were working towards the final result, I think the other people were just purely enjoying themselves, and having fun in the session, so a win-win situation all round, to be perfectly honest with you. (Stage one care manager) Those with physical or cognitive impairments were often supported by staff or relatives to participate, for example in the observations, one resident with Parkinson’s disease was helped by both the activities coordinator and her husband at different points to tap or sway her hand to the music during a session and the performance. This demonstrates how participatory arts activities can be accessible for everyone as people can participate to whatever extent they feel comfortable with, or the activity can be adapted so that the arts are responsive to people’s needs. Through this, residents who were not expected to be able to contribute could do so; challenging the preconceptions of some staff members. I noticed that one of the resident’s family was actually helping her clap… She can’t do anything for herself, she’s got Parkinson’s. It was kind of nice seeing her clapping, and she was nodding her head a bit. (Stage one staff member) She looks so disabled you think “Is she just going to sit in the corner all the time like that, but listen and maybe enjoy it?” It was amazing that she turned out one of the lead storytellers, the most lively in terms of her engagement. (Stage one arts facilitator) The group work provided a structured opportunity for interaction, which was particularly important for residents with cognitive impairment. Firstly, there were activities that facilitated introductions, such as arts facilitators greeting each resident one by one as they came into the space and encouraging other residents to do the same. Green Candle also used the ‘Hello Song’ in which introductions of each person around the circle are incorporated into the warm-up. During the sessions, the participatory nature of group work often featured activities to encourage partner working or working collaboratively together in smaller groups, which was identified as a mechanism to build relationships and also to ensure that everyone was involved. Arts facilitators used open questions, which didn’t rely on memory so