Welcome to Leicester Musical Memory Box
We are running 3 face to face groups in Leicester City as well as groups in Loughborough, Sapcote and Market Harborough. We have some bespoke sessions in care homes and work one2one at home upon request.
We are also still online on Thursdays and Fridays so no-one needs to miss out!
What is Leicester Musical Memory Box?
Leicester Musical Memory Box is an independent, not for profit organisation delivering fun and interactive sessions. We use singing, music and gentle seated exercises to help improve health and wellbeing whilst reducing loneliness and social isolation.
We believe that music is an essential part of life and whilst we initially began working with people living with dementia and memory loss along with their carers, we are now able to open the sessions up to anyone who feels they may benefit.
Our sessions are led by Kyle Newman along with Christina Birkby and a team of wonderful volunteers. We are very proud to now have our Geet Sangeet groups for the South Asian community led by Beena Masand.
We also have a YouTube channel to help people familiarise themselves with some of the songs we sing in these sessions.
Please do contact us if you would like any further information.
About us
Originally working therapeutically in horticulture, this aptitude soon transferred to music as she began to work professionally as a singer. She has been to, and sung for, a lot of weddings, parties, and events!
From the first time Kyle sang for people in their care home, she says it was a ‘lightbulb’ moment, seeing the effect of music and voice on others and experiencing it herself; she was hooked!
In 2015 she was pleased to start working for the Alzheimer’s Society creating a new Singing for the Brain service in Leicester City. This one group has led to the evolution of Leicester Musical Memory Box.
Experienced in working with vulnerable adults, Kyle leads sessions for many community-based groups, secure care, people with learning difficulties and disabilities, mental health issues, substance abuse, women on probation, and palliative care. She has tutored for the WEA and Recovery College and has led many groups face to face, and online.
She trained and then worked for many years as an Occupational Therapist in a variety of settings including working with people with dementia. When her mother was diagnosed with dementia she noticed the positive effects music had on her health and well-being even singing along to music she wouldn’t have previously listened to!
More recently Christina worked for the Alzheimer’s society as a Dementia Support Worker. During this time she facilitated dementia cafes, carer support groups and also the Carers Information and Support Programme.
Support us
We rely on donations to run our groups and any help, large or small, is gratefully received. Click the button below to donate to us via Paypal.
You can also donate via bank transfer using the following details;
Leicester Musical Memory Box
Co-operative Bank
Sort Code: 08-92-99
Account Number: 65857502
We run a variety of weekly and monthly events
Our weekly groups are all designed to be lots of fun for everyone who attends.
On-line Zoom Groups
The Wolsey group
Ross Walk, Leicester. LE4 5AF
Every 2nd and 4th Monday from 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Our longest established group that began as Alzheimers Society ‘Singing for the Brain’ in 2015!
Lovely bright environment; we hold the group in the community lounge of the building. Ground floor access. Buzz in entry, however we usually have a volunteer on the door to welcome you in.
Only closed for Monday Bank holidays.
The St Anne’s group
The Hall at St Anne’s, Letchworth Road, Leicester. LE3 6FN
Every 1st and 3rd Tuesday from 2pm – 3:30pm
A twice monthly group in the Western Park area of Leicester for people living with dementia, their carers, friends, family or anyone who enjoys singing!
The Harborough Musical Memory Box group
The Harborough Theatre Lounge, Church Square, Market Harborough, LE16 7NB
Every 3rd Thursday 2pm – 3.30pm
Held in the central town venue of Harborough Theatre lounge and will complement the Dementia Harborough Charity monthly ‘Music for Memories’ group that Kyle also leads offering the Harborough area a group twice a month!
‘Geet Sangeet’ with Beena Masand
The Wolsey Building, Ross Walk, Leicester. LE4 5AF
Every Tuesday from 2pm – 4pm
This weekly group is led by Beena Masand using songs in Hindi, Punjabi and Gujurati. As always, anyone is welcome that feels they may benefit.
Broughton Astley
The Village Hall, The Cottage. Station Road. Broughton Astley, Leicester. LE9 6PR
Every 1st and 4th Thursday 2pm – 3.30pm
Suggested donation of £3-5 pp most welcome.
Support funding from ‘Everyone Active’ Donations welcome.
Charnwood Musical Memory Box
John Storer House, Ward’s End, Loughborough. LE11 3HA
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday afternoon of the month
Working together with Charnwood Arts we hold a group twice a month, every 2nd and 4th Tuesday afternoon. Arrive for 2pm and have a cuppa; fun and music til 3.30pm.
Currently funded but donations are always welcome.
Oadby Musical Memory Box
10 The Parade, Oadby, Leicester. LE2 5BF
Every 1st and 3rd Tuesday Morning 10.30am – 12.00 noon.
Suggested donation of £3-5 pp most welcome.
Geet Sangeet Charnwood
Loughborough Wellbeing Centre, Asha House, Woodgate, Loughborough. LE11 2TZ
Every second and fourth Wednesday 10.30am – 12.30pm
Suggested donation of £3-5 pp most welcome.
We are a very sociable group
We post regularly to social media so you can see what we have been up to – below are our latest posts on Facebook
Nice things people have said about us
We love what we do and when people have a great time and give positive feedback it makes it even more enjoyable!
It helps with so much – memory, communication, activity, and it’s so much fun!
Great fun, thrilling, therapeutic, relaxed and you get a cuppa and biscuits and a good old sing song….. what more do you need?
during lockdown, our Zoom sessions were an absolute lifeline! I never thought we’d manage to meet up on on a computer but we learnt to do it!
Zoom was great for my mum who was recovering in bed and could still join!
Wonderful, welcoming and fun.
its fun friendly and the lmmb and their helpers really look after everyone – we love going every monday.
It was wonderful to get involved in the Hear and Now project on Zoom. We got to know people from outside Leicestershire and, we’re now in a film which our families can watch.
The Musical Boxes in a bag are great! It makes the zoom sessions even more fun and we like it when we all hold up the same items even though we’re not together in a room
When we went to the facetoface group for the first time it was funny to ‘meet’ people that we’d seen for months on Zoom!
Get in touch
Are you interested in attending one of our singing groups or maybe you want us to perform at your event? Complete the form below and let us know!