7 February 2024

Music Therapist, Maria Radoje from CNWL’s Community Mental Health Team in Harrow has featured on the BBC One Show, contributing to a piece about the benefits of playing an instrument in older age.

The piece discusses a recent study from the University of Exeter, which shows that playing a music instrument, particularly the piano, is linked to improved memory and the ability to solve complex tasks.

On the show, Maria said:

“Music therapy can help when people have had strokes, they can learn to speak, they can sing again. Often people with mental health issues find it quite difficult to express what they’re feeling with their words. Using an artistic medium can give another avenue which can feel safer sometimes.”

Maria is a Tutor at the ACM, The Academy of Contemporary Music, where the students were filmed, and is also a Fellow of the Association of Music and Imagery (FAMI). Students from the academy also spoke about the impact of music on their wellbeing.

Watch the show back at this link (2 February 2024). 

Find out more about the Harrow Older Adults Community Mental Health Team on this service page.