Music as a tool to connect older and younger generations

Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent type of dementia, affecting over 50 million people globally. Alzheimer's not only steals memories from our loved ones; it steals their personality, humor, independence and is ultimately terminal. Today, over 6 million Americans 65 and older in the United States. By 2050 that number is projected to triple.  Alzheimer's is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States and there is no cure. There are currently over 500,000 people aged 65 and older who are living with Alzheimer’s in Florida, accounting for 12-14% of the senior population.  The majority of older adults transition into Long Term Care Facilities due to Alzheimer’s. Many long-term care facilities house residents that spend the majority of their time sitting, isolated, with little interaction with the general community and no access to stimulating activities.  Through the power of music, we improve the quality of life of participants experiencing neurological impairments socially, cognitively, creatively while improving mood.

Music is the universal language, it speaks to all of us regardless of age, race, or mental ability. Through interactive, intergenerational music programs provided in healthcare facilities, nursing homes, day centers, assisted living facilities, and at home, Mind&Melody’s proprietary music curriculum has been proven to improve the quality of life for older adults with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia, and children diagnosed with developmental disabilities, ADHD, Down syndrome, and autism.  Implemented by a team of professional musicians, programming is designed to go beyond entertainment. Sessions occur in person or online. During sessions, we involve playing instruments, singing, dancing, and general movement, which has been proven to help typically disengaged individuals blossom socially, cognitively, creatively, and physically, while improving mood. The collaborative model brings together a team of high school, college, and professional musicians delivering highly individualized sessions to reach and engage participants while building intergenerational relationships.

Prior to COVID, our sessions were delivered by a team of professional musicians in person. We have pivoted to bring our program online to seniors.  Data from sessions delivered on March 30th-May 12th, 2020 show the following engagement levels for the following functioning groups. High Functioning (n=38) 85%, Moderate Functioning (n=49) 39%, and Low Functioning (n=20) 14%.

Our program serves individuals with neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. We measure impact quantitatively and qualitatively. After every session, we conduct a behavioral analysis to measure engagement through various indicators like Positive facial expression (i.e smiling), playing instruments, participation in activities, and awareness level ( body language, alertness) during the sessions.

 Our program touches the lives of our dedicated musicians and volunteers to our participants, their families, and their caregivers – we bring life and light back into so many healthcare facilities that desperately need it. Our programs are socially, creatively, physically, and cognitively stimulating, our main goal is to improve quality of life.

Our programs are tailored and personalized to the individual. We speak to participants' caregivers to learn more about their family history and participants’ favorite music. For example, In 2019 we launched a program for Holocaust survivors. The song list was informed by survivors, members of the Jewish Community, and Yiddish and Hebrew playing musicians.  We learned about cultural norms, holidays and reflected them in our programming. 

Our team has a direct connection to the transformative power of music and dementia/Alzheimer’s. In 2014, I met a gentleman at a memory center that completely lit up when we put a viola in his hands. A light switch flipped and I saw the real David. From that moment, I truly understood my life’s mission -- to bring joy and connection to people that need it the most.

We bring over 10 years of experience in music, psychology, program design, and business development coupled with our passion, dedication, and commitment to the people that we serve allow us to excel in our work. Our board and advisors are made up of experts from the healthcare industry and seasoned entrepreneurs.  We've received local and national recognition because we have a proven model that transforms lives.

We have a team that has been built on the foundation of trust, respect, and open communication. Despite the challenges that may arise, like rebuilding our programs during COVID, we support and lift each other up. The experiences I have had in our programs over the past 7 years and participating in various social entrepreneurship training workshops have led me to develop the skills to manage multiple grants, a research study, and implement over 6,000 sessions in 100 institutions.

Over seven years, I’ve devoted my life to bringing one of humanity’s gifts, music, to individuals living with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and related neurological impairments.

We have witnessed music, and human connection transform seniors’ moods and help them regain pieces of themselves that may have seemed lost forever. They may not remember your name, but remember how you made them feel. 

Isolation, anxiety, and depression have become a prominent part of seniors' everyday lives and have been exacerbated during the pandemic. Caregivers mention, “Mom looks forward to your program all week!” 

From our musicians, volunteers, participants, families, and caregivers – we bring life back into homes and healthcare facilities that desperately need it.

During the pandemic, we realized the potential to scale our programs worldwide through technology and we are ready.

The Global Solve funding, mentorship, and network will help in: 

1. Streamline operations from scheduling systems to a centralized system for all data. 

2. Marketing & visibility to nationally highlight stories and amplify them through digital marketing strategies

3. Create a fundraising strategy to expand our team.  

  Mentorship has played a pivotal role in Mind&Melody’s growth, and expertise in these areas will elevate our organization to the next level. 

Our years of experience and research have allowed us to create a methodology that can be easily taught to professional musicians. It allows for musicians to learn how to engage and communicate with individuals living with cognitive impairments in a clinical setting while using their compassion and skills to improve the lives of seniors. Our organization specializes in neurological impairments and we have worked with individuals of all functioning levels. Additionally, our methodology has proven to be effective in children with autism and young adults with disabilities. We are able to provide programs in person and online, allowing us to reach anyone, anywhere in the world. 

The impact we are creating goes beyond the room where our work takes place and into the world by molding our team and the people we interact with into empathetic, loving human beings that see the value that someone living with dementia can still bring into this world. We are building generations for the future.

In the next year, we will focus on growing our programs in New Mexico and reaching Native American communities. Additionally, we seek to build an online subscription model for group and individual online Mind&Melody music sessions. We are planning on building an experimental page and running google ads to drive traffic. Lastly, we will be analyzing and publishing the results from our research study with Florida Atlantic University and the University of Miami. 

In the next five years, we plan to position our organization to scale nationally in order to ensure seniors with dementia/related neurological impairments have access to engaging music programs that improve their mood and overall quality of life.

We will position our organization to scale by focusing on the following: 

1. Optimizing our operations to support the expansion of online music sessions nationally. We believe further automation will reduce our team’s time on manual data entry and management. 

2. Expanding our network of mentors specializing in digital marketing, insurance, and service distribution. We are looking for experienced members that have grown an online service-based business.

3. Recruiting team members to increase organizational capacity

4. Developing a robust digital marketing strategy to help us reach caregivers, neurologists, and seniors online. 

5. Seeking capacity building support and unrestricted funding support #1-4. 

We measure progress by setting milestones and measuring our results with the intended outcomes. We have started to work on our plan but need mentorship and funding to accomplish the rest.

We measure impact by looking at our metrics on a monthly basis, number of musicians participating, number of participants served, number of facilities, amount of revenue generated. Each goal is broken down into smaller milestones and tracked on a project management tool. As far as direct impact in our programs, we have behavioral analysis tools that measure participants’ engagement and mood during our sessions. Additionally, participants self-report on moods before and after sessions. 

Mind&Melody helps seniors with neurological impairments regain pieces of themselves while instilling purpose and empathy in younger generations. 

Over six million Americans are affected by Alzheimer’s, and this number will triple by 2050. Alzheimer's steals memories, personality, and independence from our loved ones.

Pharmacological treatments seem to lessen cognitive symptoms and maintain functional abilities for some time. (Alzheimer’s Association, 2017).  However, medication alone is not enough to manage symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia and there is no cure. 

Music, however, is highly beneficial: 27 studies conducted reported that music positively influences a broad range of outcomes: It alleviates anxiety, promotes relaxation, improves mood, and reduces pain and agitation (Sung, Chang, and Lee 2010).  

This is where Mind&Melody make a difference. 

Our theory of change starts with our music enrichment specialists. We hire musicians to bring passion, dedication, and empathy. Our fun and proven methodology teach musicians how to use their musical gift to engage and communicate with all levels of dementia. Musicians undergo theoretical training and then co-lead sessions where they can apply what they have learned. We measure the music enrichment specialists’ tone, confidence, self-awareness, engagement, and communication through several indicators for example, How often did the session leader stand or walk around with a positive posture? (0=Never, 1=Rarely, 2=Frequently).  Once musicians have mastered each of these key performance areas, they feel more preferred and equipped to lead sessions for individuals with neurological impairments like dementia, and Alzheimer’s. We believe this is correlated with improved outcomes for participants in a session. 

We create an Interactive and Personalized Experience By using participants' favorite music. During our sessions, individuals that are generally despondent play instruments, socialize, sing, conduct live music, and dance.  Our sessions are delivered by professional musicians who are highly trained to communicate and provide music activities to individuals with neurological impairments. Our method allows for participants to retain information in their short-term memory while pulling triggers from long-term memories, thus resulting in higher participation and engagement. 

Before and after every session, we measure impact quantitatively and qualitatively. After every session, we conduct a behavioral analysis to measure engagement through various indicators like Positive facial expression (i.e smiling), playing instruments, participation in activities, and awareness level ( body language, alertness) during the sessions. Our program touches the lives of our dedicated musicians and volunteers to our participants, their families, and their caregivers – we bring life and light back into so many healthcare facilities that desperately need it. Our programs are socially, creatively, physically, and cognitively stimulating, our main goal is to improve quality of life.

By analyzing data collected after sessions, we have identified that our sessions engage participants socially, cognitively, and creatively as well as improve their mood by, on average, 30%.

Our music sessions are just as impactful for our seniors as they are for our musicians. Our programs build confidence and mold young musicians into leaders.  Musicians self-reporting their mood before and after sessions show 27% improved mood. Musicians have reported the top three emotions before sessions: calm, anxious, tired and after sessions: accomplished, happy, and blessed. Overall, an improvement in mental health for our musicians. 

 The musicians walk out of the sessions with their heads held high, feeling good that they can use their skills to impart happiness to others while building intergenerational relationships.

As of now, we are using Zoom to facilitate online programs. We provide sessions for one on one or group sessions. We ship instruments to our participants and design activities to make the experience interactive for everyone involved. We seek to build an online subscription model for group and individual online Mind&Melody music sessions. We are planning on building an experimental page and running google ads to drive traffic. We know through the MIT Global Challenge and access to funding, mentors, and experts we will be able to accomplish this goal. 

•  Cristina Rodriguez, President & Co-Founder, identifies as a Latina, heterosexual woman (she/her). She was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and spent her childhood there until she moved to Miami, FL at the age of 10. 
• Eric Guitian, Program Director, identifies as a Latino, bisexual man (he/him). He was born and raised in Little Havana in Miami, FL. 
• Orianna Gutierrez, Program Assistant, identifies as a Latina, heterosexual woman (she/her). She was born and raised in Miami, FL. 
• Our board identifies as 75% Hispanic and 25% white. 75% of the board members are women and 25% are men. 75% identify as heterosexual and 25% as bisexual. 1 out of the 4 board members identifies as having a disability.

We hire musicians of all backgrounds, ages, gender, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and abilities. 

We serve people of all backgrounds and orientations in our weekly programs. Our developmentally appropriate program integrates the culture of each group through music.  We’ve grown adept at integrating the diverse cultural backgrounds of each South Florida community in our sessions. In 2019 we launched a program for Holocaust survivors. The song list was informed by survivors, members of the Jewish Community, and Yiddish and Hebrew playing musicians.  We learned about cultural norms and holidays and reflected them in our programming.  

Our business model is sustainable. 60% of funding comes from fee-for-service and 40% comes from donations and grants. We offer different program options varying on clients budgets ranging from weekly, bi-weekly, monthly with high client retention over years. 

Grants and donations are utilized to provide free demonstrations to facilities and individuals to create value and build trust - leading to a 60% conversion. Clients that do not convert are usually due to budget constraints.  Additionally, grants and donations enable us to support individuals that are not able to afford our services. 

In two years, our goal is to optimize our operations through technology and grow our team to position our organization and scale our impact nationwide. To accomplish this goal, we will need to secure $300K in capacity-building funding in two years. We will need to expand our network beyond South Florida to reach mentors, major donors,  with national media access, connections, insurance, and technology experts.  

We will continue to grow our fee-for-service model and partner with long-term care facilities across the country. Please see below for more information. 

60% of funding comes from fee-for-service to long-term care facilities and seniors aging in place and 40% comes from donations and grants. We started generating revenue from our services in 2017 and we still continue to serve many of the facilities that we did back then. We currently serve over 60 long-term care facilities in Florida impacting over 1,000 lives. Through the pandemic, we developed Mind&Melody online sessions delivered through video conferencing. 20% of work takes place online and we see the potential it has to further reach anyone, anywhere. We plan to continue to expand our fee-for-service model to drive sustainability. As far as grants and donations, we’ve had 50 consistent donors over the past couple of years and a number of foundations supporting our work year after year like the Quantum Foundation and the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.