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VON team members in Nova Scotia have come together to create a unified music program for participants of VON’s 16 Adult Day Programs (ADPs) across the province. Led by Monique Natividad, Program Supervisor, Nova Scotia Community Support Services, staff members are learning to play the ukulele so they can hold sing-alongs with clients. 

“We all know the importance of music and the benefits of music at our programs,” says Monique. “It's almost magic when we see clients who are not able to engage in many other activities—as soon as the music starts, we just see the mood change.”

Last fall, ADP coordinators sought Monique’s help to recruit music groups for their programs, and she opted to take it a step further. 

“One of my roles is to standardize offerings, and look for ways that we can improve,” adds Monique. “I said I could probably help you learn how to play an instrument, so that you can provide your own music.” 

Both of Monique’s parents are music teachers and she grew up taking piano and singing lessons, performing with her family in church and at weddings and funerals.

She began by handing out ukuleles and workbooks to participants at Annapolis Valley and Pictou professional development days. After that, she offered online classes, with two sessions per week. For some frontline staff who normally work with clients all day, this was a rare opportunity to meet colleagues online. 

“We started out very basic with how to hold your ukulele and the position of your fingers and the names of the strings,” says Monique. “At first, the C chord was really tricky.” To make it easier, Monique used paint markers to mark finger placement, noting when it was time to put their finger on “red” or “blue.”

She says the ukulele is a great choice for several reasons—it is portable, cost-efficient, comes in a rainbow of fun colours and is user-friendly. 

“Even on the first week, with one chord, we were able to do one song, and then when we added the second chord, there were two or three songs that we could do, so right away they were able to sing,” says Monique.

Today, she continues to offer lessons in two groups—those who wish to continue exploring songs using their first five chords and those who want to learn more difficult chords, count in 3/4 and 4/4 time and read music.

After the initial call-out for participants, 18 staff members immediately signed up. Following the group’s first performance at a recent ADP conference in Cape Breton, more staff expressed interest in joining in on the fun. 

“We decided that we were going to do a couple of songs at the finale of our conference,” says Monique. “My sister, who is a music therapist, came and played the piano, and I guided on the ukulele, and I was shocked with how amazing the group sounded.”

She says participants took pride in the performance and several people came up afterward requesting to join the classes. For some, the prospect of singing along with the ukulele was more of a deterrent than learning the instrument, so Monique is at work creating YouTube videos that feature her brother on guitar and her on the ukulele, singing old-time hits clients are sure to love. 

Clients will be able to sing along with the onscreen lyrics, and staff can play the ukulele without the pressure of leading the singing alone. 

Monique, who has sung and played piano at the ADPs and during home visits for years, sees the joy and excitement on people's faces when music starts. “Some folks who are pretty quiet all day long start to tap their toes. They get the physical benefits of moving their hands and swaying, and it's bringing back memories.”

With new training beginning in the fall, Monique hopes all Adult Day Programs will offer the ukulele sing-alongs within the year.