The Quarter Note - September 2026

Sep 1

3 min read

The quarter note

September 2026

Keeping you in tune with the latest at Giving Voice!

What if joy were part of the prescription?

There is a lot we cannot control about dementia.

But we can create places that celebrate singing where people are known by their names instead of their diagnoses. Where care partners get to be partners again. These communities are centered around joy - something that can benefit everyone's health.

A growing body of research suggests that positive emotions are meaningfully connected to physical health. Studies of “positive affectivity” have associated higher levels of joy with healthier cardiovascular functioning, lower cortisol levels and favorable patterns in inflammatory and immune activity.

There is something wonderfully profound about the recognition that our health is shaped not only by medicine, but by connection, purpose, creativity and belonging.

For someone living with dementia or caring for someone they love, the prescription might be surprisingly simple: sing with other people. Make a friend. Be expected somewhere every week. Experience JOY.

At Giving Voice, we see the power of that prescription every week. Joy isn’t an escape from the realities of dementia; it can be a meaningful part of how we live well within them.

So, turn up your favorite song and read on to learn about a few things that we hope bring you joy - just as the doctor ordered!

Eyleen Braaten | Executive Director, Giving Voice

Giving Voice is creating new choirs throughout the midwest!

Over the past eighteen months, Giving Voice Initiative has created 17 dementia-friendly choirs across Minnesota and Wisconsin through our Rural Initiative!

As you can see from the map above, these communities vary in size, geography and available resources but all participating communities can access start-up funding, training, dementia-friendly repertoire resources, technical assistance, evaluation support and opportunities to learn alongside other choir leaders.

Rather than operating every choir directly, GVI is increasingly serving as a resource, training partner and connector for locally led dementia-friendly music programs.

The result is the beginning of something larger than a collection of individual choirs—a growing network of communities testing how music, social connection and meaningful participation can improve quality of life for those living with dementia. We are so excited about this growth!

Sing with us!

Join the Giving Voice Chorus Fall session!

Did you know we have 5 locations across the Twin Cities this fall semester? We would love to have you or a friend join our chorus! Sessions start soon - come enjoy to the fun.

Check out the Fall Session Here!

PS – We also have Giving Voice Network Choirs in the Twin Cities and around the country! Click here to find a Network Choir near you.

There is no single language for belonging

Sabios Cantores, our Spanish-speaking dementia-friendly choir community, continues to teach us what culturally responsive programming can become when it grows from relationships.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Garrido Biagetti, singers and families with roots in multiple countries have participated, while the work continues to grow in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Northfield.

Our team is also developing Spanish-language tools that can help other communities create programs of their own.

Because inclusion isn’t simply taking an existing program and translating it.

It begins with listening and learning - click here to read more!

Support the work of Giving Voice

We are so grateful for the community of supporters who make Giving Voice possible. Because of you, singers and care partners find connection, purpose, and joy each week.

With the challenging climate for non-profits, we need your help more than ever. Please make a gift today.