OUR CHOIRS
Our partnership with the Cantabrainers Choir Trust
The choir was co-founded in 2012 by Therapy Professionals Ltd and our director Kimberley Wade. In 2019 the Cantabrainers Therapeutic Choir Charitable Trust took over ownership & management of the Choir. The Choir is a Therapeutic Choir for neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease, Stroke and Multiple Sclerosis. It is led by our Registered Music Therapist (Kimberley Wade) and a Registered Speech Language Therapist.
Cantabrainers Choir differs from other community choirs in that you don’t have to be a ‘singer’ - it’s about learning to use the voice effectively, in a fun way; it suits a wide range of abilities; the pace is slower; the repertoire is chosen to target specific difficulties; it’s not as challenging; and practice is in the morning when people are fresh.
While the music therapist leads and accompanies the choir, the speech-language therapist focuses on clients who require individual support during the session. Together, their combined skills provide the members with not only obvious clinical improvements, but also the framework for strong social interactions between all, leading to increased confidence, enjoyment and energy.
The close collaboration between the music therapist and speech-language therapist both before and during the sessions, using a variety of elements of music and speech (rhythm, pace, pitch and volume), enables those who have difficulty with vocal expression and communication caused by neurological conditions to “find their voice”.
A Choir for people with neurological conditions – lead by a Southern Music Therapy in Partnership with the Cantabrainers Choir Trust. Cantabrainers Choir and North Canterbury Choir are both run in collaboration with a Speech Therapist.
Rangiora – North Canterbury Choir – 1.30pm Tuesdays @ Woodend Community Hall– Taking new comers
Christchurch – Cantabrainers Choir – 10am Wednesdays @ Mary Potter Community Centre
Contact Tarsha Tripplow - General Manager - Therapeutics Choirs Trust (Cantabrainers Choir) for further information.
Connections Choir
Papanui – Connections Choir @ Braintree Wellness Centre - ONLY open to Dementia Canterbury members. Please contact Dementia Canterbury for more information. Contact Us - Dementia Canterbury
