Changemakers

Julie Lambert is the kind of caregiver every person living with dementia deserves. Working in a Long Term Care home in the Hamilton area, Julie brings compassion, intuition, and skill to her work every day. Her home has completed the MUSIC CARE CERTIFY program and proudly holds Gold-level certification, but Julie’s relationship with music began long before that. As a young person, she studied violin and dance, developing an inherent understanding of music’s emotional power. Through MUSIC CARE Certification, she has deepened that understanding, learning not just that music works, but when, how, and why to use it in care.

Julie recently shared a moment that beautifully illustrates this. A resident, living with dementia and very limited vision, was brought into the common area after receiving care. She was deeply distressed, calling out for help, fearful, agitated, and pleading to go home. Recognizing the fear behind the behaviour, Julie responded instinctively and skillfully. She knew that her resident was fond of hymns, so she approached with her iPad, selected familiar hymns from Room 217’s PATHWAYS Singing Program, and began playing Amazing Grace, softly humming along. Julie continued to provide comfort to her resident by holding her hand in a soothing motion to the beat of the song and singing the hymn with her.

Within a minute, the resident joined in, singing confidently and with pride, holding Julie’s hand, her body visibly softening. Her clenched fists relaxed. Her words shifted from fear to gratitude. Calm replaced terror, connection replaced confusion. The moment not only soothed the resident but transformed the space around her, preventing the need for medical interventions like medications to calm her down.

It doesn’t need to take great effort to shift the mood of a person living with dementia, but it does take someone with the skill to use music as a tool. Julie was able to use music intentionally and with care to help restore the safety, dignity, and peace of mind for her resident.

No matter where Jeanne Lambert finds herself, music is her companion AND her gift to the world. Jeanne is a retired nurse. She has done parish nursing and is now a funeral celebrant. Jeanne is also Music Care Certified. 

This past year has been a journey of healing, resilience, and rediscovery. Diagnosed with breast cancer at Christmas, Jeanne spent the first half of the year navigating surgery, recovery, and the physical, emotional, and spiritual adjustments that followed. Through it all, music became her lifeline.

Creating personal playlists, mastering Bluetooth technology, and attending a dance-exercise class where familiar songs lifted her spirit, Jeanne discovered firsthand how music supports relaxation, serenity, and renewal. “Music in care is not just for others, it’s for me too,” she reflects.

Now, Jeanne is turning outward again. Nearly finished hospital volunteer requirements, she is preparing to bring live singing to patients at bedsides and through pastoral care services. Though her initial dream of a bedside choir is on hold, Jeanne is embracing the role of a “one-woman bedside singer,” recognizing that even one voice, one meaningful song, can change an atmosphere.

Her love of singing also continues with her trio of 10 years, performing for community groups and seniors. Even outside formal care settings, like recording lullabies for her 18-month-old grandchild, Jeanne sees how music creates connection and joy.

As she looks ahead to re-certification, Jeanne hopes to deepen her skills, strengthen her initiatives, and ripple music care more widely. “Maybe it starts one song at a time,” she says. “But one song can mean everything.”

Carolin VanVoorst, a passionate and gifted music teacher at Shanty Bay and Johnson Street Public Schools is a changemaker in student wellness. Carolin feels today’s students require an intentional, compassionate approach to support self-regulation. “We’re seeing more students struggle with emotional regulation, big feelings over small things, and not knowing how to recover,” she shares. “Our job is to teach them positive coping strategies and emotional awareness.”

As a music teacher, Carolin sees the unique power of music in helping students feel safe to self express, take risks, and celebrate each other. “Music offers an incredible opportunity for student to be vulnerable” Her classroom fosters confidence and resilience through reflection and reassurance: Did you try your best? Do you think you did a good job? I think you did a good job.

Carolin is breaking the cycle of what she calls generational trauma around music, by combatting shaming messages from the past when students were silenced, told they couldn’t sing, placed in the back row, “that negativity stays with you”, Carolin reflects.  Instead, she focuses on instilling a pure love of music in her students.

A lifelong learner, Carolin became certified in leadership this year through her school board and is in the final stages of completing BA in Psychology started in her early years teaching in Yellow Knife. She has also written and presented research on ADHD and the barriers to treatment adherence, all contributing to her thoughtful, informed perspective on education. 

As sight Team Lead for the CERTIFY FOR SCHOOLS program at SBPS her initiative examined “emotional listening,” inviting her students to identify their emotions before and then after listening to a piece of music. “I wanted to give my students an opportunity to express themselves, develop their own musical identities and then connect to how music impacted their emotions on a personal level”. 

Carolin has known adversity in life, including undergoing chemotherapy just last year, prompting her to question the true value of music education “Is it mastering theory, or understanding compound time, or is it helping my students to feel joy in music, to hear them singing outside at breaktime, in the halls, to want piano lessons, or join musical theatre?”

Speaking to Carolin, you feel the enormous love she has for her students, her limitless desire to help them feel proud of themselves and their accomplishments, carefully, consciously building their enduring self confidence. We need more educators like Carolin who genuinely teach from a place of love and caring. 

Joseph Konty is the Music Director at Gentog  (Generations Together) in Portland, Oregon, an organization that embraces intergenerational care to promote holistic health and wellness. A recent MUSIC CARE CERTIFY INDIVIDUAL, Konty is one of the most inspiring professionals I have had the pleasure of meeting.

Gentog provides both childcare for infants to five-year-olds and respite care for adults 50+ with dementia or cognitive challenges. According to a report published by Generations United, joining the generations through meaningful cross-age relationships may decrease social isolation and increase older adults’ sense of belonging, self-esteem, and well-being, while also improving social and emotional skills of children and youth participants.

Konty joined Gentog after sending his CV on a whim, drawn to its mission. A singer-songwriter and performer from the age of 15, he toured and recorded extensively but felt unfulfilled. A personal battle with borderline personality disorder led him to inpatient care, where he felt stripped of his creativity and identity. Healing through Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, he saw an opportunity to integrate his musical talents with his educational background in counseling and pastoral care to serve others.

This vision led to Andy’s Music Club at Gentog, named after his late father, a church choir director who nurtured Konty’s musical gifts. The club provides a structured music program where participants can focus on the songwriting process from creating and composing to production, and performance. For Konty, music fosters wellness, identity, and purpose: “They remember lyrics and melodies despite cognitive challenges. When you create, you create purpose; when you have purpose, you have meaning.” Konty also leads music wellness sessions with meditation and sound baths.

Konty offers pastoral care and a dementia-friendly worship service, creating a safe, nonjudgmental space “Hymns are sung, and I share a positive message, like joy”. His work extends to family caregivers, providing outreach and support groups.

Committed to making a difference, Konty is hosting a benefit concert at Portland’s White Eagle on May 10, celebrating families affected by dementia. His goal is to produce an album featuring music created and recorded by Andy’s Music Club participants, released on iTunes—a full-circle project reinforcing the power of music in care.

In Konty’s presence, you experience true empathy and dedication. His unwavering commitment to care through music is palpable and exemplifies the profound impact of intergenerational connection, creativity, and community.