Benjamin Millar
A Newport musical duo is raring to get back on the circuit and performing again, but the venues they have in mind are far from the typical.
Husband-and-wife duo Ailsa Page and Phillip Campagna, performing as In the Mood, have made a name for themselves in aged care homes across the country, carefully crafting their shows with insights gleaned via their own experiences with parents and grandparents affected by dementia.
While lockdown restrictions over the past 18 months have curtailed their performances in homes, the pair have been busy putting together a music DVD of golden favourites, but look forward to performing in person again soon.
Page explained that music has been a way of both entertaining and connecting with people as they enter their twilight years.
Phil and I actually met through music, we’ve both been doing music all our lives,” she said.
“We’ve both got ageing parents as well, that’s what really sparked our interest in doing entertainment in aged care facilities, so we decided to give it a crack.”
The experiment was a success and the duo were soon hooked, taking their show on the road to homes all over the state.
“We found entertaining the residents and engaging with them through music was actually so uplifting, we got a buzz from it, we loved seeing how much they enjoyed it,” Page said.
“We are still incredibly passionate about it, but have just been so sad about it in the last couple of years because we couldn’t play for them and because we were so worried about the residents.”
Page said that communicating with loved ones living with dementia can be a difficult and upsetting experience, but introducing song and music to the equation can turn it into something positive and connecting.
“It unlocks these memories and people come alive when they sing a song and it means something to them.”
Details and DVDs: www.singalongdvd.com.au
