Hi all,
It’s been quite a while since I used this site but hope to get back in to it now.
I am looking for some feedback, comments, etc on an idea I have had for a radio show. Below is the initial post I wrote about my idea on Facebook and there is also a link to the pilot show on Mixcloud. I would love to hear what you think
HELP, SUPPORT & ADVICE NEEDED
Please bear with me as this could be a long message.
I already make 2 radio shows (Blues and Country) each week but have come up with another idea for a project to start in 2017 and need your help, support and advice to get it off the ground. The inspiration for this new show has come from 3 sources:
1 – Listening to Bruce Springsteen on Desert Island Discs and hearing how music had helped shape him and helped him to deal with mental illness
2 – My Mother-in-law, Enid, is in her 90’s and is getting more and more confused and possibly has the onset of Alzheimers and I was wondering if listening to music she heard and liked through her life could help to settle her. She used to listen to the radio a lot but does not bother anymore
3 – As part of my Blues show I came across an amazing lady called Kaz Hawkins who released an album, Feelin’ Good, earlier this year and it contains a track, This Is Me, that i really connected with and I feel is very uplifting and thought it would be a great theme tune for a show like this.
The concept of the show could be seen as a mix between Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs and the Our Tune slot that used to appear on Radio 1 and it gets listeners to write a little bit about themselves (life stories, milestones, family, etc) and pick 5 tracks that bring back special memories for them and write a little about each one. Then I would ask them to pick a favourite book, film/tv/radio show, food or drink and place that brings back memories to them and write a little about them.
The reason I ask them to write these things down is so that they can take time over the answers and discuss with friends and family and family can also write their thoughts and memories down. The more detail that is given the more it will make the show more interesting.
I will do the first show and will ask Enid if she would be interested in doing the second one and then it will be open to everyone to send me their choice of tracks and stories. Looking for people from everyday life and would be great to get some celebs involved too. I would love to do this with musicians such as Charlie Landsborough or Kaz Hawkins, broadcasters such as Dave Raven, Barry Marshall-everitt or Diane Herring, sportsmen such as Andy Gregory or Alex Ferguson and others such as Richard Branson or Alan Sugar.
The show will initially just go out on Mixcloud and will initially be a weekly show but if there is a lot of interest more shows will be made. It would be great if some hospital radio stations aired the show and who knows maybe the BBC would be interested (ha ha – dream on).
I would love to hear your thoughts, comments and suggestions about whether this show would work. Depending on the feedback I will look at making a page for the show along with contact e-mail address etc. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading 🙂
https://beta.mixcloud.com/bungalowjoe/this-is-me-1-joe-singleton-53/
My first thought is it sounds a bit like Ken Bruce’s ‘Tracks of My Years’ spot. But that’s not to say it’s a bad idea.
Music certainly helps with dementia to give pleasure, promote socialisation and stimulate the brain. The key is to choose time appropriate songs and the singalong ones are generally best. The current generation of dementia patients are more likely to respond to popular hits of the fifties and sixties. Just look at what was high in the charts with a catchy chorus.
Here’s a link to a summary on ageuk.
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/health-wellbeing/conditions-illnesses/dementia-and-music/
This sounds a great idea @bungalowjoe, I`m goig to have to make some time to listen and see if I can add to the concept. Good luck.
Thanks all for the comments, it really is appreciated. I like the article that Tiggerlion has posted. I could generalise the show with tracks from the 50’s and 60’s but wanted to make it more personalised so that each week one person tells their story. I already have a couple of minor celebrities who have said they will have a go at writing things down and choosing their tracks.
As the show would rely on participation from the listeners it needs to go to quite a wide audience and this is my initial problem. I could probably get 10 or 12 people to provide their memry tracks etc but it is keeping it going after that
I agree wholeheartedly @bungalowjoe that it is both a great idea and potentially a benefit to those suffering from this dreadful disease. Happy to help with a slot if it assists you in getting things off the ground. My guess is that you will get the target audience after family and friends have heard a few shows so the key is to getting as wide a coverage as possible. If I can do anything to assist I am more than happy to oblige i.e getting wider coverage than the area you live in. I have a friend who manages three St.Giles hospices and am sure this is somewhere there could be great interest.
Thanks Steve, much appreciated. I currently have one hospital radio station that have said they will take the show and another one possibly on the cards.
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Listening to the pilot show will hopefully give people an idea of how I would like the show to go.
I appreciate your offer of help, if people can share my idea and the pilot show on social media then hopefully that will help. I have st up a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Magical-Musical-Memories-
SteveT if you, or anyone else would like to have a go at naming your 5 tracks and providing some life stories, milestones, etc along the way you can contact me at bigbluesbonanza@gmail.com and we can take it from there