MUSIC CIRCLES is a Swiss interdisciplinary music project that brings together people living with dementia, their families, friends and carers, and professional musicians. Through musical improvisation, participants meet as equals and create music together, using simple and accessible instruments. No previous musical experience is required.
The project aims to strengthen connection, emotional expression, participation and wellbeing. It provides people living with dementia with opportunities to engage in cultural and social life, particularly when dementia may otherwise lead to isolation or difficulties with communication. Carers can gain a deeper understanding of the emotional needs of the people they support, while musicians develop their musical, interpersonal and dementia-related skills.
In care homes, MUSIC CIRCLES is typically organised as an eight-week cycle. Small, consistent groups of residents, care staff and professional musicians meet once a week in a quiet environment. Each session is followed by a joint reflection in which musicians and staff discuss participants’ experiences and expressions. An external geriatric specialist supports the staff with questions relating to ageing.
From 2020 to 2024, MUSIC CIRCLES was scientifically evaluated by the Center for Gerontology at the University of Zurich. The evaluation reported positive effects for all three groups involved. For people living with dementia, improvements were observed in alertness and attention, awareness of their surroundings, engagement, initiative, wellbeing and relationships. Care home staff reported benefits in their own wellbeing and in their relationships with residents. Musicians experienced positive effects on wellbeing, sense of purpose, musical and dementia-related competencies, and relationship-building. The project describes the range of these outcomes as a significant finding of the evaluation.
MUSIC CIRCLES was established in Switzerland by musician Jael Bertschinger in 2019, in close cooperation with the Music for Life programme in London. The Swiss non-profit association Music Circles was founded in Zurich in April 2020. The project was developed in collaboration with Wigmore Hall’s Music for Life programme and, during its pilot phase, worked closely with the Center for Gerontology at the University of Zurich. Curaviva and several other organisations also supports the implementation of MUSIC CIRCLES in Swiss care institutions.
The project has subsequently expanded beyond Zurich. In 2025, MUSIC CIRCLES offered a programme for people with dementia living at home and their carers in Zurich.
Overall, MUSIC CIRCLES combines music, social inclusion, dementia care and scientific evaluation. Its central idea is that music can create meaningful communication and relationships even when conventional verbal communication becomes difficult.
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