Live Music Now Launches Songs and Scones Festive Campaign!

This festive season, Live Music Now invites supporters to help raise funds to tackle loneliness and isolation with its Songs & Scones programme. 

Tea, cake and rousing music-making are the main ingredients for Songs and Scones, Live Music Now’s flagship program of musical get-togethers in local community spaces. These uplifting events have been running for over a decade, bringing together older members of the community for music, fun, food and friendship. 

“The real magic of Songs and Scones happens over tea and cake as the musicians chat with the people attending, learning about their musical loves and experiences, and sharing creative participation and inspiration with each other. They are happy, inclusive, life-enhancing events.”  Janet Fischer, CEO, Live Music Now

After two especially difficult years for older people Live Music Now is kicking off a major festive fundraising campaign to raise essential funds to expand the programme across the country.

With funds raised, Live Music Now will work in partnership, with libraries and local community services to host a new year-long series of monthly events designed to reach out to people who, for a variety of reasons, feel disconnected from the community, or lack opportunities for meaningful social interactions. 

Each Songs and Scones event will centre around a concert, presented by a professional musician or musical group, packed with vibrant participatory performance pieces, rousing singalongs and classic tunes to suit all musical tastes. 

Launching its festive fundraising campaign, Live Music Now is hosting a series of livestreamed concerts to enable and encourage people to get together this December and raise vital funding for the project whilst enjoying performances from the charity’s professional musicians. With singing along actively encouraged!

Members of the public are invited to join the festive fun by hosting their own tea parties and encouraging friends and family to donate whilst they enjoy the live music together over a scone and a cup of tea.  Fundraising packs are available from the Live Music Now’s website jam-packed with ideas for hosting home Songs and Scones events. A donation of just £24.96 could pay for isolated older person to join others in their community for an uplifting afternoon of live music, tea and conversation. Donations of any amount can be made here. 

The first livestream will take place on 10th December featuring a jazzy Christmas vibe from Hopkins Oliver Duo. Joining details and further dates can be found here.

It is hoped the project will enable older people who live alone and face challenges such as loneliness or isolation, to come together, share musical encounters and build new friendships, all washed down with a slice of cake and a cup of tea. In addition to the benefits of participating in live music, the programme is intended to build new community networks, with music at their hearts, to provide support, build resilience and help older people live independently for longer. Janet Fischer, CEO, Live Music Now says:

“The pandemic has increased loneliness and isolation in manifold ways, with older people feeling the impact more than most. Live Music Now harnesses the connective power of live music to make real change for our communities. Songs and Scones is a very special project that becomes a touchstone in the lives of older people, and we want to extend it to underserved communities across the UK.” 

“Music plays a primal and important role in our lives. It is the universal language we can all speak. It makes us feel safe, happy and connected. Whether it’s a nursery rhyme on a parent’s knee, or belting out Sweet Caroline on the terraces, this shared musical language bonds us. That’s what’s brilliant about Songs and Scones events as a musical connector for friendship and community.” Douglas Noble, Strategic Director of Wellbeing at Live Music Now