EP#159 Starling Song Project: Cultural Workers in Ireland.

Where can artists be seen as cultural workers and offer other humans much needed creative engagement? The intersection of Arts and Health. In 2017, we founded Stories Love Music (501c3) and integrated our deep relationship with music into a program (The Joy of Creative Engagement), for caregivers and those living with dementia. The United States does have some exciting organizations that are diving into this world of Neuro-Arts, the creative arts meeting the challenges in neurodegenerative diseases.  And when we hear of artists doing this kind of awesome work in other countries, we have to talk to them! Our latest guest is Liz Clark, an Ireland-based singer, songwriter, performer, and musician.  Liz has recorded 5 full length studio albums of original songs. She has performed and collaborated throughout the US and Europe working solo engagements as well as  alongside the likes of Sarah Maclachlan, Emmylou Harris, The Counting Crows and more. Over the past ten years she has been working extensively in the Arts and Health context in which she developed a collaborative approach to the songwriting process in healthcare settings across West Cork.  As part of the Arts For Health Partnership Programme, she developed The Starling Song Project which preserves stories and heritage from older participants with dementia, in the form of song and songwriting. From this work, she developed The Starling Band, involving other singers and instrumentalists to showcase this music in a wider context outside of the hospitals. Liz is also the leader of a community choir and choirs for the wellbeing of staff.  Music and Lyrics in this episode written and perfomed by James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin.