We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shannon Wallace a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Shannon, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Is your team able to work remotely? If so, how have you made it work? What, if any, have been the pitfalls? What have been the non-obvious benefits?
As an advocate for the human’s adventurous and creative spirit through interactive expression and communication, and in response to the global COVID-19 virus’ impact on the community I serve, I have created the first-ever virtual and interactive live online and on-demand Musical Memory Care™ workshop program aimed to serve active adults and those of all ages living with all stages of dementia or cognitive impairment, along with their care partners.
By going virtual with and for the senior contingent, one of the pitfalls I thought I would encounter was how technology and seniors would get along with one another. To my wonderful surprise, most of my senior clients have been able to navigate technology, and with much curiosity and gusto! So not only can my program create an opportunity for interaction, socialization and mind-body-spirit stimulation, it also creates another and unexpected level of meaning and purpose through the act of successfully logging on!!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
For the past 25+ years, I have been a professional vocal jazz musician touring the USA, as well as into parts of Europe and Asia. Seven years ago, I realized that I wanted to create more intention behind my music.
It was then that I decided to volunteer my time to sing for seniors – – and it was then when those living with dementia became responsible for changing my career and redefining my life’s meaning and purpose.
As a result, for five years (pre-COVID), I was offering an in-person, interactive, music, movement and memory workshop program for those living with dementia/cognitive impairment, along with their care partners, called “Musical Memory Care™” (MMC).
Then COVID hit and the in-person workshop experience was no longer an option.
So, in response to the global virus’ impact on the community I serve, I felt it my honor-duty to create a technologically innovative and accessible way to support, stimulate and engage those who had to tightly remain within the safety of their environments.
As a result, on June 1, 2020, I pivoted from my in-person services to launch the first-ever global, interactive live streaming and on-demand MMC™ workshop program aimed to virtually serve active adults and those living with all stages of dementia and cognitive impairment, along with their care partners typically living independent, assisted, memory or long-term care lifestyles – www.MusicalMemoryCare.com.
Since launching the live online platform, program supporters now include Barrow Neurological Institute, AARP, the Alzheimer’s Association, and the Virtual Brain Health Center, among others. And since March 2022, the live online program has now reached participants in 10 countries around the world.
As my statewide community has opened up again, I am now able to provide a hybrid version of my program, whereby when serving in-person, the program can also simultaneously livestream to other local and national clients in real time.
The in-person, live online and on-demand workshop program features me interacting with my participants who then experience full-body movement exercises; memory & hand-eye coordination games; problem-solving games (mathematics, geography, history); humor & interactive, reflective conversation, all set to music and/or rhythm.
Whatever the physical and/or mental ability and/or limitation, each workshop provides socialization, a shared sense community and the endless expressions of positive emotional, mental, physical and verbal responses. By providing my program in-person and virtually, feelings of isolation and overwhelm have the positive potential to decrease, and the program can now serve more people than ever before.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Compassion, kindness, love, the power of intention and confidence in myself.
They say, “build it and they shall come.” And that is mostly true. However, the most important part of ensuring that “they will come,” is to build whatever “it” is with compassion, kindness, love, the power of your intention behind “it” (passion) and confidence in your abilities.
An important question to ask yourself in anything you do is: “why do I do what I do?” Two pillars of truth for me when answering this question are to “cause no harm” in anything I do and to “be of compassionate service through honor-duty.”
With these intentions, I cannot go wrong, even if things appear on the surface to move at a snail’s pace or not move at all.
Nothing is for not!! In other words, all happens in good time. As much as I might want anything to happen yesterday, by building slowly with the power of good intention, positive outcomes will always manifest in just the right time.
So, all that to say this…..my most effective strategy for growing my business, especially in the last two years, has been to do everything I do with loving intention for those I serve – and my common denominators in this equation are me and God. As a result, this has and will continue to create a quality and authentic product for all those for whom I serve.
As a result, “it” will sustain and grow. On this I can be sure.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Word-of-mouth.
As also a marketer by trade for the past 30 years, I know first-hand that word-of-mouth is the one of the most powerful marketing tools in any marketing toolbox.
In other words: testimonials! When a current or past client or participant of mine “testifies” on my or my program’s behalf, it not only reinforces the power and impact of my product, but it also garners a broader client-base, as well as strengthens the product’s credibility.
If they are not saying anything good…or worse yet…not saying anything at all about your product or service, then that’s the moment you may want to re-evaluate your business approach.
It all starts with power of intention!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.musicalmemorycare.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonwallacesings/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShannonWallaceSings
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonlwallace/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/swallacesings
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2kMfGekBzdgmXyGOsPwyhQ
Image Credits
Caitlyn O’Hara, AARP-AZ