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Julia’s Place Music Therapy Centre to host interactive music concert this weekend

December 4, 2025   ·   2 Comments

By Joshua Drakes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A heart-warming performance with a focus on audience participation will be held at a local church this weekend.

Julia’s Place is hosting an interactive concert on Saturday, Dec. 6, starting at 10 a.m. inside the Tweedsmuir Memorial Presbyterian Church at 6 John St., Orangeville.

This concert is the finale of a three-month effort by Julia’s Place to put together an intergenerational performing choir.

Julia Beth Kowaleski, owner of Julia’s Place, explained that the program is designed to reduce the risks of degenerative brain diseases in older adults through music and social interaction.

“The Singing for Health Initiative is an inclusive intergenerational choir program that is open to anyone who loves to sing,” she said. “It is sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Society of Dufferin and is designed to be a safe and friendly environment, inclusive for people of all abilities.”

“Research shows that older adults who experience social isolation or loneliness have an increased risk of dementia (50 per cent), stroke (32 per cent), and premature death (45 per cent),” Kowaleski added.

She told the Citizen that the interactive concert at the end of the program allows for more of the community to be involved and takes away any performance pressure on the choir participants, which is only a bonus boost to accessibility.

Additionally, she said that it is just more fun to sing together in a big group, and the audience is highly encouraged to participate.

​​“Attendees can expect to have a great time during the concert, and are encouraged to sing along during the entire concert and extra loud during their favourite tunes,” she said. “The lyrics of the songs will be projected for audience members to read, and they’ll have the option of playing some percussion instruments along with the choir.”

“The repertoire, which was entirely chosen by the program participants, involves a wide variety of genres and styles and will include a couple of Christmas tunes to get people into the holiday spirit,” Kowaleski added.

She hopes the concert will shine a light on the importance of music and its viability as a therapeutic tool.

“We are hoping that this event will help increase awareness of how purposeful music therapy programs can have a significant impact on individuals and the entire community,”Kowaleski said. “Music is accessible to everyone, and it should be considered essential, not optional, when considering the health and well-being of individuals in our communities and the community itself as a whole.”

The concert is one part of the musical programming offered by Julia’s Place to achieve this goal. The therapy centre specializes in neuro-rehabilitation and mental health services and has been operating since 2017.

Their stated mission is to help individuals learn new skills, maintain the skills they already have to stay as healthy and active as possible, and restore skills they once had but lost due to degenerative diseases, injury, accident, or non-use.

In the future, Kowaleski hopes the program will continue and even expand in 2026, but due to a lack of current funding, it will end for the time being after this concert.

“We would like to continue this program but we need additional funding so there is no current plan to continue in 2026,” she said. “This program uses music and rhythm exercises to help maintain walking, balance, and general movement. Maintaining physical skills is essential for independence as it helps prevent accidents and falls which lead to injuries.”

“Any organization interested in helping to sponsor these types of programs in the community is encouraged to contact us.”

For more information about Julia’s Place and the Singing for Health Initiative, contact julia@juliasplacemusictherapy.com.

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