40 Faces of Brendoncare – Margaret Watson

Margaret always looks glamorous when she fills our care homes with her beautiful music. This, she explains, is all part of the experience she brings when she plays.

Having studied the harp with the late Sidonie Goossens, the world-renowned harpist, Margaret went into performing rather than joining an orchestra or teaching, because she loves people.

She is passionate about the profound effect music has on people. This she particularly notices when she plays in care homes.

“I decided to go into care homes when I started performing. I especially loved the effect the music had on people. But I was incredibly surprised when some people got up and danced. That is something you would not expect to do to harp music!”

Margaret has played harp at Brendoncare’s homes for the past four years. She started at Brendoncare Park Road, now closed, and is now a regular, welcome visitor at Alton, Froxfield, Otterbourne Hill and St Giles View, and has played a couple of times at Stildon.

She explains: “It is interesting to see the reaction from different people, some of whom are at various stages of dementia. I remember singing Edelweiss and I forgot the words, but the residents continued singing.

“On another occasion, a lovely lady was visiting her Mum who was in an advanced stage of dementia. She started singing along with the song, so it was wonderful for her family to suddenly see a little spark of what was there before.”

Margaret’s repertoire has changed as the care home residents she now entertains grew up mainly in the 50s and 60s.

Memory:

“Every concert is different because music is so powerful and can take you somewhere else. If you are in pain, it will not stop the pain, but it can take you away from it. If I play a certain tune, it will click a memory and some people will have a little weep. If the music can have such an effect which causes an emotion, that is so rewarding to me.”

What are the current favourite songs? Margaret cites Doris Day’s Que Sera Sera as the most popular, together with Somewhere Over the Rainbow, What A Wonderful World and Elvis’s I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You. Sometimes, Margaret will play a classical piece which will be particularly enjoyed by residents who have been choristers or sang in a choir.

Margaret loves playing at Brendoncare’s care homes. “Even though you play the same tunes, every performance is different. You can get a completely different reaction to the time before. When I go to a home, they will recognise me as the harp lady.”

Her gorgeous dresses are guaranteed to cause a stir too. “I always wear a posh frock because it is a talking point – the more glitter the better!

“At the same time, the gentlemen at Brendoncare’s homes who have been precision engineers are absolutely fascinated by the harp’s mechanisms so I will turn it around and show them the pedals. They will come up and look at it whereas the ladies will go for the dresses!”