Give the Music Back

Give the Music Back was never intended to be just another dementia awareness film. Created by Music for Dementia, an initiative powered by The Utley Foundation, the film set out to challenge traditional narratives around dementia by moving beyond loss and decline to highlight moments of joy, comfort and connection.

Dementia is deeply personal to the charity, with the founder’s parents both having lived with dementia, and that lived experience shaped the campaign from the very beginning.

Produced by the charity’s small team on a modest budget, the campaign relied on creativity, collaboration and people who genuinely believed in the message, with family members stepping into cast roles and Music for Dementia ambassador Tony Christie lending his voice to the campaign.

Released just before Christmas, Give the Music Back generated a reach of over 5 million, more than 344,000 video views, reached over 30,000 Instagram accounts, drove 6,400 website visits and secured national media coverage.

It reminded audiences that dementia is not simply a story of loss, loneliness and despair. Connection still exists. Joy still exists. And sometimes, music helps families find those moments again. Music is for life, not just for Christmas.