Covid Update
We’ve been a bit quiet here at Music Memory Box since the pandemic hit. We are feeling the heavy weight of personal crisis in ourselves and our loved ones, as well as the wider crisis in our society, especially felt by carers and older people. This has meant that operating with our tiny team - there’s just two of us most of the time - has been harder than ever.
In developing Music Memory Box we worked with hundreds of people in care homes across the UK and to see the effect on these vital places has not been surprising, but has still been shocking. Our care homes are full of some of the most dedicated carers in our society and despite the systems that failed them they’ve continued to care for vulnerable older people when their families are unable to reach them.
For families where the carer is a friend, child or spouse the lockdown has of course been felt just as intensely. We know what impact a product like Music Memory Box could have had for so many people during lockdown and it makes the years we’ve spent getting this product off the ground even more frustrating.
But we are doing it. Our manufacturers are now back open after the shutdown and we’re finalising and testing so that we have a safe product we’re truly proud of. We’ll be sharing a bit more of that process with you over the next few months until we can open our shop again and send Music Memory Boxes out into the world.
Thank you for sticking with us x
Work With Us
We’re looking for a confident and friendly salesperson to help scale the first batch of Music Memory Box. As a product for people living with dementia, a lot of the focus will be on care homes and dealing with this sensitive subject so someone who has personal experience or is adept at empathising with families and care staff is essential.
Following a successful Kickstarter in April 2019 Music Memory Box is now in production to manufacture the first 300 boxes. We have some pre-orders currently and are looking for someone who can be dedicated to selling the remainder and creating new partnerships in the lead up to them coming to market in February 2020.
We particularly welcome applications from those without a traditional sales background from healthcare or occupational therapy for example. As well as people from BAME backgrounds, disabled people and those who identify as LGBTQ+.
To apply read the full Job Description here and send a cover letter and CV to jess@studiomeineck.co.uk by midnight on Sunday 13th October
Tech to Connect Finalists
We’re very excited to announce we’re a finalist in Nesta’s Tech to Connect Challenge, tackling social isolation with funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
Yesterday we went to the first workshop to meet the other finalists and discover more about the challenge and can’t wait to get started on looking at innovative ways we can use Music Memory Box to tackle social isolation.
Music Memory Box on Design Council's Spark Programme
We had a very full on two days at the Design Camp for the Design Council's Spark Programme this week. It's the final interview stage before the programme begins and all the products chosen were based on the theme of Home Innovation this year. With Alzheimer's Society as a sponsor it was great to meet so people innovating in dementia care too.
We looked at customer journeys, who are key stakeholders are and nailing down the importance and difficulty of the jobs needing to be done to get Music Memory Box into production. And we'll find out next week if we're successfully on the programme so fingers crossed!
In the Press
Following on from the successful Kickstarter we've had some great press around the personal effects of Music Memory Box on some of the families from our pilot.
Good News Network - Inventor Makes 'Music Memory Box' So Dementia Patients Can Reconnect With Their Loved Ones
The Things - Music Memory Boxes Are Helping Dementia Patients Remember Their Loved Ones And Their Past
Yahoo News - Husband with dementia able to reconnect with wife
Our video was also featured by the Evening Standard
Successful Kickstarter Campaign
To help get Music Memory Box intro production and raise awareness of the affects of music for people living with dementia - in April we launched a Kickstarter campaign for £25,000
After 30 days of promotions, workshops, speaking to as many people as possible and getting the word out we managed to raise a total of £27,174 from 236 individual donations which is incredible! We're very excited that so many people are behind Music Memory Box and this now enables us to take it from it's current award-winning prototype stage to manufacture by February 2020.
You can still view and follow the campaign if you missed it and Pre-Orders for boxes are still open too.
BBC World Service Programme
Madi Finley from BBC World Service's Digital Planet came and spoke to Monica and Steve who have piloted a Music Memory Box.
Listen to it online here.
Top idea in OpenIDEO’s Global Dementia Caregiving Challenge
We are pleased to announce Music Memory Box was named a Top Idea in OpenIDEO's Global search for new products and services for dementia caregiving! The challenge was sponsored by AARP and UnitedHealthCare in the US.
You can see the other top ideas here on OpenIDEO here
Chloe Meineck named a global creative trailblazer
Our founder, Chloe Meineck, was named as one of ten Global Trailblazing Women Redefining the Creative Industry for International Women’s Day 2018 by Tea Uglow, Creative Director for Google Labs Sydney. Tea specialises in work in culture, art, writing, production and digital technology. Most of Tea’s projects are with charities and international cultural organisations, looking at tech/digital innovation. Tea also speaks about diversity, doubt and is TED speaker and D&AD trustee. It was part of a campaign on The Dots.
Chloe Meineck named as one of 50 global rare minds
In April 2018 Chloe Meineck was named as one of 50 global rare minds and took part in RARE london a creative leadership program for underpresented groups in the creative industry. Partners on the program were Google, d&ad and Berlin school of creative leadership.