Familiar songs
Songs people know and love—from hymns and folk songs to standards, country, popular music and songs from the radio.
Music. Memory. Connection. Joy.
Music can bring us back.
Joyful Note Foundation brings live music, familiar songs and human connection to older adults, people living with dementia, hospice residents and people who are isolated or underserved.
The big idea
Everyone has a song.
“The music is still in there.”
There are songs that take us back.
- A song from childhood.
- A song we danced to.
- A hymn our parents sang.
- A song from a first date.
- A song we haven’t heard in fifty years—but somehow still know every word.
At Joyful Note Foundation, we believe music can create connection even when other forms of communication become difficult.
We don’t simply play music for people. We invite them into the music.
Our program
Music That Remembers
A relationship-based music program for people living with dementia and other older adults.
Music That Remembers uses familiar songs, live performance, participation and personal connection to create moments of recognition, expression and joy.
Our musicians draw from a wide repertoire of songs that have accompanied generations through their lives.
Personal connection
We learn about the people we serve and use music to create opportunities for conversation, recognition and shared memories.
Participation
We encourage people to sing, clap, move, request songs, tell stories and simply be part of the experience.
What a music visit looks like
It’s more than a performance.
It’s a shared experience.
Arrive
A musician walks into the room with a guitar.
Connect
We greet people, learn names and discover what songs they enjoy.
Sing
Familiar music begins.
Remember
A song may spark a memory, a story, a smile—or even a tear.
Celebrate
For a little while, everyone is simply together.
Sometimes the most important thing we can give someone is not another activity—but a moment of connection.
Who we serve
Bringing music where it’s needed most
Memory care
Music for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Assisted living
Interactive musical programs designed to encourage participation and connection.
Senior communities
Familiar songs that bring generations of memories into the room.
Hospice
Gentle music and companionship during an important and deeply personal time.
Homebound & isolated
Bringing music and human connection to people who cannot easily access community programs.
Underserved communities
Expanding access to the joy and connection that music can provide.
The songs
The songs we remember
Our musicians draw from a large repertoire of familiar songs spanning generations.
From Amazing Grace to As Time Goes By, from folk songs and country favorites to Broadway, popular music and the Great American Songbook—the goal is simple:
Play the songs people know.
- Amazing Grace
- Country Roads
- Can’t Help Falling in Love
- Dream a Little Dream of Me
- As Time Goes By
- What a Wonderful World
- You Are My Sunshine
- Moon River
- Blue Moon
- Stand by Me
The Joyful Note approach
Connect. Remember. Sing. Share. Celebrate.
Connect
Start with the person—not the performance.
Remember
Use familiar music as a doorway to memory and emotion.
Sing
Invite participation rather than simply asking people to listen.
Share
Give people opportunities to tell stories, request songs and connect with one another.
Celebrate
Create moments of joy, dignity and belonging.
Our goal isn’t a perfect performance.
Our goal is a meaningful human experience.
Music in company
Moments worth sharing.
A guitar, a familiar song, a little time together.
With gratitude
A thank-you to the Bill Graham Supporting Foundation
Ron Brittain reflects on the music and connection that the Foundation’s support helps make possible.
One of the greatest gifts of this work is watching people reconnect—not only with cherished memories, but with one another.
Read Ron’s thank-you letter
Dear Ms. Sisisky and Members of the Bill Graham Supporting Foundation Board,
On behalf of the Joyful Note Foundation, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your generous grant of $3,000 in support of our Music for Memory Care program.
This gift will help us continue bringing the healing power of music to seniors living in memory care communities, assisted living facilities, and other residential care settings throughout our region. For many of these individuals, music reaches places that words often cannot. Even when memories seem distant, familiar songs can awaken recognition, spark conversation, inspire movement, and bring moments of joy and connection.
Over the past several years, I have led more than 200 Music That Remembers™ sessions in memory care communities, witnessing firsthand the extraordinary ability of music to unlock memories and create meaningful human connection. What began as a simple desire to share music has become a profound ministry of presence, compassion, and remembrance. The support of organizations such as yours makes it possible for us to continue and expand this work.
I have witnessed remarkable responses during our music sessions. Residents who are often withdrawn begin singing every word to songs they learned decades ago. Faces that appeared expressionless brighten with smiles. Hands begin tapping, feet start moving, and family members and caregivers frequently tell us they see loved ones become more engaged and present during and after the music.
One of the greatest gifts of this work is watching people reconnect—not only with cherished memories, but with one another. Music creates moments of dignity, belonging, and shared humanity. It reminds us that even when memory fades, the emotional connection to music often remains.
Your support allows us to continue offering these meaningful experiences and to reach even more seniors who can benefit from them. We are deeply honored that the Bill Graham Supporting Foundation recognizes the importance of music in enriching lives and strengthening community.
I believe there is a special connection between your mission and ours. Bill Graham understood the unique power of music to bring people together, uplift the human spirit, and create lasting memories. Through your generosity, that legacy continues today in memory care communities, where familiar songs often open doors that seem otherwise closed and remind residents, families, and caregivers alike that joy, connection, and meaning are still present.
Thank you for your generosity, your vision, and your commitment to supporting programs that bring hope, compassion, and joy to others.
With heartfelt appreciation,
Ron Brittain
Founder & Director
Joyful Note Foundation
Our founder
Meet Ron
Musician. Storyteller. Founder of Joyful Note Foundation.
Joyful Note Foundation grew from a simple belief:
Music can reach people in places where words sometimes cannot.
For years, Ron has brought live music into senior communities, memory-care settings and other places where people can benefit from connection, familiarity and joy.
What began with one musician and one guitar is becoming a vision for a growing community of musicians and volunteers who believe that everyone deserves a song.
Volunteer
You don’t have to be a professional musician to bring joy.
Joyful Note Foundation is building a community of people who want to use music and human connection to serve others.
We are looking for:
Musicians
Guitarists, keyboard players, singers and other musicians.
Music lovers
People who may not perform but love connecting with older adults.
Volunteers
People who want to help with programs, outreach and events.
Future Joyful Note teams
Musicians and volunteers who want to learn the Joyful Note approach and bring it to their own communities.
Music Learning Center
Learn the music. Use it to serve.
Joyful Note is gathering Ron’s teaching ideas, practical lessons, and music-ministry experience into a free library for musicians and volunteers.
One side is learning to make music: guitar, piano, playing by ear, singing, sound, and performance. The other is learning to use familiar music to serve: sing-alongs, memory care, song choice, and preparing for a visit.
The summary is ready to download. The individual guides named in it are still being prepared.
The big vision
From one guitar to a movement.
Today, Joyful Note Foundation begins with musicians bringing music directly to people.
Tomorrow, we envision a growing network of trained musicians and volunteers bringing music, memory and human connection to communities throughout the region—and eventually beyond.
- One song.
- One person.
- One moment of connection.
That is where change begins.
Special projects
Music has many stories to tell.
Youth Music Ambassadors
A proposed 12-week pilot connecting beginner music learning with supervised music-sharing across generations.
Explore the youth pilotMusic That Remembers
Bringing familiar music and human connection to older adults and people living with dementia.
Explore the programThe Joyful Note Songbook
A growing collection of familiar songs selected for connection, participation and memory.
Explore the songbookThe Jewish Songbook Project
Celebrating the extraordinary contribution of Jewish composers and lyricists to American music.
Ask about the projectSupport
Help us bring more music to more people.
Your support helps Joyful Note Foundation bring live music, connection and moments of joy to people who may otherwise have limited access to these experiences.
Online giving is being prepared. Until a secure giving provider is connected, use the contact form to ask about sponsorship or support.
Joyful Note Foundation is a nonprofit organization. The IRS issued a determination recognizing Joyful Note Foundation as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3), effective November 18, 2024.
Facility partners
Bring Joyful Note to your community
Are you a senior living, memory-care, assisted-living or hospice professional?
We would love to learn about your community.
Our programs can be adapted to different settings, group sizes and audiences.
News & invitations
Stay connected
Hear about upcoming programs, stories, volunteer opportunities and ways you can help bring music to people who need it most.
Your song
What song do you remember?
Think of a song that takes you back.
- Maybe it’s your mother’s favorite song.
- Your wedding song.
- A song from high school.
- A hymn.
- A song you haven’t heard in years.
Music connects us to the people and moments that make us who we are.