BIO
Taylor Kurta is an award-winning singer-songwriter, music therapist, and PhD candidate in the Aging, Health, and Well-being program at the University of Waterloo. In 2011, Taylor received a Canadian FACTOR grant to produce her first EP, and in 2013, she won the inaugural Canada’s Walk of Fame RBC Emerging Artist Mentorship Prize. This recognition helped her become the first non-classically trained student admitted to Wilfrid Laurier University’s undergraduate music therapy program, opening doors for other musicians from non-traditional backgrounds. Now completing her PhD, Taylor’s research focuses on collaborative songwriting with people living with dementia to challenge stigma. Her work has been supported by several prestigious awards, including a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship, the Saint Elizabeth Research Centre Graduate Student Award, and the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging Scholarship. Through her interdisciplinary approach to practice and research, Taylor continues to advocate for more inclusive and socially just approaches to dementia care.
Taylor Kurta
“I Want to be Treated How I Treat Other People”
Insights and Lessons from a Collaborative Songwriting Project with People Living with Dementia
This presentation will explore findings from a collaborative songwriting research project with nine people living with dementia (PLwD) living in residential care. Together, they wrote a song about who they are, what makes them happy, and how they want to be treated. The songwriting process supported participants in expressing their creativity, communicating their continued desire for growth and learning, and asserting their need to be seen, heard, and treated with dignity, love, and respect. Their lyrics also convey valuable life lessons and insights they wish to pass on to others. In addition to discussing the key themes and outcomes of the project, the presentation will include a short documentary film that captures the songwriting journey and offers reflections on how music can be a transformative tool for connection, empowerment, and social change in dementia care.