A guest post from Don Wendorf:

Here are some of the singalong themes I’ve developed in my years of singing along with persons living with dementia. I hope these ideas will serve as a launching point for your own singalongs.

• Alabama (i.e. Stars Fell On Alabama, UA & Auburn Fight Songs)
• Baby (i.e. Baby Face, Hush Little Baby)
• Beatles (i.e. I Want To Hold Your Hand, She Loves You)
• Blue (i.e. Blue Moon, Blue Skies, Blue Hawaii)
• Campfire (i.e. This Land Is Your Land, You Are My Sunshine)
• Christmas (i.e. Frosty the Snowman, White Christmas, Silent Night)
• Colors (i.e. Blue Skies, Red River Valley, Sweet Georgia Brown)
• Cowboy (i.e. Happy Trails To You, Red River Valley)
• Classic Crooners (i.e. Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett)
• Disney (i.e. Heigh-Ho, When You Wish Upon a Star, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious) 
• Dogs (i.e. Hound Dog, Bird Dog, B-I-N-G-O, How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?)
• Easter/Spring (i.e. Easter Parade, Tiptoe Thru The Tulips)
• Elvis Presley (i.e. Love Me Tender, Hound Dog, Don’t Be Cruel, Can’t Help Falling in Love)
• Fall And Falling (i.e. Autumn Leaves, I Fall To Pieces)
• Farm (i.e. Old MacDonald Had a Farm, Grandma’s Feather Bed, Green Acres)
• Folk (i.e. Kumbaya, Tom Dooley, Michael Row The Boat Ashore)
• Free Advice (i.e. High Hopes, Smile, Pennies From Heaven)
• French Songs (i.e. Frere Jacque, Dites-Moi, Alouette)
• Grammy Songs 1958/1959 (i.e. Volare, High Hopes, Summertime)
• Halloween (i.e. Monster Mash, Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead)
• Hawaiia (i.e. Tiny Bubbles, Blue Hawaii, Beach Boys)
• Hot Dog (i.e. Oscar Mayer Weiner Ad, Under The Boardwalk)
• Irish (i.e. Danny Boy, When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, My Wild Irish Rose)
• Italian/Italian American (i.e. Mona Lisa, Volare, That’s Amore)
• Jukebox (i.e. High Hopes, Blue Suede Shoes, Kansas City)
• Kazoo (i.e. Cindy, Skip To My Lou, Zip A Dee Doo Dah)
• Kid Stuff (i.e. Hokey Pokey, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, B-I-N-G-O)
• Lullaby (i.e. Brahms Lullaby, Hush Little Baby, Rockabye Baby. An Irish Lullaby)
• Mardi Gras/New Orleans (i.e. Just a Closer Walk With Thee, When the Saints Go Marching In, Iko Iko)
• Mexico/Cinco De Mayo (i.e. Tijuana Jail, Tequila, La Bamba)
• Moon (i.e. Moon River, Blue Moon, Moonlight Bay)
• Motown (My Girl, My Guy, I’ll Be There)
• New Years (i.e. Accentuate The Positive, Auld Lang Syne) 
• Nostalgia Rock (i.e. Blue Suede Shoes, Bye Bye Love, My Girl)
• Ocean/Sea (i.e. Moonlight Bay, Yellow Submarine, Moonglow)
• Oscar Winners (i.e. Over The Rainbow, White Christmas)
• Patriotic (i.e. America The Beautiful, Yankee Doodle)
• Plane And Train (i.e. Freight Train, Leaving On A Jet Plane)
• Rain (i.e. Singin’ in the Rain, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head)
• Rainbow (i.e. Over The Rainbow, Arky Arky, Rainbow Connection)
• Rat Pack (i.e. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr)
• Red (i.e. Red River Valley, Little Red Caboose, Roses Are Red)
• Roaring Twenties (i.e. Baby Face, My Blue Heaven, Side By Side)
• Sacred Songs (i.e. I’ll Fly Away, Just a Closer Walk With Thee)
• Seventies (i.e. Close To You, Lean On Me, You’ve Got A Friend)
• Snow/Winter (i.e. Jingle Bells, Let It Snow, Sleigh Ride)
• Summer (i.e. Summertime, Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer, In the Good Old Summertime)
• Tony Bennett (i.e. Smile, I Left My Heart In San Francisco)
• Travel (i.e. Kansas City, I’m Walking To New Orleans, On the Road Again)
• Trees (i.e. Lemon Tree, Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree, Cindy)
• Valentines Day (i.e. My Girl, I Can’t Help Falling In Love)
• Vintage TV (i.e. Happy Trails To You, Beverly Hillbillies)
• Walking (i.e. I Walk The Line, Walking After Midnight)

You can use these singalong themes whether or not your play an instrument. You can use these Songs & Smiles Singalong Leader Videos. Or, read about Becoming a Songs & Smiles Singalong Leader.

Music makes a difference. Music connects us with each other. It can spark memories, elicit emotions, and brighten moods. I hope these singalong themes will inspire you to share the joy of music.

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Don Wendorf and his wife, Lynda Everman, serve as advocates, authors, and speakers, supporting dementia care partners and working to Stamp Out Alzheimer’s.