Melanie Basham, a board-certified music therapist, sings approximately 50 song snippets via Microsoft Teams every other week for hundreds of residents across the country through Pegasus Senior Living’s SINGO program.
SINGO combines elements of Name That Tune and traditional Bingo. Residents hear short music clips, identify the song titles, and mark them on their cards. The game supports memory recall, attention, visual scanning, processing speed, and social connection—all therapeutic goals Melanie targets through her music therapy background.
The program evolved from a concept introduced by a vendor, Taz Tajzahe, who worked with Pegasus Senior Living CEO Chris Hollister to create a virtual, music-based game. The original format asked residents to identify artists. Melanie refined it to focus on song titles, mirroring a format she had successfully used earlier in her career at a brain injury rehabilitation facility where she developed Music Bingo.
When Taz could no longer continue, Melanie took over. She now hosts SINGO sessions for 44 communities nationwide, typically theming each session by decade, genre, or mood. The format creates a shared experience that brings geographically separated communities together through music.
Melanie’s background as a music therapist shapes how she approaches senior living. She worked extensively with adults during her training, including an 85-year-old woman whose goal was cognitive maintenance through learning piano and jazz standards.
“Music is a universal language that transcends age, background, and cognitive ability,” said Melanie, Pegasus Senior Living’s Health and Wellness Engagement Specialist. “I approach everything through a therapeutic lens, thinking in terms of goals like physical and/or cognitive engagement, emotional well-being, and connection. One quote has always resonated with me: ‘When words fail, music speaks’ by Hans Christian Andersen—it captures why music remains such a powerful tool in senior living.”
She adds: “I have always loved working with older adults. They are endlessly interesting, full of lived experience, insight, and perspective that you simply can’t find anywhere else. There’s also something wonderfully refreshing about their honesty. Many are unfiltered in the best way, which can be both entertaining and deeply meaningful.
Equally important to me is the opportunity to support the teams who serve our residents every day. I feel a strong sense of responsibility to build, guide, and encourage the people who do this work alongside me. Helping team members grow into confident, capable professionals who feel valued is one of the most rewarding parts of my role.”
Pegasus Senior Living continues to offer SINGO biweekly across its 44 communities nationwide. To learn more visit Pegasus Senior Living’s website.
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Media Contact: Keisha Moore | [email protected] | (214) 306-7674