Uptown Social, Lakeland grads honor former professor
Uptown Social, a Sheboygan-based location that offers programming and activities to promote successful aging, will launch the Janet L. Herrick Dementia-Friendly Choir, an inclusive program designed for individuals with memory loss, their care partners, and community members at large.
The choir is named in honor of the late Janet L. Herrick, a longtime Lakeland professor of music and director of choral activities who was a highly respected figure in Sheboygan’s musical community. She died in 2025 from complications related to dementia.
Two Lakeland graduates are leading the effort.
The choir will be led by Music Director Carra-Lyn Conger ’96, who recently retired from the Sheboygan Area School District after a distinguished career as a music teacher. She currently serves as director of music at First Congregational UCC in Sheboygan.
Emily Rendall-Araujo '11 MBA '14, director of senior services for the City of Sheboygan, will accompany on piano and administer the program. She also serves as accompanist at First Congregational UCC in Plymouth.
Both Conger and Rendall-Araujo hold bachelor’s degrees in music from Lakeland and were among the many music students who were positively influenced by Herrick.
The Friends of Uptown Social has received a $5,000 grant from Giving Voice Initiative as part of the organization’s Rural Initiative to expand dementia-friendly choirs throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. The grant is helping fund creation of the choir.
Participation in the Janet L. Herrick Dementia-Friendly Choir is free, and no diagnosis of memory loss is required. Community members, care partners, and individuals living with dementia are all encouraged to join. Music selections will be familiar, engaging, and enjoyable for singers of all ability levels.
Music is widely recognized as a powerful tool for individuals with memory loss. Even as dementia progresses, the parts of the brain that respond to music often remain active. Group singing can improve mood, reduce anxiety, stimulate memory recall, encourage social engagement, and provide opportunities for meaningful connection. Familiar songs can help individuals re-engage with their environment and experience moments of joy and recognition.
Click here for more information or call Uptown Social at 920-459-3290 or email uptownsocial@sheboyganwi.gov.
