Sneakered toes on the sustain pedal, music therapist Pat Kaiser played holiday music on a piano in bouncy mezzo staccato.

Her left heel tapping metronomically, Kaiser conducted a chorus of about two dozen singers — many of whom had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, dementia or other conditions that affect cognitive function. The Saturday concert, held at Bethpage Senior Community Center, was the culmination of a 10-week program run by Westbury-based Long Island Alzheimer's and Dementia Center.

"You feel people might be locked up inside a little bit," Kaiser said of working with those diagnosed with dementia. "I just wanted to offer something that would kind of pull them out."

The group, called The Sharp Notes, included LIAD participants ages 70 through 96, as well as aides, careg

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