After 12 years in Newcastle-based rock band WYSPER, Matthew Beckett was ready to give up everything and devote his life to music when he had a sudden change of heart.
"I just went, you know what, something's telling me I shouldn't be doing this," he said.
After the death of his mother caused him to rethink his calling, Mr Beckett began a traineeship at Warabrook BaptistCare in August 2025.
"I was very certain I was going in this direction," he said.
"When mum passed away ... I just went for it."
Working primarily in dementia care, Mr Beckett shares his love for music with the residents, watching how a song can spark memories.
Now 38 years old, he is set to complete his traineeship this week.
"It's the connection and the joy with the music," he said.
"You know you're hitting these points because their eyes light up,"
Mr Beckett saw what caring for people looked like from as young as seven years old with his grandmother looking after his grandfather, a World War II veteran suffering from Alzheimer's and 'war neurosis'.
From the ages of 13 to 17, after his grandmother had a stroke and his mother's severe arthritis started to claim the use of her hands, Mr Beckett needed to learn how to administer his grandmother's insulin and tube feeds before she died in 2006.
Throughout his childhood, music was valued in the family home, acting as an 'escape' for Mr Beckett.
"Music kept me sane for it all," he said.
"My grandmother used to love singing ... Before her stroke she was singing and dancing and ballet all through the hallway as she was cleaning the house.
While performing and recording original music with WYSPER, Mr Beckett's family went through the unimaginable.
His older brother was killed in a car accident in 2016, a time that he describes as the decline of his father.
Two years later, his father was diagnosed with cancer, leading Mr Beckett to "pump the brakes on the music thing" and be at home to look after his parents.
"I was there doing all the housework and making sure dad was looked after ... all the heavy lifting stuff," he said.
His father died just six months after receiving his diagnosis, marking the slow decline of his mother's health.
She died in Mr Beckett's arms in December 2024 after suffering from a heart attack.
After a friend suggested he make the switch from music to aged care, Mr Beckett found an opening at Warabrook BaptistCare for a traineeship.
Residential manager of Warabrook BaptistCare, Helen Gayner, said Mr Beckett's interview stood out to her as he spoke about his life.
"When we finished the interview I said 'Matthew, do you really want to do this?' ... he said yes and it was the best decision I've made," Ms Gayner said.
Mr Beckett is still looking after his younger brother in his own time due to multiple health concerns.
He said while some may call his new role less glamorous, it offered many rewards too.
"I could have walked away years ago ... and been on the road and being a musician and lived that lie, but it wasn't my calling anymore," Mr Beckett said.
"Every day is different in places like memory care."
"There's even the days that somebody may call bad , I'll always find the beauty in it because I will learn something."
Mr Beckett thrives on making connections with residents, meeting new people and getting to know their quirks.
Two residents, Betty Luck, 93, and Carol Hill, 82, share Mr Beckett's love of music and said he was the best thing to happen to Warabrook BaptistCare.
Mrs Luck said when she was first married, she and her husband would sing love songs to each other.
"It makes the world go around," she said.
She said sharing the joy of song with Mr Beckett had been wonderful.
"Music to me, music is the world ... it gets your head out of other spaces," Mrs Hill said.
