The Healing Power of Music

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I've known all my life how much music can heal. Whenever I need to, I cocoon myself in my car, crank up the Imagine Dragons, the Killers, Beck, or Sara Bareilles and just drive. When I emerge later, I feel better.

Music is emotion. Music is expression. Music is memory, as I found out when I watched Alive Inside, a documentary about how music can unlock memories and emotions in Alzheimer's patients. I cried through the whole thing. But it was amazing to see how music could bring life back to those who had none. Amazing!

In the movie, patients in nursing homes listen to music of their generation with headphones, and it unlocks memories they couldn't access otherwise. Makes total sense to me. Remember the show Dateline? They had a Dateline Timeline, where they would have a trivia question -- what year did these things happen? They would then give you a few clues, one usually a song. I could always guess the year by the music clue -- for example, I knew what was happening in the world when Smash Mouth's Walking on the Sun was a hit.

And that is what happens when an Alzheimer's patient hears music from their youth -- the music triggers the memories. They are smiling, laughing, sometimes crying, with happiness and gratitude. Some even start to dance.

I thought about the Tomasita Elementary School Zumba club and how they go to senior centers and Zumba for the elderly. They play energetic music that gets everyone moving.

I wonder what would happen if they started to Zumba to music of their audience's generations. What if they Zumba-ed to swing or big band music? Or Broadway tunes?

What if they specifically performed for Alzheimer's patients as a pilot program to see if what the club does can make a positive difference in their quality of life?

I'm adding this to my list of possible learning projects L&LNM could design down the line. As always, I love to hear from you. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

For today, I'm going to be working on a keyhole garden my daughter and I are making. Soil for the soul.

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