Welcome to my first post! I’m excited to finally get this blog started and share exciting news in the field of music and memory. For my first post, I would like to share a podcast about just that: https://www.ttbook.org/show/music-your-mind
This intriguing podcast episode discusses music, art, and aging. On this website, the podcast is also split into articles about each section of the podcast. In my next blog post, I will go more in depth on the first section of the podcast because it’s most applicable to the topics I wish to share in this blog. Nevertheless, all parts of the podcast are thought-provoking and are definitely worth listening to. The first part of this podcast explores and discusses Shannon Kleiber’s experience with the music therapy in her mother’s living care facility. There, the seniors get together and sing familiar songs from their era; Kleiber notices that some of the seniors she didn’t even know could walk or talk were dancing and singing. I think it’s amazing that something as simple as music can help bring seniors out of the trance of everyday life and make them feel alive again. Kleiber’s observations show how any form of interacting with music can positively impact the seniors because they can become a part of the music and contribute to it. The second part of the podcast is an interview with Oliver Sacks, a neurologist who also wrote many books about his experiences. I’ve actually read one of his books, Musicophilia and am excited to read more. The stories in the books are so unique, so watch out for some in future posts! Sacks explains how music liberates people with memory and language loss because the parts of the brain that deal with music are different. This is because of a discovery in the 1860s that aphasic (impairment of language) children could still sing, even with damage in the left hemisphere affecting language. In other words, even if a person has damage to the parts of the brain that deal with language and speaking, they can still make their voice heard musically, by singing. When I first learned about this, I couldn’t help but admire how our brains work. There is just so much complexity and depth that it’s hard to believe it’s something we use everyday without much thought. The third part of this podcast is with Francine Toder, who began learning to play the cello in her 70s. She believes that the “vintage years” are the best to learn an instrument or art because people have more time, patience, and focus. Furthermore, learning something artistic can help stimulate the brain and trigger neuroplasticity, possibly delaying normal onset of memory loss. I think this is interesting because it breaks the stereotype that youth is the optimal time to learn new skills and older people can’t. This section of the podcast proves this wrong because Toder argues that old age is actually the best time to take on a musical skill. The last part of the podcast shares Anne Bastings’ work in nursing homes. Bastings encourages the seniors creatively by helping them create a theater play. She discovered that “beautiful questions”, thoughtful and emotional appealing, gather more responses than simply yes or no questions. Rather than focusing on pushing the seniors to remember something from their past, it’s more encouraging to stimulate their creativity to create something new. When the seniors are encouraged to do this, there is more participation and joyful responses. I think this way of communicating is a great way to break the stigma that nursing homes are dreary. The creative way of communication opens the way for life and excitement that can be spread throughout the nursing homes. This podcast covered a variety of nontraditional, artistic techniques to assist seniors. I think it’s a good reminder that caregivers can also play an important role in helping their loved ones in senior living facilities simply by communication and music. For me, I will definitely keep this podcast in mind the next time I go to play piano for seniors in the senior living facility. I feel like I can be more conscious of how I am communicating with the seniors and choosing which pieces to play. I can’t wait to keep you posted on this exciting new journey!
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