Click on the image to read “The Songs They Can’t Forget”
I found this article when searching for MT related articles about music and its relation to an individual’s state of mind (the American Music Therapy Association has an endless list of documented articles as well as frequently updated news). “The Songs They Can’t Forget” discusses how music is present across many parts of a human’s brain. Ms. Alicia Clair, a music therapist at a facility that is home to patients with dementia, states that “you can’t rub out music unless the brain is completely gone.” The article lists examples of a few patients, most notably Tom and Elsie, and explains that not only does music help people remember, but it also provides greater - better - improvement than physical therapy to patients with ailments (in a shorter period of time). Music therapy may also slow the progress of Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia that affects 5 million people in the United States, as well as Parkinson’s disease and other severe conditions. Ms. Kate Gfeller, director of a graduate MT program at the University of Iowa, says, “We can’t reverse the disease, but we can make the quality of each day as good as it can be.” Simple yet powerful proof that music can help heal.
It’s Monday afternoon on September 20th, 2010 and I am sitting here with hundreds of tissues and napkins surrounding my body. I cannot stop sneezing, coughing, and feeling my forehead to see if maybe my fever has dropped. I do need medicine for the flu and, unfortunately, it has to be something a bit stronger than Radiohead’s “Pablo Honey” album, but the music is helping. It helps me even on the days that I am not chugging down Theraflu. It reminds me that I have never been more confident about what I want to accomplish. It provides a shoulder to cry on when I let my feelings get hurt. It guides me through difficult decisions and days when I do not want get out of bed. It allows me to realize that, just like music itself, I am blessed to have friends and family. It helps me always and I hope it does the same for many, many others.
theme by: behindtrees customized by: datsraces
