[2022-12-01] Music and memories
In 2014, writer-producer-director Michael Rossato-Bennett released a documentary film called Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory (see trailer). Among other things, the documentary tells the story of patients treated with music therapy. For example, Henry, a 94-year-old nursing home resident with dementia, goes from unresponsive to social—sharing memories about his life and the music he enjoyed (see Henry's story). His caregiver explains that before music therapy, Henry was isolated, sat with his head bowed and didn't talk to many people. But once he started listening to music, he came alive.
The film follows social worker Dan Cohen, who brings music to people with dementia. He asks family members of nursing home residents for a list of music the residents once enjoyed, then creates personalized playlists for the residents. The impact of Cohen's work is recounted in a 2015 Harvard article (Music can boost memory and mood),
Some people, who had seemed unable to speak, proceed to sing and dance to the music, and others are able to recount when and where they had listened to that music. The music seems to open doors to the residents' memory vaults.
There is a growing body of evidence to explain why people in the movie come back to life and begin to feel like [their] former selves when they listen to their playlists. Listening to and performing music reactivates areas of the brain associated with memory, reasoning, speech, emotion, and reward.
In the documentary, Cohen asks Henry whether he likes music, to which Henry responds: "I'm crazy about music." He recounts going to big dances. He says his number one singer was Cab Calloway and starts scat singing like his idol. When asked what his favourite song was, Henry sings, "I'll be home for Christmas," carrying the tune remarkably well for someone in his 90s. Henry is able to answer questions beyond music, such as the favourite part of his life: riding a bicycle as a grocery boy, which enabled him to make money. To the question "What does music do to you?" Henry says, "It gives me the feeling of love."
In the documentary, neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks says that, by listening to music, Henry has reacquired his identity for a while.
I'm fascinated by the power of music to reawaken memories and help define our identity. For the past few days, I've been recalling songs that make up what I'm calling the soundtrack of my life. These pieces evoke strong memories of where I was and what I was doing at certain points in my life, memories that are anchored in a particular song or album.
This morning, I asked my husband about his musical memories, which led to a beautiful conversation about his father's playing harmonica and his brother's experience in a band. And this afternoon, I put the same question to my mom, who talked about hearing Elvis Presley for the first time when she was about 12: she loved it, but her father hated it. She also told me about seeing Elvis in 1957. I asked her what song she remembered most from his concert at the Ottawa Auditorium; she said that she could hardly hear Elvis above the screaming fans.
It would seem that questions about music and not just music itself bring forth memories and stories long forgotten and rarely, if ever, told. As I've been collecting songs from my life, I've remembered stories that go with them—stories I've been sharing with family members and that I look forward to publishing in a future post.
As you get together with friends and family in the coming weeks, consider posing a question or two about the first music they remember hearing or songs they liked to listen to in their youth. It may open the door to a vault of beautiful memories.
