Even though I know music works, it still amazes me. Today I led a music therapy group at a memory care center. There were about 15 participants, all residents in the secure unit. All of them were engaged and enjoyed interacting through the music, but one person stood out from the rest.
"Jane" just cannot hold still when there's live music playing. Can. Not. Stop. Dancing! She bobs, swings, sways and sashays for the entire hour. It's marvelous to watch!
Today we did a cognitive exercise of name that tune. It's exactly what it sounds like. For this, sometimes I start humming a familiar tune at the beginning, or if the group is quick to guess the song, I will start somewhere in the middle to add more challenge for them. (It adds challenge for me, too- believe me, humming a song starting in the middle is a great cognitive exercise for anyone! Try it!) The goal is for the group to use their brain process to find the title of the song or any words. It's great to see them thinking it through.
I began humming "If You're Happy and You Know It." I could see Jane's wheels turning, but she couldn't quite jump in and sing the words. However, as soon as I got to the part where it says "Clap your hands," Jane immediately clapped twice. I asked her the name of the song and she couldn't tell me. But she knew exactly where to clap!
Talk about a muscle memory! This song and it's movements are so deeply embedded into Jane's motor memory that she moved without
thinking.
Isn't music awesome? The music when we heard when we were young is stored deep in our brain, intertwined with memories of people, places, emotions, and movements. Using it purposefully in music therapy can be effective for so many things- speech, movement, memory, and quality of life to name a few.
Now, sing through the whole song. You know you want to.