“This ability of music to conjure up vivid memories is a phenomenon well known to brain researchers. It can trigger intense recollections from years past — for many, more strongly than other senses such as taste and smell — and provoke strong emotions from those earlier experiences.” -The Washington Post.
Did you know the hours you spend listening to music may actually be improving your memory in the long run? As if we needed another good reason to enjoy our favorite music! But it’s true: listening to music has proven to enhance learning and memory skills, having a profound impact on the mind and emotions. Together, these produce a powerful memory triggering effect. A New York based facility called Music & Memory encounters the profound impact of music on their patient daily.
“If there was a new drug that alleviated symptoms for people living with dementia, a pill that helped them to feel joyful and able to communicate again, we’d rush to make it available to every person in our care. All the more so if that same drug reduced falls, delirium, and pain; if it improved post-surgical and rehab outcomes; and if it reduced reliance on mood-altering medications.
Those positive outcomes happen daily at Music & Memory certified organizations in the U.S. and worldwide. But no miracle pill is involved. Rather, the effective intervention of favorite music, used according to evidence-based best practices, is proving how personalized playlists offer an effective, side-effect-free, non-pharmacological approach to improving quality of life and care.” -Music & Memory
It is perhaps no coincide that West Virginian’s love not only music, but remembering their home and upbringing – which is frequently sung about by WV musicians. West Virginian’s take great pride in singing about their memories, and rightly so.
We recently enjoyed chatting with West Virginia’s own Duo, Key to Adam , who shared with us the experience of regularly visiting and performing at a local nursing home. They were welcomed to play for the Dementia patients in the home. They started out playing in small increments of 5 minutes to 10 minutes, increasing with each visit. Eventually, they not only began playing for up to 30 minutes for the patients with dementia, but those they played for began remembering them each week! These same patients struggled to remember the caregivers they saw on a daily basis; and yet the power of music triggered the use of their memory and they became familiar with the faces and music of Key to Adam. This incredible account was enough to cause us to dig more on music for your health.
If you want to firm up your body, head to the gym. If you want to exercise your brain, listen to music. -John’s Hopkins Medicine
The power of music is no mistake. And that is one of the many reasons we do what we do here at Born & Bred Music. Ready to exercise your brain? Keep visiting us here at Born & Bred and follow us on Facebook and Instagram and check out our Born & Bred Spotify playlist!
