Music: The Stuff of Life

People are most moved by music that reaches deep inside them and evokes feelings and passions that they may not be able to express as powerfully as music can.  Not that all music has to be deeply meaningful or carry a powerful message.  Indeed, rock ‘n’ roll was built on a lot of up-tempo, danceable songs that had little to say, but made people feel good.  But, even some of rock’s earliest stars were able to deliver passionate, moving ballads that captured the emotions of teenagers and, perhaps, a few older folks as well.  Folk singers can move audiences with songs that come directly from their own passions, often reflecting deep commitment to social or political causes.  Religious music reaches listeners on a spiritual level.  County & western songs often involve listeners by relating the triumphs and tragedies of everyday life, and blues are called “the blues” for good reason.

I was reminded of how powerfully music can affect people while viewing the documentary film Alive Inside, an Audience Award winner at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.  The film explores the human mind’s deep attachment and responsiveness to music and its healing power.  Filmmaker Michael Rossato-Bennett followed Dan Cohen, a social worker, on his visits to Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, many of whom were completely uncommunicative, even with their closest relations, hostile, or nearly comatose. Cohen saw how frustrated and saddened their loved ones were at the inability to communicate with a parent or spouse suffering from these diseases.  He hit upon the idea of playing music for these patients.  He talked to them, or their families, about the kind of music they liked or enjoyed in earlier years and then created individual playlists on iPods tailored for each patient.  The results were astonishing.  People who rarely even opened their eyes suddenly bolted up and began moving to the music or singing along with it.  One psychologist explained that victims of these diseases often withdraw within themselves out of frustration at not being able to communicate or interact with others.  Cohen’s music drew them out of their long inward retreat back into the world around them.  They didn’t only respond to the music, but also began talking, answering questions, becoming part of their families again. 

Cohen and medical professionals suggest that our health system is ill-equipped to deal with patients in this way and is locked into more traditional treatments, which cannot achieve such results.  Only by thinking outside the box was Cohen able to reach these patients.  He won followers within the medical profession as well, but his biggest fans are the people he helped and their grateful families.  Alive Inside provides astonishing evidence of how humans are wired to music in ways that we don’t fully understand.  It also helps explain why performers who sing with real passion draw us in and reach us on an emotional level, forming a connection that appears to last long after we have heard the music. 

Alive Inside is available on Netflix and you can view the trailer here: http://tinyurl.com/l5o6gs2. 

You may also want to visit the film’s website: http://www.aliveinside.us/#land. 

David Cohen’s work led the founding of Music and Memory, a non-profit organization that brings personalized music into the lives of the elderly or infirm.  The organization trains care providers and families to create iPod playlists for their loved ones who suffer from Alzheimer’s, dementia and related conditions so they may again connect with the world around them through music. 

To learn more about Music and Memory, or to make a donation to the organization, visit their website:  https://musicandmemory.org/about/mission-and-vision/