I am certainly not a scientist, nor am I a psychologist, but I have lived long enough to see things “play out,” so to speak. What I do know is that when I listen to certain music, memories flood in like a tidal wave.
I used to joke and say that I knew all the lyrics and melodies of The Beatles’ songs by the time I came out of my mother’s womb. She was The Beatles’ number one fan (in my opinion) and played and sang their music the whole time she was pregnant, and even more so once I was born.
Apparently, I was a colicky baby, and nothing soothed me except for rock and roll music and my mother’s singing. Clearly, memory retention and music were already playing a significant role in my world as a newborn.
When my mom and I were with her family, we sang, danced, cooked, and played cards to the wee hours of the morning. We are a very musical family to this day. My cousin (who’s like a brother to me) and I had our kids around the same time, and we continued the family tradition of loving music. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree because I sang to my sons when they were babies and into their childhood. Now, as teenagers, they are finding new musical tastes while still enjoying the old-school classics of their mom’s era.
Sadly, my great-grandmother (Grammy) ended up with Alzheimer’s disease. When she first needed assisted living options, my mom found a senior moving company that took special care of her needs. However, Grammy’s Alzheimer’s progressed quickly, and she had to move again into a full-time nursing care facility.
Afterwards, my mom would go and sing to her grandma. They loved musicals and knew all the words to so many from beginning to end! It would be so calming to my Grammy, and she would hum along. It was beautiful what my mother did for her grandmother, whom she loved immensely.
According to Levine Music, “The use of music in the realm of medicine is impressively far-reaching. It’s been known to assist in therapy and healing for a wide range of illnesses and conditions. Studies have demonstrated the significant therapeutic value of music for patients with:
- Stroke
- Parkinson’s disease
- Cerebral palsy
- Traumatic brain injury
- Memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease
- Epilepsy
Music can also help with mental health by regulating mood, reducing stress, and promoting calm and positivity,”.
From the National Library of Medicine, “Because emotions enhance memory processes and music evokes strong emotions, music could be involved in forming memories, either about pieces of music or about episodes and information associated with particular music. A recent study in BMC Neuroscience has given new insights into the role of emotion in musical memory,”.
They went on to share some positive outcomes of the study, stating, “Thus, listening to music (even when we listen passively) activates many psychological functions (emotion, memory, attention, imagery and so on) located in a distributed, overlapping brain network.
If music has such a strong influence on emotions and our cognitive system, this raises the question of whether the memory-enhancing effect of emotional music can be used to enhance cognitive performance in general and in clinical settings,”.
Musical memory is partly independent of other memory systems. In Alzheimer’s Disease and different types of dementia, musical memory is surprisingly robust, and likewise for brain lesions affecting other kinds of memory.
What type of music improves memory?
When my sons were babies, I played classical, jazz (smooth jazz), and The Beatles while they slept either through the night or when they were napping. In addition to the music, I had a complete collection of Baby Einstein DVDs. It was a set of fifteen different Baby Einstein DVDs featuring music masterpieces by great composers. These DVDs expose young children to the most fantastic forms of human expression – language, poetry, music, science, and art – in a way they love. And they certainly did love those movies!
There is a theory known as the Mozart effect, which posits that listening to classical music enhances memory and retention.
The Mozart effect was first popularized in the 1990s based on a study that suggested listening to Mozart’s music could temporarily enhance spatial-temporal reasoning skills. While the initial findings have been debated, the idea that music can have a positive impact on memory and cognitive function remains intriguing.
In recent years, research has delved deeper into the relationship between music and memory. Studies have shown that music activates multiple areas of the brain, including those involved in memory formation and emotional processing. This intricate interplay between music and the brain has led to promising applications in various therapeutic settings.
For individuals living with conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, music therapy has been shown to have profound effects. Familiar songs from one’s past can evoke memories, emotions, and a sense of identity that may otherwise be difficult to access. In some cases, patients who may struggle to recall everyday details can effortlessly sing along to cherished tunes from their youth.
In a broader sense, music’s ability to evoke emotions can also enhance learning and retention. Whether it’s the rhythm of a song, the melody of a familiar tune, or the lyrics of a favorite track, these elements can create solid neural connections that aid in memory formation.
But it was my mom singing those musicals that calmed my Grammy when her Alzheimer’s progressed, and she was very sick.
What is a musical?
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – including humor, pathos, love, and anger – are communicated through words, music, movement, and the technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole. Wikipedia
Some of my mom and her grandmother’s favorite musicals were:
- Bye Bye Birdie
- Camelot
- Oliver!
- She Loves Me
- Fiddler On the Roof
- Funny Girl
- Golden Boy
- Hello, Dolly!
- South Pacific
- Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
- Guys and Dolls
- The King and I
- Oklahoma
- Singin’ in the Rain
Alzheimer’s patients remember music
In conclusion, music’s emotional power can unlock memories, soothe the soul, and connect generations—even when words and time begin to fade. Its impact on memory is both personal and profound.