Besides memorizing your favorite tune on the radio or a piece for a school concert, music can help you remember memories and improve your mood! When listening to your favorite song, you can determine how the song makes you feel and reflect on the lyrics or musical expression. Maybe you remember your mother singing a song to you when you were growing up, you have sang the song before, or it makes you feel happy! However the song connects with you, you can recall the past and your emotions associated with it.
In a study by Harvard Medical School, they assessed how music impacts people’s mood and memory during the making of the television show Alive Inside by Dan Cohen. Dan inspired a filmmaker, whom followed him around a nursing home he worked at, to produce the show. Through his observation, the filmmaker saw the power of music on the residents there. When they were played a song that resonated with them, even people who were non-responsive danced! Music moved the residents in ways that nothing else could. The article also highlights another study by the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, affiliated with Harvard. This study stated that music can help people who have suffered from a stroke or from brain damage to the left-side of their brain. When singing to the lyrics of a song, they are able to recover faster. After a stroke or left-sided brain injury, singing their emotions helped them gain speech confidence again.
Here at the Jerry Evan’s School of Music, we are strong advocates for helping our students feel their best while learning their instrument. We understand that music is more than notes and rhythms, but it has the power to transform your mind!
For more information on the Jerry Evan’s School of Music lessons, click here.
