Some years ago, I had the good fortune to meet and become friends with an elderly neighbor afflicted with dementia.  Though highly educated, James spoke only haltingly and, most often, could not recall names of friends and family.  Needless to say, it was difficult to watch this physically healthy man struggle to communicate, and to remember people and things important to him.

Among his many accomplishments, James was a talented pianist.  And even as his memory continued to decline, he would sit at the piano in his home and play … flawlessly … various intricate compositions.  Musical skills, it seems, are stored in a different part of the brain from verbal memory so he, like many dementia patients, retained the ability to play familiar pieces.

As we have come to understand, engaging with music provides a number of significant benefits for folks with dementia including enhanced cognitive function and improved quality of life.  In fact, familiar music stimulates important brain areas, especially when participating in singing and rhythm exercises.  Notably, this activity enriches emotional and social experiences, while fostering engagement and self-expression as well.

My lovely bride, Bonnie, and I know how fortunate we are to be able to take part in these sorts of uplifting experiences through a local group known as Musical Memory Singers.  Established in 2017, this organization invites those with mild to intermediate Alzheimer’s/dementia to join together with others enduring similar struggles, with caregivers invited to sing along for an hour of joyous music.

Musical Memory Singers musicalmemorysingers.org gather weekly to enjoy music carefully selected to be familiar to participants, with the goal being song, socialization and memory making.  Without exception, these meetings are always inspiring and filled with laughter … and, fortunately, nobody is graded on their ability to sing on key!

Bonnie and I have been together since our years at Ossining, NY, High School and, from the very beginning, “our song” has been Misty, by Johnny Mathis.  Over the years, we have seen him perform on many occasions including a show in San Antonio where, mid-song, he forgot the lyrics to the piece he was singing.  Luckily, the theater was filled with folks in their 70’s and 80’s who were already singing along … which prompted him to tell us: “You keep going … I’ll catch up.”  A magnificent example of the delicate interplay between aging, music and memory.

Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author best known for writing children’s stories.  He spoke, this way, about the powerful  connection between music and the mind:

Where words fail, music speaks