The brain works with the five senses and determines the effect of therapy on each individual.  Music and the expressive arts are used to help improve the quality of their lives.  The brain’s language, memory and motor centers respond well to favorite songs from people’s youth, often bringing up deep emotions from the past.  The creative arts allow seniors to express themselves in ways that may otherwise not be accessible to them.

Some Individual Experiences

A memory care resident was brought into the music therapy room with eyes closed and looking completely detached from her surroundings. During her very first musical therapy session, she was seen tapping one foot to the music.  In the second session, she opened her eyes and began tapping both feet to the music.  In the third session, she began to speak a little, both eyes were open, and her feet were tapping to the music.

In another music therapy session, a woman was brought in a wheelchair, totally unresponsive, head down, and hands balled into fists. The music therapist came over to her and placed a harmonium in front of the woman.  The sound system began to play the Elvis Presley song: “Hound Dog.”  The woman immediately opened her hands, placed them on the harmonium, and started playing and singing the lyrics perfectly.  She had been a piano teacher in her younger years and the session brought her back to the joy of those earlier times.