Music is more than just background noise — it’s the soundtrack to our lives. It connects us to memories, people, and emotions. It lifts us up, calms us down, and brings us back to moments we thought we’d forgotten. That’s why, when it comes to dementia care, music isn't just helpful — it can be transformative. Even as other parts of the brain struggle with language or short-term memory, music has this remarkable ability to break through. And research backs that up. Here are 10 reasons why music is such a powerful tool for supporting individuals living with dementia. 1. Music Sparks Memory - You’ve probably seen it before — someone who struggles to remember names or faces suddenly lights up when they hear an old favorite tune. That’s because music is stored across many areas of the brain, not just one. So even when dementia causes some areas to decline, others may still recognize melody, lyrics, rhythm, and harmony. That multi-area storage makes music a resilient memory trigger. 2. The Brain Can Rewire Itself (Yes, Really) - Thanks to neuroplasticity, the brain can adapt and form new connections — even around damaged areas. For some people with dementia, this means that new songs or even new skills can still be learned. That’s hope in action. 3. Music Unlocks Emotional Memories - Certain songs instantly take us back — to a wedding, a childhood home, a loved one. For people with dementia, these emotional ties can unlock memories thought to be lost. Why? Because emotions are powerful memory anchors, and music naturally brings emotions to the surface. 4. Music Offers a Way to Communicate - Even when words fail, music speaks. Take the example of Gladys Wilson and Dr. Naomi Feil’s touching moment (watch it here ). Through music, Gladys — who no longer used words — found a way to connect, respond, and express herself. Her rhythmic tapping became a language of its own. 5. Personalized Playlists Make a Big Difference - Familiar music — especially songs someone loved earlier in life — can be incredibly powerful. Research shows that preferred music can reduce agitation, soothe anxiety, and even help preserve a sense of identity. So yes, playlists really do matter. 6. The Carryover Effect is Real - One of the most remarkable things about music in dementia care is its lasting impact. After engaging with music, a person might show improved mood or awareness not just for minutes — but for hours, even weeks. While it’s not guaranteed every time, this “carryover effect” shows how deeply music can reach. 7. Music Meets Social & Emotional Needs - Singing together, drumming, or just sharing a favorite song can create connection and improve quality of life. Music addresses core psychosocial needs — like inclusion, comfort, and belonging — that are so important for people living with dementia. 8. Family & Caregivers Can Join In - You don’t need to be a music therapist to make a difference. Simple activities like singing with a loved one, humming during care routines, or playing familiar tunes while helping someone get dressed can turn routine tasks into meaningful moments. 9. Music Supports Every Stage of Dementia - From early stages to end-of-life care, music continues to offer value. In the early days, it can jog memory. In the middle stages, singing can help with focus and cognition. And in late stages, music provides comfort, connection, and even dignity. It’s never too early or too late to start. 10. Music Pairs Beautifully With Other Therapies - Music doesn’t have to stand alone. It works wonderfully with art, dance, cooking, and storytelling — enhancing experiences and deepening engagement. Whether it’s part of a craft session or simple dance movement, music makes everything more joyful and meaningful. If you’re caring for someone with dementia — as a family member, nurse, or caregiver — remember this: you already have one of the most powerful tools at your fingertips. A favorite song. A melody from the past. A gentle rhythm. Music doesn’t just bring back memories. It brings back connection, expression, and sometimes, even joy. So go ahead — press play.

And here we are together again, friends, for a third and closing reflection in this series of musical musings. You have graciously come alongside, and I am deeply grateful. Those who have explored sound and song with me in recent years know to expect that, before we turn our eyes to any musical scores, I will draw you into a small ritual of intentional breathing as we step into our shared time and space. As an advocate for music’s capacity to foster our wellness, I lean on the power of our breath to open a portal into that collective creativity. I hope that you all will also play along with me for just a moment, preparing yourself for reading the musical care vignette I am sharing with you here. As this week comes to a close , what piece of music is calling you to listen, to truly listen? Carve out a little more time to find it just now on your preferred platform and simply press ‘play ’. For me, first to mind is Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, performed by the New York Philharmonic under the ever-intuitive baton of Leonard Bernstein in the 1960s. This recording honours the rests as much as the notes, with ample breathing room for an intentional practice like ours. Now, make yourself comfortable, either standing with both feet grounded on the floor beneath you or, if seated, on the chair’s edge such that you are aware of your posture. During a conducting workshop several years ago, the concepts of sinking with strength into our inhale and rising with lightness as we exhale resonated such that I have woven them into my care approach, to always invite others to find this breathing pattern in preparation for musical engagement. Close your eyes if you are able and just feel your whole self melt into this moment. Take your time … these written words below can await your return:) “Emotion in song. I want all of it.” When I heard this desire expressed by the narrating character of a current film in theatres “The History of Sound” I thought yes …yes, so do I, for what are songs but stories set to melody, evoking deep emotions? One of my community partners aims to offer lifestyle interventions of movement and creativity for those living with brain conditions and their care partners. It is my joy to facilitate a virtual singing collective for them as well as in person collaborations where sounding and singing flow into our pursuit of connection and wellness. It is through one of these workshops that an opportunity has arisen to offer music as care to an historian in his eighties recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He is hoping that singing fervently like he did in the choir of his youth will soften the edges of the grief he has been carrying since his childhood. Emotional expression is at the very core of our time together. On the wings of song and tears, our shared experience is heartbreaking and healing all at once. It is one of life’s stunning beauties that music can be this gift to us, reaffirmed by a live performance that brought me to tears last evening by The Swell Season. I have been playing their most recent album on repeat all morning, each song resonating deeply. Seek this out for yourself, my friends. Let music wash over you, release you, ground you, and connect you to your loved ones. In so doing, you are crafting another meaningful chapter of your personal story. 

Well hello again, friends. Buoyed up by hope that my words offered here a few weeks ago have had you considering your own unique moments of being touched by music as care, I will sharpen our shared lens and share another vignette of personal experience. I have been making music in church spaces since I was very young…it is a give and take that has woven into my life rhythms as a constant beat for almost fifty years. The gratitude piece that flows through this element of musical practice is that my family of faith granted me a formative foundation from which to understand music as a spiritual gift of care. So, to recently have a woman with whom I worship Sunday after Sunday express with eloquence what it means to her to receive my playing and singing, it moved me deeply and felt worth sharing here. She is a spiritual care practitioner and a visual artist. She sees and experiences the most profound of feelings on the daily. Bonding over coffee and platz , she graced me with a beautiful expression of how my approach to singing on that given Sunday was of such sensitivity that it actually made her feel heard in the listening. I have been thinking a great deal about the reflexivity of that naming by this generous human. She sensed that she had a voice, that I was honouring her listening presence, amidst the vocal expression of the song I was sharing. Let’s consider this for just a moment…the invitation into relationship that is formed through timbre and lyrical shaping. We were each caring for each other in that experience. The next morning, I participated in a virtual workshop hosted by the “Singing Side by Side” network in the UK, an interdisciplinary team of researchers with expertise in music therapy, health psychology, choir leadership and community engagement. The focus was about the musical skills that add wellbeing elements to song. And so again, the gateway to true connection in the dialogue seemed to be about the learning that comes through listening. So let’s listen, yes? Be it to your mother’s song, to your dear friend’s story, or to a graceful bird like the one soaring above me just now. Let’s commit to caring in our listening.

As the heat of August hints at releasin g it’s h old on us so we can step into the return of fall rhythms, I have been immersing myself in the repertoire that will potentially find expression in my classrooms and music care spaces. Some of these pieces have been at my fingertips for years, others are arrangements as new to me as they will be to those who join in the singing. We will explore melody, breath, rhythm, and phrasing together. While seeking the deeper story threads of lyrical meaning, bringing an interpretation that is uniquely ours to each composition, music’s capacity to foster relationship will undoubtedly arise yet again as a key player in our experience. It is an element of my practice that presents itself with constancy and yet, never ceases to amaze me. Perhaps you have been granted that gift of connection through song somewhere along your own distinct life path…can you transport yourself to that moment and consider its impact upon you? I recall facilitating a virtual singing session several years ago which saw me raw with emotion due to some distressing circumstances in my family circle. As much as the music educator in me was trying to maintain a certain professional veneer, I was fragile and coming undone while attempting to guide us through the songs we had hoped to sing together that day. In the final phrase of one piece, as I sought resolution in a gentle pattern of chords on the piano and exhaled deeply so as to find equilibrium, one of my participants softly asked if everything was alright . I raised my gaze, and the answer was there in my tears. The faces on my screen were just the reassurance I needed to be honest with them about my sadness. One by one, they suggested songs that they could sing for me, expressing how I didn’t even need to accompany them if I simply wanted to listen. The rest of that hour unfolded as though it were a warm embrace of care from them all. Writing about that experience now, the sense of connection is ever strong. Flowing out of this shift, reflecting on who was musically caring for whom, a realization emerged that lit a spark. We are all capable of wrapping each other up in song. A part of us is singing for our personal health and wellbeing but when we are finding our voice alongside others, we build bridges of tenderness, compassion, and empathy. I hope you’ll come along with me for this trio of reflections upon the connections which arise through song. Inhale, exhale, and be present together as we consider the ethos of musical care for one another.

The research is out… and it’s conclusive! You simply cannot sit for long periods of time without getting up to move: your mother has told you; your doctor is telling you, The World Health Organization is advising you, in no uncertain terms; even your smart watch is asking you to get up and move! But are you doing it? Perhaps today’s Music and Wellness Blog will give you the facts and help inspire you to indulge in regular body breaks or “exercise snacks” as they are more commonly being called. Active breaks are not just a nice idea, they are imperative. Research from The University Of British Columbia, Faculty of Medicine The Importance of Movement Breaks - UBC Physical Therapy and Research Clinic found that these short breaks help to reduce the associated risks of a sedentary lifestyle. Even short, simple activities like walking, household chores and gardening can add up to supporting a healthier balanced day. The World Health Organization suggests a 40% increase in mortality is associated with prolonged sitting and recommends short bursts of physical activity. My physiotherapist quips that sitting is the new smoking. When I made the transition from a teaching career that had me up on my feet much more, I felt the difference because now my day often consists of prolonged hours of writing and online meetings. There is a lack of consensus about how long is too long in a sitting position. You may have heard that a break every 20 minutes is advised; that for me feels a little too frequent. I have read that the brain focuses well in 90 minutes cycles and that attention will wane after that stretch of time. So my personal protocol that addresses these issues is this: I choose 30-45 minute work sessions, set a timer or alarm and then ask Alexa to play one of my high motivation tunes to fire up my heart rate. The dogs will watch me dance around the room, jump as high as I can and land in a deep lunge for 10-12 reps, or they may witness one of my favourite activities that is often accompanied by a disco selection, speed cleaning the kitchen. I may alternate throughout the day with a relaxing track. My go-to here is Room 217’s Diverse Sounds Collection where soothing melodies will accompany a pose of the child, my legs up against the wall, or some gentle Tai Chi movements. What is important is that you choose music that is right for you. What music motivates you? Calms you? The more these energizing exercise snacks become part of your daily routine, you will know what your body needs- a bit of workout pop to get you jumping on the spot or a strum of the guitar and solo voice to guide you into a five minute full body stretch. The body break is your practice, and it must work for you to be consistent, from your musical selections to your body’s needs and requirements. Your body will thank you, your overall health and your brain too. Enjoy today’s snack!