There are places I’ll remember All my life though some have changed Some forever not for better Some have gone and some remain All these places have their moments With lovers and friends I still can recall Some are dead and some are living In my life I’ve loved them all
“In My Life” was written by the Beatles (mostly John Lennon) and resleased in 1965 on the Rubber Soul Album. It is ranked 23rd on the Rollings Stones “The 500 Greatest Songs of all time”
Think back to your earliest childhood music memory – perhaps a toy that created a song, or someone who sang to you. I remember spending endless hours spinning in the middle of the room as music would play around me. Some of my earliest TV theme songs included:
Question: What are some of your earliest musical memories ?
Music serves as a potent trigger of retrieving memories – even those that seem to be long lost.
“What seems to happen is that a piece of familiar music serves as a soundtrack for a mental movie that starts playing in our head.” said Petr Janata, a cognitive neuroscientist at University of California, Davis. “It calls back memories of a particular person or place, and you might all of a sudden see that person’s face in your mind’s eye.”
This latest research could explain why even Alzheimer’s patients who endure increasing memory loss can still recall songs from their distant past. As music therapists we strive to use this power behind music to bridge the individual with Alzheimers Disease to their well self and to those around them. By providing an environment of comfort and familiarity mixed with company and focused attention seniors can and will retrieve some of their best memories with the aide of music.
Music can do that for us all.
Just For fun – vintage Sesame Street with vintage Stevie Wonder
Question: What are some of your earliest musical memories ?