“I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.”
Billy Joel
Music improves our quality of life is the focus of Chapter 5. One of the principal ways music accomplishes this by its ability to stimulate learning. Music learning brings about measurable physical changes in the brain and reduces the risk of a fall-off in brain thinking. This process by which the brain becomes more resistant to age-related decline is termed cognitive reserve. Another attribute of music – that humans can coordinate their movements to it – enables people to rehabilitate from conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and strokes that impair the use of their limbs. Music can also help people with speech deficits regain their ability to use language. Because infants respond to it from birth, music can help sick children heal from illness or reduce their discomfort. Perhaps the most dramatic example of music’s healing ability is watching people with dementia suddenly “come alive” upon hearing a song they know well. This results from the special qualities of musical memory. You can prove this to yourself visiting someone with dementia and singing a song that the person enjoys; sometimes, they can even learn new songs.