I recently witnessed an extraordinary event about the power of music and how it truly is the language of our soul. I believe the world is a better place because of music, regardless of the type or genre. It gets us moving, motivates us, inspires us, calms us when we’re stressed or anxious, and connects us with others. This is all due to the release of neurochemicals associated with happiness, including oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. These ”feel good” hormones elevate our mood, lower blood pressure, alleviate depression, and decrease the release of the stress chemical, cortisol, among other things.  

     The human brain has an incredible capacity to process and retain music. We have the ability to memorize and recall the lyrics and melodies to hundreds, if not thousands, of songs. Music does this by engaging the limbic system, which is a complex set of brain structures that form the emotional center of the brain. This explains why some songs make us happy or uplifted, and others make us sad or reflective. For individuals who’ve experienced a stroke, research has proven that the brain can re-wire itself, a process known as neuroplasticity, the lifelong ability of the brain to change. Indelible musical memories may help restore cognition and speech in these patients. 

     And this brings me to the astonishing event I witnessed while spending time with a friend who recently experienced a stroke that left him paralyzed on one side as well as with aphasia, which impacts the ability to speak. Patients experiencing aphasia are often unable to say a few words or may repeat the same words and phrases over and over. This has been true for my friend in the two months since the stroke. During my most recent visit at the rehab facility he currently resides in, I noticed he kept repeating a simple three-word phrase. He might also utter a word here and there, but not much else. He can nod his head for simple yes and no questions, and his trademark facial expressions are intact. (I must add that he’s only been at the rehab facility for one week, so intense therapy has just recently begun.) I have years of experience as a hospice volunteer, and our training includes ways we can engage with patients who’ve been diagnosed with dementia or are heavily sedated. One way to connect with them is with music. Prior to my visit, I prepared a classic rock playlist on my phone, as I planned to use music as a way to connect with him. I could never imagine what would transpire.

     The first song played was “It’s Over,” by Boz Scaggs. Almost immediately, I noticed how engaged he was with the music. His left foot began moving to the beat, and he smiled. We listened for a minute or two and then I switched to another tune. I repeated this for a few more songs and then I played “Bohemian Rhapsody,” by Queen. And that’s when IT happened—my friend, who’s been mostly non-verbal for more than two months, began singing along. He knew the words and the melodies and even began nodding his head in time. He was not only “speaking,” he was fully engaged and uplifted. At this point, my adrenaline started pumping as I knew we were onto something. I played other familiar favorites, including “Saturday in the Park,” by Chicago, “Brown Eyed Girl,” by Van Morrison, “Dreams,” by Fleetwod Mac, and “Show Me the Way,” by Peter Frampton. He kept singing along, song after song. It was truly amazing! A few of these impromptu Karaoke moments were captured on video, precious mementos from this awe-inspiring miracle of sorts. 

     Research has proven that music therapy can significantly improve language recovery and motor function following a stroke event. And singing stimulates speech, pronunciation, articulation, and vocabulary recall. In a span of about two hours, I witnessed the power of music and its ability to dig deep into our soul and awaken us to new possibilities, even after we’ve suffered a brain trauma event such as a stroke.

     The videos are saved on my phone and in the Cloud, and they will forever be imprinted on my heart. I’m grateful for bearing witness to this incredible experience, but mostly hopeful that my friend will make a full recovery thanks to the extensive physical and speech therapy he is receiving. And now, music therapy, too. He’s proof the music is within us all.  

It’s summertime-a break from classrooms, text books and homework for my son. However, learning can still take place despite the fact that school is not in session. This past week, I took my eleven-year old son to his second rock concert. (Last year, I took him to a Bruce Springsteen concert.) This time around, the music was “heavier” and there were three bands-Cheap Trick, Poison and Def Leppard.(My son is familiar with all three 80’s bands as we regularly follow a local group that plays music from that decade.)

The concert was about four hours long, which included set changes between bands. The crowd was a fairly young one-mostly folks in their 20’s and 30’s, with a few older devotees like myself mixed in. My son was not the only minor in attendance, and his presence was acknowledged by several fellow attendees. One guy instructed M. on the proper techniques of the air guitar during Poison’s set, and another one high-fived me and told my son that “your Mom rocks!” Still others encouraged M. to move closer so that he could have a better view of the stage.

M. seemed oblivious to the somewhat sleezy crowd, and was grossed out by the excessive beer consumption and cigarette smoking going on around us. I’m pretty sure that an additional “scent” wafting through the air literally and figuratively went right over his head. We danced and sang all night, and were thoroughly entertained by all of the performances. My son’s favorite band of the night was Poison, as he insisted that they had the best guitar solos. (He has been a student of the acoustic guitar for four months.) As we made our way to the car after the Def Leppard encore, M. remarked that he had an “awesome time!” I explained to him that the evening had been an education of sorts, and one that he would never receive in school.

I am not ashamed to admit that I have shed a tear or two or five since learning of Michael Jackson’s passing. I was a HUGE fan of his albumn, “Off the Wall.” I can remember blasting that particular cassette as I drove around town in my orange VW Beetle. I kept right on listening and buying his music well into the 80’s. On April 25, 1988, I was fortunate to witness his talent first-hand at a concert in Dallas, Texas. As my friend, Shawn, and I sat in our seats, I couldn’t help but notice the faces in the crowd. There were people of every race and color, ranging in age from children to grandmas. I had never before (and probably never since) seen such a diverse crowd at a rock/pop event.

On the day after his death, a local radio station played non-stop Michael Jackson music. We had three different radios at work all tuned to this one location on the dial. We sang and reminisced our way through the day, and managed to get some work done, too.

I do not actually believe in placing celebrities/entertainers on any kind of pedestal. I choose to think that this type of “worship” should be reserved for the heroes searching for a cure for diseases such as AIDS, cancer or diabetes. Or, just everyday folks who devote their lives to charity work. However, I just felt like writing about Mr. Jackson in an effort to honor his amazing talent and his gentle, giving, often misunderstood soul.

I think that the iPOD just may be the third greatest invention of the 20th AND 21st centuries.  (Under-wire bras and Diet Coke claim first and second places, respectively.)  I love the whole concept of the iPOD-its compact design, its easy portability, the immense amount of music it is capable of housing, yada, yada, yada.

Have you ever heard the catchy ad for Capital One-“What’s In Your Wallet?”  I’ve got a great take on that-“What’s On Your iPOD?” I think the answer to that question just might say a lot about someone.  Here is a sample of what’s on my iPOD:

1. Bruce Springsteen. I LOVE Bruce Springsteen.  I have 21 Bruce songs on my Nano.  (No other artist or group has that many downloads. )

2. The vast majority of the artists listed in my library are African-American.  They include Prince, Babyface, Michael Jackson and little sis, Janet,  Luther Vandross, 50 Cent, Kanye West and many more. (I am an equal opportunity downloader.)

3. In addition to Rock, R&B and Hip Hop, my musical taste also includes Country.  (I may have just lost a few readers here.)  I dig the song, “I Love This Bar“ by Toby Keith and I don’t even drink!

4.  I am into some of the new, younger, hip sounds from Coldplay, John Mayer and Mat Kearney. (Pretty cool for a woman of a “certain age!”)

5. I like strong, feisty women who sing.  Think Pink and Joan Jett.   (Love Ms. Jett’s first name!)

6. Of course, no REAL list would be complete without classic rock. I like to rock out to The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith,  ZZ Top, Steve Miller and The Beatles, to name a few.  Have I mentioned The Boss, Bruce Springsteen????

7. Last, but not least, are two of my favorite songs and the artists who sing them.  (These are the ones my family can play at my memorial service as people file past my casket and look over poster boards splattered with old photos.) They are, “What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong and “Imagine” by John Lennon.

After reading the above summary of my iPOD library, one might conclude the following about the keeper of this device:

The owner is female (hint #1-Luther Vandross).  She is middle-aged (hint #2-The Rolling Stones).  She might be a lesbian OR she just has really short hair (hint #3-Feisty Female Rock Stars).  She lived in Texas for 21 years (hint #4-She likes country), but was originally from somewhere in the Midwest or Northeast (hint#5-That New Jersey rocker, Bruce Springsteen).  Lastly, her father was a devotee of Glenn Miller, Dixieland bands and Jazz, and blasted this music on the turntable every Sunday morning (hint #6-Louis Armstrong).

What’s on your iPOD, or more importantly, what does your iPOD say about you?