Have you ever woken up in the morning with a song already running through your head? Or do you ever get an earworm that stays with you for much of the day? Does music move you throughout your day or even throughout life? What type of music brings a smile to your face? What are some of your favorite songs? Who are some of your favorite musicians? Do you have certain songs that bring back happy memories—maybe a song from your childhood, the first song you learned to play on an instrument, a song from a concert you attended, the song you danced to at your wedding, a song you sang to your children, or an uplifting song that reminds you of a powerful movie?

Music has vital influence on humans. Nearly all cultures throughout history have made music. Humans sing and hum, clap and sway, and even dance along. The human ear and brain are designed to distinguish between music and noise, recognizing rhythm and tones from other sounds. Research has been done suggesting that music can even enhance health, quicken recovery time after illness or surgery, improve mood, and potentially boost performance in situations like athletics. Studies are being done on combining music and reminiscence therapy to improve the well-being in elderly populations, including those living with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

LifeBio already uses reminiscence therapy questions to guide people through telling their life stories. In your story you can include what is music to your soul! You can share the story of the songs your mother sang to you or that you danced to with your father in the living room. You can tell about your favorite songs and artists. You can recall what concerts you have attended. You can describe what it was like to learn to play an instrument, to be in the marching band, or to sing in the choir. You can talk about how your record collection advanced to 8-tracks, eventually to be replaced by cassette tapes and CDs, prior to the invention of mp3s and online music. You can include your favorite radio stations and what you have loved to sing along with on car rides. You can paint the memories that certain songs hold for you, such as dancing at a school dance or singing lullabies to your newborn baby. LifeBio is here to help you record your own life melodies; which tract would you like to start with today?

(P.S. Regarding catchy earworms, Durham University did a study and came up with three tips to best get rid of those endless play tracts. The top three suggestions are: 1) Listen to or sing the song all the way through; 2) Distract yourself by thinking of or listening to a different song; or 3) Try not to focus on the song and see if it will fade away naturally on its own.)