{"id":272,"date":"2026-05-01T06:46:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T16:46:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/?p=272"},"modified":"2026-05-01T06:50:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T16:50:05","slug":"jus-play-for-grandma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/index.php\/2026\/05\/01\/jus-play-for-grandma\/","title":{"rendered":"Jus&#8217; Play For Grandma"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>The Playlist of Your Life\u2026 and Why It Matters in the Classroom<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Power Of Music On The Brain | Dementia &amp; Parkinson&#039;s\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rnUSNbqtVJI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you had to make a playlist of your life, what would be on it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The songs from your childhood. The ones you listened to with your friends. The ones that made you cry\u2026 or filled you with joy. And if, toward the end of your life, your memories began to fade\u2014could that soundtrack bring you back?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s the question explored in <em>Power of Music on the Brain<\/em>, and what it shows is something hard to ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People with advanced dementia\u2014people who can\u2019t recognize family members or hold conversations\u2014suddenly come alive when they hear <em>their<\/em> music. Not just any music, but songs tied to their life. It\u2019s like music finds a way in when everything else can\u2019t. As the video explains, it acts almost like a \u201cside door into the brain,\u201d reconnecting people with memory, emotion, and identity .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When I Saw It for Myself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2853-1.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-274\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.3333223684210527;width:420px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2853-1.webp 768w, https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_2853-1-300x225.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve seen this firsthand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several years ago, a friend of mine, Diane Ako, wrote an <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiiirl.com\/blogs\/musics-positive-effects-on-dementia.html\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/hawaiiirl.com\/blogs\/musics-positive-effects-on-dementia.html\/\">article<\/a> about her mother, who was in the final stages of Alzheimer\u2019s. I was invited to come and play music for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At first, she was withdrawn and disconnected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But then I started playing Hawaiian songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What I didn\u2019t know at the time was that she had been a hula dancer earlier in her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the music started, her hands began to move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not randomly\u2014but with intention. Graceful, familiar movements. Almost like her body remembered something her mind couldn\u2019t fully access anymore. It wasn\u2019t something she had to think about\u2014it just happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In that moment, she wasn\u2019t just reacting to music\u2026 she was <em>responding from memory<\/em>. From identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then came the connection. She became more engaged, more present, reaching out and interacting. For those moments, it felt like the disease stepped aside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What the Science Says<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research doesn\u2019t claim that music \u201ccures\u201d dementia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But it does show something very specific:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Music improves mood<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It reduces anxiety and agitation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It increases emotional expression and communication<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In other words, music may not rebuild the brain\u2014but it helps people <em>feel like themselves again<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One reason is that music activates multiple systems at once\u2014emotion, memory, and movement. That\u2019s rare. Most things we experience only hit one or two areas. Music hits <em>all of them<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s why it can still work even when other functions are gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What This Means for Our Classes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Watching this changed how I think about what we\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because yes\u2014we are building our own soundtracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every time you learn a song, you\u2019re attaching it to a moment in your life. A feeling. A struggle. A win. That becomes part of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there\u2019s another side to this that might be even more important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>We\u2019re also learning how to play <em>other people\u2019s<\/em> soundtracks.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because one day, someone might ask you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGo play something for Grandma.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And when that happens\u2014just do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don\u2019t overthink it. Don\u2019t worry about whether it\u2019s perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because you don\u2019t know what that song might unlock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You might play something that brings back a memory they haven\u2019t accessed in years. You might see a reaction you\u2019ve never seen before. A smile. A movement. A connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe even something like what I saw\u2026 where the music doesn\u2019t just reach the ears\u2014it reaches the person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">One Thought to Leave You With<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If music can reach someone through dementia\u2026<br>If it can unlock movement, memory, and identity\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then what is it doing for us <em>right now<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And maybe the better question is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What other powers does music have that we haven\u2019t even realized yet?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Music\u2019s Positive Effects on Dementia \u2013 Diane Ako<br><a>https:\/\/hawaiiirl.com\/blogs\/musics-positive-effects-on-dementia.html\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Music Therapy and Dementia (Systematic Review)<br><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC7709645\/\">https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC7709645\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Effects of Music Intervention on Anxiety, Depression, and Agitation in Dementia<br><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC10488399\/\">https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC10488399\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Power of Music on the Brain | Dementia &amp; Parkinson\u2019s (Video)<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rnUSNbqtVJI\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rnUSNbqtVJI<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Playlist of Your Life\u2026 and Why It Matters in the Classroom If you had to make a playlist of your life, what would be on it? The songs from your childhood. The ones you listened to with your friends. The ones that made you cry\u2026 or filled you with joy. And if, toward the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-things-ive-learned-through-the-years","category-thoughts"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":279,"href":"https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272\/revisions\/279"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fourstringsukulelestudio.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}