Lifting People Up Through Music
Raising awareness of the power of music to improve health and wellbeing
The power of music
It’s incredible.
There is no natural stimulant for the brain quite like it. Our brains are built to process sounds instantly as a survival mechanism honed over millions of years of evolution. Our ability to comprehend music is the pinnacle of that development.
Most people can recognise their favourite song from the first note. We also attach emotions and memories to songs - you might have one that reminds you of your partner, your parents, a holiday or a significant moment in your life.
Music for dementia
Playing the songs that someone living with dementia listened to as they were growing up lights up their brain like fireworks.
Research suggests that 2 weeks of exposure to personalised music can increase a listener’s quality of life by an average of 17%.
This doesn’t even speak to the huge emotional and physical benefits it can bring to their carer.
Read Sydney Morning Herald's article on the #shareasong initiative, featuring Missy Higgins and her song "Cooling of the Embers", which is about her grandma's experiences living with dementia.
Do you have a loved one living with dementia?
Music can be such a powerful tool to reconnect us with the ones we love.
Visit your loved ones this December and play the music they grew up listening to so that long lost memories can be shared.
Often it is lost memories that their carers don’t know about that are brought up by these songs, as these memories were formed before the listener’s children were born!
#shareasong! Raise Awareness.
#Shareasong has joined forces with Song Saga and Vera to encourage everyone to share a song and a story behind it with their loved ones these holidays. Every Thursday in December we will be playing a Song Saga game across both the @songsaga and @play.veramusic Instagram pages. We will share a card from the game and ask you to share a song along with a memory related to the prompt on the card! Simple and fun! We will choose the best answers weekly. The best songs with memories will win a deck of Song Saga cards!
Rules:
You must follow both @songsaga and @play.veramusic on Instagram
Write your best memory and song related to the word in the comment
Use the hashtag #shareasong
And of course … go and share a song with your loved one toi relive the memories!
#shareasong is an initiative run by
with support from our friends
Make A Difference.
Give the gift of music to your loved one this Christmas for more musical moments together
