Links we Like: Music for a Better Tomorrow
This week’s Links we Like is one of my last as an intern here at From the Top, so I wanted to take this opportunity to stress the inner strength and beauty of music. This final installment observes the capacity of music to better the lives of others. Whether it be the gift of healing, the advent of new opportunities, or the voice of peace, music has the power to bring our world “a better tomorrow.”
Remember the Time: As loved ones near old age, Alzheimer’s and Dementia become a scary possibility, as they are already a reality for millions worldwide. Yet recent studies conducted in Belgium, Canada, and the United States have found a hopeful solution: music! Emotions are a powerful incendiary for remembering, and most memories related to music have nostalgic connotations. Patients involved in the study were able to evoke melodies, lyrics, and more when moments before they had forgotten where they were or hadn’t been able to speak at all. It was concluded that memory function can in fact be improved through music. To read more on the study and treatment process, click here.
(courtesy health.howstuffworks.com)
Music from the Inside: This summer, Berklee College of Music took on an extraordinary initiative by launching a pilot program for blind and visually impaired students. The five-week program meets four days a week for four hours a day, and is run by two Berklee students (who are also blind). Amenities for the students include state-of-the-art equipment, like high-quality Braille printers, and a redesigned set of curriculum. The summer program consists of five participants who, after two weeks, have already become more acclimated to both the process and environment of their coursework. Berklee hopes the program will provide a more welcoming atmosphere to its growing constituency of blind students as well as serve as an example for other music institutions. To read more about the program and its development, click here.
Trumpeter Wayne Pearcy: one of the five participants in the Summer Pilot Program (courtesy berklee.edu)
The Voice of Peace: For almost a quarter of a century, war has devastated the nation of Uganda. The atrocities have divided its people, and many have fled their former lives with no hopes of return. Yet the women of Northern Uganda have begun to unite in the name of peace through a movement known as The Voice Project. These inspiring women, widows, rape victims, and former abductees, are using the power of song to convey their message. Their lyrics speak of peace and forgiveness, concepts that have long been shadowed by the brutality of war. Vocational training and scholarships are among the provisions of the Voice Project’s participants, as well as rehabilitation program for former soldiers/abductees. A number of mainstream artists have come on board to lend their support and their own music – a powerful component in spreading the message of these brave women. To read more on The Voice Project, click here.
(courtesy of tonic.com)
