Dana Cunningham (Pianist-Composer) and Max Dyer (Cellist)
Over the holiday season, I treated my husband to a Christmas Concert with Dana Cunningham and Max Dyer, two very talented artists. I have been listening to Dana Cunningham since the day I first heard her CD playing at the North Conway League of NH Craftsman gallery in 2007. It was called The Color of Light. Click on the CD title to hear a sample of her music and on her name to learn more about the artist. If you’re stressed out, Pandora her music. It will mellow you out faster than a glass of Pinot Grigio.
The concert was held in The Little White Church (that’s really what it’s called) in Eaton, New Hampshire. The church is nondenominational with a first written record noted in 1826. That is probably why my husband and I could barely fit our very long legs on those very close and short benches!
The Little White Church
Eaton, New Hampshire
The church was fully dressed in holiday style with just the right amount of ambient lighting and decorated trees. The acoustics inside the church were phenomenal. In addition to her original pieces, Dana played traditional Christmas music in her own creative style and we all sang our hearts out. When we were walking back to the car after the concert, I felt fabulous! My husband’s ear to ear smile confirmed he was feeling pretty happy too. Then it dawned on me. It wasn’t the ambiance or the decorated Christmas trees or the beauty of The Little White Church that evoked these feelings. It was the music! Somehow the music was inseparable from the emotion it created inside of us.
And that got me to thinking…exactly how much affect does music have on us?
Turns out to be A LOT! Music is often linked to mood. I listen to Billy McLaughlin when I’m editing my photography, to Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk when cleaning the house, and who doesn’t like a good Pavarotti when cooking or when there’s a grand thunder and lightening storm going on outside?
Humans are hardwired to respond to music. It can change our mood, our outlook, motivate us or calm us. It stimulates more parts of the brain than any other human function. It conjures up emotions and memories in all of us. Not convinced? Okay then, raise your hand, if you have never done a solitary version of “Carpool Karaoke” or a drum solo on the steering wheel when your favorite song came on the car radio. If you’re a newbie to Carpool Karaoke, click on the highlighted words for an entertaining example.
Studies also show those with Alzheimer’s or other related dementia (even those in advance stages) respond to music . Music reaches a place in the brain where the disease cannot. It stimulates memories and they begin communicating and moving physically. “There is no pill that does that!” said a doctor in a recent documentary I watched called Alive Inside: Music and Memory. You can watch the trailer for this documentary by clicking on the title, but after you see it, you’re going to want to watch the full version on YouTube or Hulu. It truly is astounding.
So what are you waiting for? Start off 2017 on a good note and go listen to some of your favorite music! Dance! Sing! And please share this blog and the magic of music with others who could benefit.
Best Wishes for a Healthy, Wealthy and Happy New Year!
Cheers,
Marcia Perdue Wye, CAPS (Certified Aging in Place Specialist)