CORRECTION: Learning music late in life could prolong brain health
Bangor Daily NewsJul 27, 2017
For the researchers, it's an opportunity to study the theory that challenging the older brain to learn and coordinate new skills helps stave off age-related cognitive decline and dementia. For the students, residents of
"I have always loved music, and this sounded like it would be fun," said 60-year-old
Parker was one of about eight
Seated in a semicircle in the handsomely restored middle school theater, the group tackled simple, familiar tunes, including "Mary Had a
"How many different notes are there in this piece?" asked Edelman, whose gentle manner clearly put the women at ease. "Three," someone answered. "B,
"Let's finger it," Edelman said, demonstrating the starting position on his recorder. The women followed his lead, lifting and lowering their fingers silently on the barrels of their plastic instruments as they spoke the notes, then playing the tune in unison. Then they moved on to "A Tisket, A Tasket," "
"A common misconception"
"Up until recently, there was this common misconception that if you didn't get into music as a child or join the high school band or the middle school chorus, that was it for you," Edelman said in an earlier conversation.
But more recently, he said, educators and researchers have discovered that adults at midlife and older can learn to perform and enjoy music, even if they have no previous exposure or if it has been many years since they last picked up an instrument or sang in a group.
Edelman, who particularly enjoys teaching older adults, pointed to the work of the
"Their goal is to provide another entry point into music for older adults," Edelman said. In this case, though, the goal is also to understand more about the specific effects of learning music on the cognitive health of older adults. That's why Edelman is partnering with
"As all of us age, we have more trouble with multitasking," MacAuley said. "And everyone's greatest fear is that moment when you question whether you are not aging normally." Mild cognitive decline and the onset of dementia can signal the loss of independence and a change in lifestyle, she said, but activities that stimulate the brain, challenge problem-solving and promote socialization are thought to be protective against those losses.
Learning to read and perform music, MacAulay pointed out, calls for assimilating the abstract language of musical notes and theory, translating it to the physical action of playing an instrument, learning to read and play at the same time, paying attention to the musicians around you and developing skill and muscle memory specific to your instrument. When she and Edelman met last fall at an orientation event for incoming faculty, it didn't take long for them to identify their shared interest in working with older learners and to start developing the outline of the
With start-up funding from UMaine's internal research fund, the two researchers purchased inexpensive plastic recorders, among the simplest of instruments to play, identified appropriate musical selections and assessment tools and recruited participants from the
As MacAulay and Edelman prepare to recruit a new and larger group of participants to start lessons this fall, including older adults not associated with
"We expect to see benefits in concentration and working memory function" in the hands-on group, MacAulay said. Students from both departments will also participate in teaching music and administering the cognitive assessments. The researchers are also developing their own teaching manual, geared to the specific needs and interests of their older students and to the standardization needs of the MUSIC project.
For the women practicing their new skills in the
The hardest part? "I have arthritis in my fingers and carpal tunnel, so sometimes it's hard to hold the instrument," Roberts said. Heads nodded, but a little Tylenol, they all agreed, worked wonders.
CORRECTION:
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