There is a touching viral video of a frail woman in a wheelchair who is gracefully moving her hands to Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.” Marta Cinta González Saldaña, a former ballet dancer who was suffering from Alzheimer’s, had already forgotten the many decades of her life, but still remembered the choreography tied to the music. Her case is just one of the many instances where music was used to trigger memories and positive emotional reactions among patients with Alzheimer’s. Though Saldaña passed away in 2019—the same year the footage was taken—the clip continues to resonate deeply with people and helps raise awareness about how valuable music is for those affected by the disease.
Humanity has always intuitively understood the power of music. It enriches our celebrations, comforts us in times of loss, and keeps us company in both the most sacred and mundane moments of our lives. And in recent decades, there has been growing scientific research on the transformative impact of music on our physical, emotional, and psychological well-being.
Early musical exposure is linked to improved developmental outcomes in children. Research from the University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute found that music can accelerate brain development, specially literacy and language skills. Music, as a medium for self-expression, also enables children to better articulate emotions that may be difficult to convey, fostering emotional awareness and self-regulation skills.
