The Healing Powers of Music

BY LARS BJORN

Trumpeter Louis Smith had a stroke a year and a half ago, and SEMJA has published bulletins every now and then about his recovery. Louis has been working to regain his ability to speak with the help of several types of therapies. One of the more successful is music therapy, which he has been involved with for almost a year. I recently had a chance to visit with Louis at one of his sessions at the University of Michigan Residential Aphasia Program. I came away amazed at the ability of music to bring back some of Louis' lost skills.

Currently Louis is working on his singing, specifically prepping three songs for a performance at the 60th anniversary of the Aphasia program on June 2. While he can sing "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," he is having much more trouble with the same words in a regular speaking voice. It seems that words embedded in melody and rhythm have a prominent place somewhere in one's memory, and this is more so for musicians who have larger musical memories than do most. Music can thus become part of the retraining of mouth muscles that have forgotten how to form words as a result of a stroke. Louis' progress is no doubt due to his hard work; his previous musical ability; the skills of his musical therapist, Lynn Chenoweth, who sees him in one-on-one and group sessions; and the constant support provided by his wife Lulu.

photograph by Lars Bjorn