The Music and Memory Project: Understanding Music and Dementia through Applied Ethnomusicology and Experiential Filmmaking

Abstract

“Music lifts my spirits, I'm not the same guy leaving as when I come to begin with. It's kind of a floating feeling, I feel good, I feel drunk with fun!” - Daryl, participant of the Music and Memory Project “Music is like medicine… No, music is better than medicine!” - Martha, participant of the Music and Memory Project In Spring 2017, I designed and taught a filmmaking and service-learning course in the Indiana University (IU) Bloomington Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology called “Music and Memory: Studying Music & Alzheimer's Through Film.” This ongoing project is set in nursing homes, long-term care facilities, and adult day programmes for individuals with age-related neurocognitive disorder, commonly referred to as dementia. In the course, undergraduate students learn to make personalized iPod music playlists for older adults living with Alzheimer's and other related dementias, and to document their experiences through short films intended for online public circulation; At a time when dementia has been flagged as one of the fastest growing global health priorities, applied ethnomusicology courses about music and aging provide dynamic interdisciplinary spaces where college students can gain knowledge, experience, and skills to creatively address these challenges in their families, communities, and careers.