5 Musical Activities to Improve Your Memory

By Suzanne Lyon
 Music is the soundtrack of our lives and there is nothing better than music for eliciting memories. Because sensory stimulation and cognitive challenges are both key to exercising your brain, it makes sense that musical activities rank as one of the best ways to improve brain health.
The easiest activity is to sing along with songs on the radio or your own musical device. Try to challenge yourself by playing along on any kind of instrument from rhythm sticks to a tambourine.
For an aerobic exercise you can move your arms to a variety of music as if you were conducting. Pay close attention to the tempo and instrumentation. This lets you enjoy the music and also gets your blood flowing to the all important brain.
Another idea is to clap or tap a rhythm and keep repeating it while adding on beats. In other words, you make an increasingly complex rhythm challenging yourself to remember the previous rhythm.
A fourth idea is to listen to your favorite radio station (or album/CD) and see how quickly you can “name that tune”. You know your memory is sharp if you can name the artist as well! The older the songs the easier they are to name so begin with the oldies and work your way to current pop songs.
The fifth activity is one that takes some planning. Reminiscing using photos and music is a very effective way to enhance memory. If a person has any level of dementia, it can be a useful tool to lower anxiety and depression because it sparks memories that might otherwise have been lost. LifeSongs recordable memory books have 12 pages for picture collages and a button for recording a song, poem, prayer or greeting for each page. You create this personalized book that becomes a tool to help a person remember who they are. It can also be a treasured keepsake for future generations.
More information about the link between music and memory can be found at www.LifeSongs.info where you can also purchase your own recordable memory book.