You may not believe it, but the healing power of music can be a lifesaver. Music has come to be different things to different people. For a millennial, it’s the background that allows them to play their fave MMORPG games. For an employee in the office, it could be the ambiance that defines the four walls they’re in. There certainly are a slew of benefits that music has afforded man. But all that may pale in comparison with music’s ability to hasten the recovery of a person.
That is the story of Gabrielle Giffords. With the help of music, the woman known to be a dynamo of a lawmaker recovered miraculously from her fatal injuries. The best part is that she’s enjoying the full measure of life now. Indeed, getting music into our lives may well be our path to a life of health and well-being. Helping kids get into music could be a huge step in putting them on the path to success.
Silencing the Brave
If there could be a Wonder Woman in the flesh, Gabrielle Gilfords could be a top candidate. Born on the eighth of June, 1970, this lady from Arizona rose from her business background to political prominence.
Indeed, this lady is a gifted leader. If there were anything stellar anyone could do, this J. William Fulbright scholar would do it better. For starters, Gilfords revived her grandad’s tire business. Focusing on customer service, she expanded her family’s tire business leading from the front.
She went even further than that. Seeing the need for positive change, Gilfords entered politics in 2000. She won a seat in the Arizona state house and then won again in 2002 for state senate. To note, she was the youngest ever to win and have a seat in that chamber. Her political successes truly accumulated over time.
But the Democratic “rising star” met a tragic incident. In her meet-and-greet in Tucson on the eighth of January, she was shot in the head by a gunman who went on to kill six others.
The lady dynamo became muted. She suffered from aphasia, unable to speak as her left brain’s hemisphere was damaged.
The Healing Power of Music
For months on end, Gabrielle Gilfords was silenced. The left part of the brain has the language pathways that allow us to speak. When these pathways get damaged, speaking is not possible.
But not if music can’t help it. Meaghan Morrow, Gilfords’s music therapist, said that music can be considered the “other road” to get speech back. The certified brain injury specialist was pretty confident about the healing power of music.
Morrow calls music therapy a “freeway detour,” as it allows the brain to heal if healing is blocked. She allowed Gilfords to listen to music that the latter knew. These were songs such as “Happy Birthday” and “Brown Eyed Girl.”
And true enough, Gabrielle Gilfords slowly recovered. One day, she could sing using her voice, and not just in the head.
Ushering Your Child to the Wonderful World of Music
As helpful as music is to healing, immersing a child in music offers a lot of benefits. Like Gilfords’s case, music can actually accelerate the speech development of children. We’re talking about speeding up reading and language skills.
Teaching children to play music can drive the learning process even more. In learning to play the guitar, kids practice their hand-eye coordination. Moreover, piano lessons for kids can help a child develop focus, a key facet in learning. And as they go through the musical pieces, they can enhance their memory skills.
The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) points out that learning a musical instrument can be a big boost in the mathematical skills of a child. When you start your child early into music, it means that you’re giving them greater chances at developing key learning skills.
And there’s more. Other important areas than academic excellence can also benefit from when music is introduced to a child. For one, they can enhance their social skill development.
Moreover, when a child dances to a tune, they learn body coordination. Even a fragile fetus can benefit from the mother’s womb. Listening to music enhances an unborn child’s brain. It facilitates the connection of the neurons, establishing a network in the process.
Music is certainly a huge blessing for humanity as a whole. Not only is it able to heal, but it can also give young people a head start in life. Gabrielle Giffords is living proof of that.
