Interview:

I used to work at an adult day center as a case manager. The center had facilities for clients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. During my time there, the role of case manager slowly turned into “unlicensed music therapist”. I’d come in with my guitar and just strum old tunes out of these dusty Reader’s Digest books. We did all the hits: “Moon River”, “All Of Me”, “Amazing Grace”, and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”. There was a forty year old client named Mel who’d been a victim of drug abuse in his twenties and it had left him with the intellect of a three year old. He didn’t say much and usually responded in the same way to questions with a simple “yes” or “no”. Once in a while I’d break into a medley of blues and spiritual songs. He’d instantly jump up, dancing and singing. His eyes would light up as, for a single moment he was living a different life. As soon as the song was over, we’d settle back into the routine. I saw the same with many clients throughout my time there. Awakenings, like the movie, people coming alive and responding to music in a way that contradicted their current state. Music has the power to transcend the facts. It can heal and change people. If I listen to “God Only Knows” alone in my Honda at the right time, I’m a different person. If I listen to “Feels Like Home” by Randy Newman with my main squeeze, everything moves in slow motion and the word “worry” doesn’t even exist. I think God gives us this stuff. Songs are like vitamins. I can take one or two to get healthy and in touch.

“Music has the power to transcend the facts. It can heal and change people.”
– Josh Ottum, singer-songwriter