Music has long been known to provide people with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia with emotional benefit. Listening to or singing songs stimulates a kind of musical memory, one that is far removed from the damage of the disease. As the medial prefrontal cortex of the brain remains relatively undamaged even with rapid progression of such diseases, music has become one of the best ways for those impacted to reconnect with their pasts. 

 

Armed with this knowledge, Tiffanie and I developed a desire to spread music throughout this elderly community, so we founded MOCA, the Music Outreach Community Association to both empower young musicians like me in our ability to make a difference in peoples’ lives and provide an invaluable experience in community service through music.