Insights and information
about music, brain health, aging, and much more.
Just in Time
I used to ignore articles that say cognitive decline slows if I eliminate sugar or play bridge. I found workarounds instead. When I lost my numbers, I set up automatic payments with the bank to pay bills. I can never remember if choir practice is on the fourth or...
Music & Memories: Songs that Light the Corners of our Minds
Just as Barbara Streisand sings about her “misty, water-colored memories,” in the film, “The Way We Were,” we asked you for the titles of songs and the specific memories they evoke. You didn’t disappoint. Thank you for sharing your responses with us!“The Wedding Song”...
Music, Memory, and Chocolate Custard
The summer I was 13, and the following two summers, before I turned 16 and could apply for a “real” job, I worked at Tasty Freeze, a local frozen custard shop owned by a friend of my older brother, Jack. I suppose there was some abuse of child-labor rules, but I loved...
Guess who’s singing beside you?Judy Steed
Born at one am on February 15, Judy Steed missed being a Valentine's Day baby by one hour, but growing up her birthday parties were always Valentine-themed. "I love red, I love hearts," the stained glass mosaic artist confesses. And hearts occasionally find their way...
Vicente Lusitano
A detail from The Meeting of St. Ursula and the Prince Etherius. Sitting at the top corner of the painting, this detail shows six wind players of Black ancestry performing on the balcony. From the multi-panel St. Auta Altarpiece, early 16th c., housed in Lisbon’s...
An Epidemic of Loneliness
“There is an epidemic of loneliness in the United States and lacking [social] connection can increase the risk for premature death to levels comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.” “...the physical consequences of poor connection can be devastating, including a 29...