By Cierra Stewart | Guest Contributor
Music & Memory will be putting on a Halloween performance for Living Springs Village residents the day before Halloween.
The Baylor student organization will host the Halloween performance from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Living Springs Village resident home. The performance is aiming to help residents relax and improve cognition.
Katy senior Rhea Vikas, marketing chair for Music & Memory, said that depression is very prevalent in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Often when these patients experience depression, it is hard for them to have a good memory because it impacts some of the parts of the brain important for cognition. When music is played, it is increasing the amount of chemicals that can combat depression, which helps patients to remember things and also improves their mood, she said.
The Halloween performance will be formatted as a showcase, with many different acts performed by about fifteen members in the organization. There will be a group singing performance of the songs “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” “Monster Mash” and a couple hymns. Vikas will also be performing a cello and violin duet of the song “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King with another member of the organization.
Vikas said she is very passionate about the work Music & Memory does and will be participating in numerous performances that morning to entertain the residents and all of those who attend the event.
“I hope that when they listen to my performance that the residents get excited, happy and tap along when I play and that they genuinely enjoy it and have smiles on their faces,” Vikas said.
Aside from the performances in the showcase, members of Music & Memory will be present simply to interact with the patients at Living Springs.
Ruston, La. senior Carlie Toliver, president of Music & Memory, said the group’s members are comprised of various majors and people have different reasons as to why they join. Many members join because they either love to play music, are interested in the research behind music and health or simply because they want to give back and have a fun way to interact with people and be around music.
As a part of this organization, Toliver said she has seen first-hand how music can make a difference in the lives of others and bring people together. She hopes that anyone who decides to participate sees all of the good that music has to offer as well.
“One of the things that I hope they get out of it is just the opportunity to see how powerful music is and the amazing ways that God works through music,” Toliver said. “He put such a beautiful gift of music on this earth to use to help other people.”
