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MYSTERY OFMUSIC
artist and offers options ranging from free
with advertising to subscriptions of $4.99
for Pandora Plus or $9.99 for Pandora Premium
per month.
Amazon also offers both Unlimited Music
and Prime Music, and if users already
have an Echo or Fire TV it’s easy to “ask
Alexa” to play what they want to hear.
There is no free option for Unlimited
Music, but the monthly subscription is
$10.99 or $7.99 for Prime members. Echo
and FireTV owners pay even less.
Prime Music gives Prime members access
to radio stations (choose from spa, praise
and worship, classic rock and more) or
playlists based on preferences.
Then there’s Sirius XM satellite radio, and
auto subscriptions now come with online
access included so that listeners can use the
service via smart phone or Amazon Alexa
devices.
While it might be tempting to throw on
classical music or spa music, those might
not be the choices that everyone connects
with, DiCicco said. Often, music from
when a person was in their teens or even
younger up through their 20s is what brings
the greatest reactions.
“The first thing I like to do is ask the person
what music they like. Then, if they have
a hard time answering, I would say match it
to how old they are,” she said. “Put on a recording
and see how their mood changes.”
Music also allows caregivers the opportunity
STOCK.ADOBE.COM
to connect with loved ones when other
opportunities to do so are dwindling.
One of the things DiCicco likes to do in
music therapy is to play fill-in-the-blank
games with music.
“If you know they know, ‘This Little Light
of Mine’ I’m going to sing the first part and
then, ‘I’m gonna let it……’ and they’’ll sing
‘shine,’” she said. You don’t even have to
have a recording. You can do it a capella.”
The memories invoked by certain songs
can also be a way for caregivers and loved
ones to connect.
Perhaps it’s a shared memory that can be
discussed and enjoyed together, such as a
song that played at a wedding, or perhaps
it will lead into a story a younger loved one
never knew.
“If you know this was a song they enjoyed
growing up or a special song that really
meant something to the person, it can be a
conversation starter and possibly get them
really sharing and talking,” Murphy said.
“It can be really helpful when you can redirect
them to a happier place and be in that
moment with them.
“Sometimes, too, a really emotional song
could make them cry, they could become
sad because it could make them miss someone,
but that caregiver will be able to say,
‘Tell me more about why this song is so
special.’ It’s OK if it’s emotional, you just
have to be mindful of the potential for that
to happen.”