Consults:
Our brains are fascinating things. You may be too young to know who Mel Tillis is, but he is/was? a country singer. He stuttered when he talked but could sing fine.
Hi, Danielle. Our son, Jacob, suffered anoxic brain injury from near drowning 13 years ago. Doctors didn't expect him to live and, if he did, they said he'd be vegetative. He couldn't swallow or speak for a year, but once he began to make sounds again, we discovered he remembered all the words to every song he'd ever known his whole life.
Jacob eventually recovered his speech and vocabulary, but music came first. The part of the brain that stores music must be practically indestructible.
I've been a moderate stutterer for most of my life and when I talk, I stutter. However, when I sing, I do not stutter at all.
Speech and Singing involve two different areas of the brain from what I understand.. two different patterns of thinking. It's really.. weird to think about.
It's been weirder that the more I work in food service, servicing hundreds if not thousands of people a day at Disney World that my stutter has nearly disappeared. I wonder if it's because it becomes so rhythmic.
Love that comment by Jeanne: "The part of the brain that stores music must be practically indestructible." SO TRUE!
My FIL has alzheimers and when everything else was gone (he always remembers mom but rarely any of their children) he could play his baritone and sing. Unfortunately a stroke took that away too.
Ah, you are discovering more of the miracles of the human brain. My completely nonverbal son can't sing any actual words but he has learned some sign language through the reinforcement of music (Signing Time videos...an amazing story right there, too!). He can actually communicate certain things to me through humming a specific tune.
When he's having a meltdown of epic proportions, and is in a place where no words seem to register with him, music reaches him immediately and calms him nearly instantly.
The power of music, not only in language development, is tremendous. There are tons of studies out there. Check out Oliver Sacks' work, Musciophilia; fascinating stuff.
This is really interesting, I'm going to be sure Bethie reads this. Love you
Interesting, huh? We had patients like that too.
Also when my Dad was in the ICU (during and post-coma) from a cerebral aneurysm, and they needed to get his blood pressure down, the thing that worked best was when I sang to him.
So fascinating! I love visiting here and reading all of your inspiring stories. Thank you!
amazing...can they put their own words to a melody?
I've always wondered that, too, Pam.
This makes me want to be careful what I listen to now. I don't want to be a stroke patient singing about disco sticks or my 99 problems 
I've always wondered that, too, Pam.
This makes me want to be careful what I listen to now. I don't want to be a stroke patient singing about disco sticks or my 99 problems
Hi Danielle! I'm a long time reader but I rarely comment, but I had to comment on this post. My 4.5 year old Autistic son sings and hums ALL OF THE TIME! He is verbal and can communicate at nearly an age appropriate level, but music, whether singing or instrumental, has always been easier for him to understand and produce. Our brains are amazing. Thanks for sharing this wonderful story!
Hi Danielle,
Dave's grandma suffered from dementia but she could remember hymns and Bible verses. All we had to do was start a verse or hymn and off she would go.
She might not know who we all were but she could quote scripture. It was truly hidden in her heart.
Ozzy osburne is another true example of this. Listen to him talk and he barely can yet he can still perform live concerts with new music with no apparent problem.
My son had/has childhood apraxia of speech, which has its similarities to stroke aphasia, as I'm sure you know. Singing was his salvation, gave him confidence that he could speak and he has, now, overcome. But until he was four or so, if there was something he wanted to say that was difficult to piece together, he would sing it. It was cute and heartbreaking all at the same time.
I LOVE your blog. This is the first time I've felt like I have anything worth saying as a comment.
My aunt had a stroke at the age of 40 in 1981. She was/is a brilliant woman who was a teacher, had a master's degree and spoke 3 languages fluently. After her stroke she could only speak Italian, which none of my family knows. She had to re-learn English through her speech therapy.
Danielle, this is interesting. I never read about that phenomenon. Is it related to some aphasics' relatively good ability to repeat what has been said?
We experienced this phenomenon after my 53-year-old aunt had a massive stroke. She was able to start singing instead of speaking - we heard a lot of Happy Birthday the first few weeks. She's making progress and went home from the hospital last week, six weeks to the date of the stroke.
More proof for my theory that if you really want me to learn something, put it to music.
I've been a speech pathologist for many years now. One of my favorite patients ever was also one of my first patients. He could recite the entire Gettysburg Address, but he couldn't tell me who wrote it.
The brain is an amazing thing.
My BFF's husband was in an awful accident and is neuro impaired, it was 3.5 years ago and he has made some great strides, but it is so funny you mention this. He can sing ANY song and I MEAN ANY song you throw his way. He is so fun and kind of helps my life's dream of living in a musical come true
I love this post but I REALLY love that your grandmother left a comment.
You should read the book musicophilia by oliver sacks, it touchs on this topic quite well, as well as being a generally fascinating read.
We have one patient, a 50 year old man, who is severely aphasic and I just think wow it must be frustrating...He'll nod yes and smile when we say hello or ask him how he's doing, but he has not uttered a word, he hasn't even tried to open his mouth when we've asked him things...the neurologist today was asking him today to raise his right arm and touch his left ear...he raised his left arm and with a confused look on his face lowered it again...but we haven't tried humming to him yet, i'll try that tomorrow..
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