[piano plays]
I have one resident that barely opens her eyes.
She doesn't respond.
As much as I've tried, I've known her for two years.
No matter what I tried, massage wouldn't work,
nothing worked.
But when we got introduced to the iPods
and the family told me the things that she liked,
it was amazing once we put the iPod on her.
She started shaking her feet.
She stared moving her head.
Her son was just amazed...
Ok, can we stop, 'cause now I'm...
I'm seeing her all over again.
[piano continues]
Hi, Poppa.
-Huh?
-How you doin'?
I'm all right. Fine.
Great.
-Who am I?
-I don't know.
Wait a minute... I don't know.
I don't know.
-Ok, it's Sherry.
How long has he been in the nursing home?
Approximately ten years.
He was having seizures and my mother couldn't handle him at home.
Of course it affected him greatly
because he was always, you know, fun-loving, singing,
you know, every occasion he would come out with a song.
No matter where he was.
I remember as a child he used to walk us down the street,
me and my brother, and he would do singing in the rain
he would have us jumping and swinging around poles.
He was, you know, he was good. He was always into music.
You know, always loved singing.. dancing.
-His name is Henry Dryer.
-Uh-huh.
-And... looking more or less for religious music for him.
-Ok.
-Because he enjoys music and he's always holding the Bible,
so I'd rather have that for him.
-We first see Henry inert, maybe depressed, unresponsive,
and almost unalive.
-Henry?
-Yeah?
-Henry?
-Yeah so?
-I found your music. You want your music now?
(mumbling)
-Ok, let's try your music, ok?
And then you tell me if it's too loud or not.
-Then he is given an iPod containing the...his favorite music.
[singing]
And immediately he lights up.
His face is assumes expression, his eyes open wide
he starts to sing, to rock, and to move his arms
and he is being animated by the music.
-And he used to always sit on the unit with his head like this.
He didn't really talk to much people
and then when I introduced the music to him,
this is his reaction ever since.
[laughs]
[singing continues]
-The philosopher Kant once called music the quickening art
and Henry is being quickened; he is being brought to life.
-Yeah?
-I'm going to take the music from you for one second, ok?
Just to ask you a few questions... ok?
I'm gonna give it back to you.
-Uh-huh.
-Ok.
-The effect of this doesn't stop, which when the headphones
are taken off, Henry, normally mute and virtually unable
to answer the simplest yes or no questions is quite volumable.
-Henry.
-Yeah?
-Do you like the iPod; do you like the music you are hearing?
-Yes.
-Tell me about your music.
-Well, I don't (mumbling)
-Do you like music?
-Yeah, I'm crazy about music.
You play beautiful music, beautiful sound.
-Did you play music when you were--
Did you like music when you were young?
-Yes.
Yes, I went to big dances and things.
-What was your favorite music when you were young?
I guess, uh, Cab Calloway was my number one band guy
I liked--
(scatting/mumbling)
-What's your favorite Cab Calloway song?
(singing) I'll be home for Christmas
You can count, plan on me
With plenty of snow, mistletoe,
presents wrapped around your tree. Ow!
-So in some sense, Henry is restored to himself.
He has remembered who he is
and he has reacquired his identity for a while
through the power of music.
What does music do to you?
(mumbling)
(singing) Rosalie won't you love me.
Rosalie won't you be sweet and kind.
-With this beautiful, new technology
you can have all the music which is significant for you
in something as big as a matchbox or whatever,
and I think this may be very, very important
in helping to animate, organize, and bring a sense of identity
back to people who are out of it otherwise.
Music will bring them back into it,
Into their own personhood, their own memories,
their own autobiographies.