Tracker Pixel for Entry

The power of song

Editorial | August 21st, 2019

Where the deer and the antelope play - artwork by Sabrina Hornung

In this issue David Crosby said, “You know, music is like a lifting force. It makes things better.” Truer words have never been spoken.

This week we decided to change things up a bit and offer our readers an exclusive music issue. We chatted with Maria Cree in Minot to see what the scene was like in the Magic City, then we headed to Grand Forks to see what the haps was with the Greenway Takeover Festival and then on over to Ojata Dogmajal to treat not only your earbuds but your taste buds as well. We then traveled deep into the heart of German Russian country and tapped into their folk music traditions. Then we caught up with with El Gato del Rio, a four-piece Americana band from western North Dakota.

Not to mention that we touched base with some Fargo favorites prior to a couple of upcoming gigs and chatted with music legend David Crosby. If that’s not a North Dakota legendary issue right there, I don’t know what is.

What is it about music that can simultaneously move us to tears and make us want to move our feet? It provides us with a melody when there’s nothing left to say. In high school, local punk shows provided a sanctuary to misfits like myself who didn’t necessarily fit in with with the other social groups at school. It was a creative outlet where we were free to express ourselves and tap into the true power of DIY. If it wasn’t for those shows, I don’t know when I would have come out of my shell.

Though there’s more to music than providing a creative outlet for rowdy (or in my case melancholy) youths to let out their aggression -- though that’s important too -- we’re not discounting that. Music therapy has also done wonders for Alzheimer's patients. According to mayoclinic.org, “Musical memories are often preserved in Alzheimer's disease because key brain areas linked to musical memory are relatively undamaged by the disease.”

The 2014 documentary, “Alive Inside” follows social worker Dan Cohen and provides insight on his nonprofit organization called “Music and Memory,” which is an advocacy group for the treatment of dementia patients via music therapy. They work with and train healthcare professionals to set up personalized playlists on digital devices for the individuals that they are working with.

This may sound trivial, but don’t your ears perk up when your jam comes up? Whether it’s Glenn Miller, Steve Miller, or Lizzo -- there’s something there.

I (along with area arts advocates and healthcare staff) was at an Art for Life meeting a couple of years ago, which is sponsored by the North Dakota Council on the Arts. Art for Life integrates folk art oriented group projects at elder care facilities throughout the region. One group did a presentation on Music and Memory and showed an excerpt from “Alive Inside” and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Once the individual with dementia heard their favorite music in the film, it was almost as if they woke up. Their eyes widened and some even teared up, their toes tapped, and some smiles appeared.

What is it about music that charms us? According to the Mayo Clinic, music has been proven to relieve stress and reduce agitation, anxiety and depression -- and that’s not just for patients. It’s a stress reliever for caregivers as well and aids in communication, believe it or not.

Music most certainly is a unifier, whether you are singing along with the crowd at a concert featuring your favorite band or if you are singing in praise with your local church congregation. There’s a spiritual connotation that resonates within us for the duration of our lives and that can’t be ignored. 

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comNorth Dakotans will take part in a nationwide civil rights rally on Thursday, July 17. Protests, marches, rallies and acts of service are scheduled in Bismarck, Bottineau, Devils Lake,…

Back-to-school season is on the horizon, but there's still plenty of summer left. Check out our favorite August attractions and events in North Dakota and western Minnesota. And if if you missed them, here are a few excellent May…

July 18-19, 25-26 and August 2-3North Dakota Horse Park, 5180 19th Ave. N., FargoLadies and gentlemen, prepare to place your bets — racing season is upon us! Not just horses will be racing this year; word on the street suggests…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com On July fourth, Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest took place at Coney Island. The winners, Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, reigned victorious. Chestnut earned his 17th title by…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWhy doesn’t the world require politicians to leave office at 60?Most of the leaders of countries, whether gods, fascists, democrats or socialists, are not doing very well these days. David Van…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gion and Simone Wairickgion@gmail.com The Red River Market returned to downtown Fargo on Saturday, July 12. The event will take place every Saturday except July 19. (That date will be moved to Sunday, July 20, due to the…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comPhoto by Sabrina Hornung Wing, North Dakota is a town of 132 located about an hour northwest of Bismarck on Highway 36. There’s a shiny new Cenex on the intersection of the highway and the high…

By Deb Wallworkdwallwork@icloud.comI first met Catherine Mulligan at a party at her house. It was a small gathering, spontaneous, just a few people over for dinner. Directed toward a stack of plates and bowls and a big pot warming…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comPhoto by Yvonne Denault There is something intimate and personal about plays. Even in our age of multimillion dollar Hollywood productions and droves of streaming services, watching actors…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

The drug that keeps re-purposing itselfBy Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There is a drug that is getting a lot of attention nowadays all over the world. It has various commercial names (Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus), but…

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…