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Alive Inside Official Trailer 1 (2014) - Alzheimer's Documentary HD

Posted by Greg Schneider on July 21, 2014 at 9:05am
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Tags: memory, music, alzheimer's
Title: Alive Inside Studio: BOND/360 Release Date: July 18, 2014 Directed By: Michael Rossato-Bennett Produced By: Alexandra McDougald, Regina K. Scully Running Time: 73 Minutes Rating: NR Synopsis: Alive Inside is a joyous cinematic exploration of music's capacity to reawaken our souls and uncover the deepest parts of our humanity. Filmmaker Michael Rossato-Bennett chronicles the astonishing experiences of individuals around the country who have been revitalized through the simple experience of listening to music. His camera reveals the uniquely human connection we find in music and how its healing power can triumph where prescription medication falls short. This stirring documentary follows social worker Dan Cohen, founder of the nonprofit organization Music & Memory, as he fights against a broken healthcare system to demonstrate music's ability to combat memory loss and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering from it. Rossato-Bennett visits family members who have witnessed the miraculous effects of personalized music on their loved ones, and offers illuminating interviews with experts including renowned neurologist and best-selling author Oliver Sacks (Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain) and musician Bobby McFerrin ("Don't Worry, Be Happy"). An uplifting cinematic exploration of music and the mind, Alive Inside's inspirational and emotional story left audiences humming, clapping and cheering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. Website: http://www.aliveinside.us/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeAliveInside "alive Inside: A Story Of Music & Memory" "alive inside" "music & memory" music memory alzheimers "memory loss" "nursing home" "alive inside trailer" "Michael Rossato-Bennett" doc documentary news jslewis

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  • Greg Schneider July 24, 2014 at 9:24am

    Hi Frances, certainly music therapy has been around for a while and I'm sure its effectiveness in healing or comforting others has been known for centuries. I have been playing the harp for 10 years and I have seen miraculous things happen after playing.  Irene Smith and I have worked as a pair with some of her patients and the combination of harp and massage therapy was truly amazing.  Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

    Greg

  • Frances Shani Parker July 21, 2014 at 1:42pm

    Greg, when I first heard about the Alive Inside project last year, I was a little surprised that it was being viewed as such a major discovery. I had been doing that for years, and I knew many other healthcare workers were also aware of the powerful connection music can have with patients, particularly those with dementia. Thanks to Alive Inside, the general public will be more aware of this phenomenon and more funding of equipment will follow. Years ago before iPods were being sold, I wrote this poem about such an experience I had with one of my hospice patients in Detroit. 

    I had a very challenging patient whose name was Katherine. She usually lay in bed sleeping or looking up at the ceiling. I couldn’t tell if she was bored, unhappy, mellow, or all three. Rarely speaking, she never sat up on her own or walked. We mostly stared at each other while I talked.
    Knowing that Katherine had been active in her Baptist church in the South at one time, I decided to use my CD player with headphones (this was before iPods) to help her enjoy music sung by Mahalia Jackson, whom many hail as the greatest gospel singer ever. This poem describes one of my favorite aha moments as a hospice volunteer. 

    Sounds of Ecstasy
    Headphones frame your head.
    You look at me, your volunteer,
    wonder what they can be.
    Mahalia Jackson’s song erupts,
    “When the saints go marching in...”
    Sleepy eyes widen like popped corn.
    “It’s a CD player,” I say.
    Your mental video rewinds
    through time from the nursing home
    to an Alabama church service
    where bodies rock to music.
    I join you clapping with the choir.
    Your stiffened hands move
    with a powerful energy that rises
    like a resurrected hot flash.
    “It’s wonderful,” you whisper.
    Mahalia responds singing,
    “Walk all over God’s heaven...”
    I picture you joking with Death
    when it’s your time to holy dance
    to the Other Side of Through.
    Mesmerized by the music,
    you soak in every song.
    A CD player exhilarates you
    with sounds of ecstasy.
    Such an easy thing for me
    to bring, but before I leave,
    you say you love me twice.
     
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  • Greg Schneider July 21, 2014 at 9:23am

    The magic of music...looks like it will be a good film.

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