Melody Gardot’s sultry voice has made her an international sensation. Her album, “My One and Only Thrill,” recently went double platinum and topped the charts in France; an impressive feat for a young Philadelphian who not long ago suffered a life threatening accident while riding her bicycle.
Gardot was hit by a Jeep and suffered terrible injuries. The accident fractured her pelvis, damaged her spine and caused a brain injury that affected her memory and speech, and left her with a hyper-sensitivity to sound and light. The standard medical interventions failed to help her and her doctor recommended that she try music as a means of restoring the connections in her brain that had been lost.
Gardot had taken piano lessons earlier in life, so she took up the piano again. Remarkably, it worked. Music exercises the brain and apparently can rebuild neural pathways. Gardot’s relief from pain and road to recovery was found through music.
Listen to her remarkable story as told on this CBS News interview by Anthony Mason:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6136503n&tag=api
Never underestimate the power of music and the strength of the human will!
Felicitations, Melody!
Gregory Hake 
I appreciate your perspective on things – keep on postin’!
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I agree that the understanding Ms. Gardot’s doctor possessed of other therapies was very fortunate. What a great example of a doctor really helping the patient to explore all avenues to get well.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this discussion about music and was thinking of ways to bring it to our families that was easy and was a creative milieu rather than something that required an appointment or a slot in our day timer.
Here are some of my ideas (and my coworkers):
Music in the background during breakfast (while everyone is scurrying to get off to school and work).
Music in the background when we return in the afternoon and evening.
Music (preferably classical or some of the genres that assist with memory) while our children are doing homework.
If your you do hobbies that require your attention such as sewing, gardening or while you clean the dishes after supper.
If you still have small children while you are bathing them or feeding them.
Saturday and Sunday have many opportunities to immerse ourselves in healing music; whether we’re in the car, cooking, cleaning house, or just taking a walk. We were thinking the key is to enjoy it.
Music as a gift to the elderly or as a get well gift.
Music as a new baby gift.
Many of us probably have the news or TV on at most of those times or just are rushing to get our tasks done.
The trade off could help our mental and physical health; along with helping our children to have music as a natural part of their lives.
One of my co-workers called it “a hug from the universe”
If anyone has specific CD’s that they enjoy for “family” background listening I’d love to know.
Thanks for a subject that is so beneficial and available to everyone.
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Kimberly – if you haven’t tried music server sites, like pandora.com, you might give them a shot for the “family” time. You can create a theme with an artist’s name, genre or song and it will produce an endless stream of songs based on your original choice. Plus, it’s free!
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I dig this kind of stuff! According to a recent report from the Psych Dept at the University of Sussex, the extent to which music touches human beings is quite broad and profound. It says, “music engages sensory processes, attention, memory-related processes, perception-action mediation, multi-sensory integration, activity changes in core areas of emotional processing, processing of musical syntax and musical meaning, and social cognition”. Just to give one example of how this applies, a German study published in 2009 reported that stroke patients who received standard care plus music intervention showed greater improvements in fine as well as gross motor skills involving precision, smoothness and speed of movement. The control group showed no improvement. The music group further demonstrated “electrophysiological changes indicative of better cortical connectivity and improved activation of the motor cortex”. Sorry to go on here, but in combination with the rehab therapy, the music therapy clearly allowed the brain to reorganize and compensate for the damage caused by the stroke. Add the strength of the human will to the power of music therapy and we’ve got a potent combination that can literally alter the makeup of the human body and mind. It opens up a world of possibility past the conventional limits. Thankfully Ms. Gardot’s doctor was open to that!
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Thanks for more of the science on this topic, Mitch!
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Thanks for introducing me to this artist. I downloaded her CD and have been listening to it all afternoon!
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It’s always a pleasure to see your new post each day – thank you!!
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Many great rulers understood the power and order of music and that certain types of music created effects that could be replicated.
King George I of England had problems with memory loss and stress management. He read the Bible story of King Saul who supposedly had similar problems and that he overcame his problems with special music. King George then asked George Frederick Handel to write some music for him and Handel wrote his Water Music for this purpose. We know it as “Morning Has Broken”.
Napoleon was quoted as saying “Give me control over he who shapes the music of a nation, and I care not who makes the laws”.
Music can create effects on the body and the mind, it’s well documented. Look into the effects that baroque music has on the heart, immune system and even physical strength vs rock music. I enjoy both but it’s interesting to see the physiological effects of each.
I read once that we are drawn to the music of our youth because that is usually where we stopped growing.
I love this subject because as with everything it challenges us to explore, grow and be responsible.
Changes can come at any age but it seems that it is more easily accomplished as we understand the power of the seemingly subtle or delicate things.
Can we honestly think cutting music in our schools is wise; it seems to me a middle school course on the effects music can have on our health, economy, country and ultimately our happiness would be a prudent investment. Just name it something appealing like “Music and Power” or “How to Control Everything With Music”…on second thought.
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Excellent points, LL!
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Just downloaded Melody. Fantastic voice and great music.
Perfect example for this subject. Looked at her bio on I tunes, music did bring her back to life. Thanks for spreading the word.
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What an amazing story of inspiration, a journey going from a terrible tragedy to one of becoming a beautiful star and most importantly an inspiration to others.
I recently listened to Oprah Winfrey interviewing Celine Dion about her Celine Through the Eyes of the World tour. One of the things they were discussing is the fact that music is a universal language. I was reminded of this when it mentions in the clip how famous Melody is in France right now.
There is so much we are capable of if only we allow ourselves the opportunities to explore the various avenues around us of which music and art are only a few.
This has certainly been an uplifting post that will certainly inspire many!
Have a great day!
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Thanks for sharing this story – an inspiring story and an interesting artist to check out. Music works a different part of the brain, for Melody Gardot restoring neural pathways, for Nathaniel Ayers, as you posted yesterday, providing a pharmaceutical reaction to soothe and focus a place of sanity in the midst of schizophrenia. From an educator’s standpoint, music coursework (music training and/or music appreciation) in school has been shown to increase abstract reasoning skills, increase math and science skills, higher SAT scores in verbal and math. Statistics show a much lower substance abuse rate and higher academic achievement among those who participate in music training. These are just a few points I recall off the top of my head, but the statistics are out there to show the amazing affect music has on our brains. In this age of arts and music funding cuts, it is vital that you are bringing attention to the great value here.
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