The Unsticking Power of Music
January 28, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
8-year-old David Militello has sung the “Star-Spangled Banner” at NBA games and also before a Martin Luther King, Jr., rally in Atlanta last well (here’s a video). David has Asperger Syndrome and music—singing, humming—help to “unstick” his mind:
At first, his mother says he seemed perfectly normal, even said a few words, until about age 2. “He became non-verbal. And then the humming started.”The humming, for 2 years, constant humming, was followed by notes, and lines and eventually entire songs. Today, he knows hundreds by heart.
And although his mind still locks-up with autism, David is convinced he knows the key. “For me, its like being stuck in certain phases. [But I get unstuck] when i sing.”
My son Charlie hums a lot and sings bits of songs (”A Love Supreme” has been a favorite of late). His snatches of melodies and rhythms warbled over and over are the soundtrack around here (and—thinking back to the days when Charlie said nothing at all—hearing his voice means I know where he is) Charlie does not talk as much as David but singing and humming seem to have a similar “unsticking” effect on Charlie. I suspect he often has a song playing his mind (come to think of it, I do, too, and sometimes Charlie’s own).
My first special interest was music. My mom says “I broke down and gave you piano lessons when you were 4 because you had been bugging me for years!” All I wanted to do was play music.
When I got sidetracked by other things, got put in piano competitions, and eventually decided I was not “good enough,” and quit, I did get profoundly “stuck,” although maybe in a different way. I just did not know what to do with myself, and spent quite a few years being somewhat miserable and dissatisfied.
After eleven years of dabbling in various other things, I began to take piano lessons again and found that I could not stop. I had an incredible mentor who worked with me to close the gap between me being able to play a Beethoven sonata (rather poorly) but being barely able to sight-read even easy music.
I am now a church organist and choir director. When I find myself getting really stuck in other areas, if I remember to go to the piano and organ, play for awhile, I can come back and finish my other projects, or make phone calls, or whatever I am getting stuck on (including just shutting down and not being able to do much of anything). If I have a week where I have “too much to do” to play music, everything else suffers. Your post reminds me to do the music FIRST, and then everything else will (or at least has a chance to) follow. It also reminds me that if I can’t get to the piano, humming and singing also help, plus they are fun in and of themselves.
I hope to read more posts by/about people who have had experiences with music and autism.
Hi, I should have read your comment here first! I played piano and viola throughout high school and have dabbled ever since—-it’s in the past years of raising my son that I’ve realized how important music is to him, and, too, to me. Helping him to practice the piano is a highlight of the day and I am suspecting that his ability to read music exceeds his reading of words and text. When he you very young (2 1/2) we enrolled him in a music therapy class but it’s actual music lessons that have proved the most useful and (even more) fun for him (and us).
Thank you for writing about your experiences with music—-it’s a huge part of our lives.
Piano lessons for 12 years and violin for 8 here. I used to unconsciously turn to the piano when I was very stressed, something my mother pointed out to me when I was in my 20s, that I’d never realized. When I play, I rock like CRAZY all over the place while I’m playing, something I never knew I did until I saw a video of myself playing.
TH hums and sings *constantly*. And so does the baby…he can’t talk, but he hums all the time. TH also will launch into this Bjork-like caterwhaul that can be kind of terrifying if you don’t know him, and he also sings what he calls “opera,” which is actually a pretty good representation of the real thing. I think it’s just a release for him. He does have *perfect* pitch, and we’re doing piano lessons for him right now. I’m concerned about our teacher, though; she places a lot of emphasis on motor technique (hand drop, finger placement), and I don’t think that’s the best approach for him. I’m waiting it out through this spring to see how that goes. The motor emphasis *could* actually help him if he doesn’t become too frustrated with trying to control his muscles.
Now I know why I am occasionally drawn to taking out a Bjork CD……….
/grin
It could be more than just playing music too…
Most of the waking hours of the day there is Soundtrack going on in my head. Usually from one of the movies I have watched, and not necessarily a recent viewing either. Along with all the apparently unfiltered incoming sounds of real life.
Lets see…. Accordion, Piano, Baritone Sax, and finally Synthesizer (just to add to the exposition of instruments played along with everyone else.) Not to mention sequencing Midi.
If he really loves music, it might be wise to not focus so much on things that frustrate him and to emphasize the things he loves about it (I’m not saying completely toss out the other stuff but just watch for signs that he is too stressed to enjoy something that gives him a lot of pleasure now). As I said, after I quit my piano lessons, I was without my main special interest for 11 years.
If he tends to clench up because he is trying so hard to “do it right” or to hit the right notes, you might want to read some of my posts to Amanda Baggs’ blog on “Efficiency and Frugality” (they are the last couple of posts to date) (am I allowed to post a URL here? I hope so!) At age 48 I finally stopped playing the keyboard with a “claw” instead of a hand with fingers.
http://ballastexistenz.autistics.org/?p=137
Charlie sounds as if music is very important to him.
One of my twins only uses a very few words (under thirty), but he can sing whole lines of a couple familiar songs, and I’m hoping eventually that’ll be a pathway to more speech.
Hi Kristina: I am the mom of a neurologically impaired (not autistic) son, so read your blog with interest. We live in NC. It’s “Cabarrus” County, not “Carrabus” county. Thanks S from NC (you don’t need to put this comment up on line, just if you can change the county spelling that would be great – Thanks)