Your Mind's Soundtrack

Spotify isn't the only place to create a great playlist.

What’s the first music you remember?

Not a song from the radio. Not something you chose off an online playlist. Some of us are old enough to recall life before Spotify, YouTube, or (gasp!) even the internet. I mean really remember, like a sound that got stitched into your memory long before you even knew what music really was.

Maybe it was the humming while your parent washed dishes. Maybe it’s a squeaky rendition of “Twinkle Twinkle” from a sibling’s violin practice. Maybe it’s your own voice, singing in elementary school music class.

For me, it’s the sound of “Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral”, an Irish lullaby my mother sang to me when I was quite small, maybe four or five. She probably sang it to me earlier than that. I’m 45, so that’s at least 40 years of those specific sounds etched into my mind. I can hear them clearly, even now.

The soundtrack of childhood starts before we even know we’re listening. And it continues into our teenage years, into young adulthood, into parenthood, middle age, and even into our senior years. These mental playlists are curated carefully, even if unintentionally; songs are added, others are left behind. But one thing is clear: music can be attached to some of the most meaningful moments of our lives.

It’s not just nostalgia. Scientists now know that music doesn’t just accompany memory. It anchors it.

A 2021 study out of UC Davis used fMRI scans to explore how music activates the medial prefrontal cortex, a region deeply tied to autobiographical memory. What’s fascinating is that even when memories fade—particularly in patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia—music can trigger access to moments that otherwise feel out of reach. The brain recognizes melody long after it forgets names.

Think about that: our brains may let go of details, but they hold on to music.

There’s something almost sacred about that kind of mental storage. A song can act like a time machine. It carries you back to a high school dance, a childhood road trip, a funeral, or a first kiss. And the strange thing is, we rarely get to choose which songs end up on the mind’s playlist. They just settle in, as if they know they belong there.

Today, I visited a Music Together class for the first time since starting at Pakachoag Music School. For anyone unfamiliar, this is a program geared toward caregivers and children from birth to age five. It is, quite literally, the most precious sight to see. Toddlers—new to walking, talking, singing, and making friends— and their caregivers—there were moms, a dad, and two grandmothers—all in a room together, creating community around arguably the most unifying experience we have available to us: music. As I was thinking through what to write today, I wondered if any of them would remember these songs. Maybe they’re creating their own “Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral” moments?

One thing is certain: there was joy. More of that, please.

Not Just for Kids

I’ve seen it all: the six-year-old discovering the magic of a well-tuned string, and the middle-aged physician returning to the oboe after years of it lying dormant. There’s the teenager who doesn’t say much, but lights up when the right song comes along. The adult who never had lessons as a kid and now comes in, nervous but curious, wondering, “is it too late to learn?”

It’s never too late to learn how to make music.

You don’t need a big stage. You don’t need an audience. You just need a reason. For some, it’s rekindling joy. For others, it’s a tribute to someone they lost. For still others, it’s a chance to make the kind of soundtrack they always wished they’d had.

Enjoy Your Playlist

There’s a beautiful kind of humility in realizing you’re never too old to add a new song to your mind’s playlist. Even with two older daughters (one adult and one quickly approaching), I’m finding new ones regularly. And it’s never too young to start one, either… cue Music Together and those impossibly cute toddlers.

So whether your soundtrack began with a lullaby, a tune on the car radio, or a love song you’ve never been able to shake (I’ve got one of those, too), know this:

There’s more music ahead of you. Your playlist isn’t finished yet, so enjoy the songs (and those magical, memorable life moments) as they come and go.

Note by note,

Nick

P.S. As always, toss a comment or reflection our way below, and if you’ve enjoyed this, please consider passing it along to a friend or loved one. We’d love to hear your stories.