Music to My Ears

17 May 2026

Hello and welcome,

Recently I travelled via Brisbane to Tasmania, and somewhere along the way I found myself doing something very simple. I stopped and listened.

Sitting on a hotel balcony in Brisbane, I noticed the city was alive with sound. The hum of air-conditioning, birds squawking, ferries chugging, trains travelling, planes overhead, even the rumble of a rubbish truck. Each sound seemed to hold its own rhythm.

It made me think about music in a different way. Sometimes music can live in the ordinary sounds around us and those sounds place us somewhere, stir recognition, and quietly carry memory.

As I travelled on to Tasmania, I began noticing how every place had its own soundtrack.

In the bush. Water babbling. Magpies warbling. Kookaburras laughing. A creek trickling. Crickets and cicadas creating their own chorus. Wind rustling leaves and grasses beside the river.

Farmland carried sheep bleating, chickens clucking, tractors chugging, dogs barking, a rooster crowing, cows mooing and crows calling across paddocks.

By the sea there were waves washing over sand and crashing over rocks, wind blowing, seagulls calling out in search of food, boats moving into harbour, and water lapping against the hull of a moored boat. There was children’s laughter too as they built sandcastles, adding its own joyful rhythm.

In the rainforest. Waterfalls crashing down rock faces. Wind moving through ferns and the tall trees. Quiet footsteps walking over green mossy paths, Distant birds calling across the ranges.

In the mountains, the sounds changed again. Snow crunching underfoot. A creek running icy and clear. The hush that comes when snow softens the landscape. And at day’s end, the comforting crackle of a fireplace, its warmth carrying its own familiar music.

It made me think that music can be more than the instruments we hear.

Sometimes a remembered sound can stir memories.

The sound of a train whistle may bring back a job on the railways.

A rooster crowing may recall life on a farm.

Waves rolling in may take someone straight back to childhood summers.

These sounds can open conversation, invite storytelling, and help residents connect through shared remembering.

Music & Memories Moments

A question I have asked residents during Music & Memories sessions is “What is one of your favourite Sounds?”. For some residents it was…..

“The sound of the waves crashing on the beach”

“Kookaburras laughing, they always made me smile”

“Children laughing”

“My Grandmother would always sing You Are My Sunshine”

For me, it was the sigh my baby made when she was finally asleep and relaxed.

I wonder what your favourite sound is.

Try This Today: A “Where Am I?” Sound Activity

Invite residents into a gentle conversation using everyday sounds.

You might begin with:

“What sounds told you it was morning when you were growing up?”

Then try a simple “Where Am I?” sound game.

Say a sound and invite residents to guess the place:

Waves crashing, where am I?
Train whistle, where am I?
Sheep bleating, where am I?
Magpies warbling, where am I?
Kettle whistling, where am I?

Then explore:

What sounds do you associate with the beach?
What did a farm sound like?
What sounds do you remember from childhood mornings?
If you closed your eyes and listened, where would those sounds take you?

Tip: If available, use recorded sounds (waves, birds, train whistles) to add another layer of recognition.

Sounds Residents May Remember from the 1940s–60s

Here are some everyday sounds many residents may recall:

At Home

A kettle whistling on the stove
A ticking mantel clock, the gong of a grandfather clock
The wireless crackling before the news came on
A hand-operated washing wringer turning
A sewing machine humming
The screen door banging shut
Pots rattling in the kitchen
The ice cream truck bell

Around the Neighbourhood

The milk cart or milk bottles clinking at the gate
The postie’s bicycle bell
Children skipping and calling in the street
A lawn mower sputtering into life
A horse and cart in some country towns
The town siren (fire brigade/emergency services) or factory whistle

Travel and Work

Steam trains approaching the station
A train whistle in the distance
Bus conductors calling out stops
Typewriters clacking in an office
Workshop tools, hammers, or machinery sounds
Tractors chugging on the farm

Nature and Outdoors

Roosters crowing at dawn
Magpies warbling in the morning
Cicadas on a hot summer day
Rain on a tin roof
Waves rolling in at the beach
Wind through gum trees

Try asking:

Which of these sounds do you remember?
Which sound did you hear every day?
Is there a sound from your childhood you still remember clearly?
What sound told you someone was arriving home?

Sometimes a sound people haven’t heard in decades is still held somewhere in memory.

Tip: You could end the session with listening and sharing what you can hear back in the Aged Care Home that you are in. A lovely way to end reminiscing and coming back to the present……Pause and notice the sounds around you right now, birds outside, footsteps in the corridor, distant voices, a trolley passing by. Even present-day sounds can prompt connection.

I’d love to hear if you try this. What memories emerged?

Seeing the Person: Questions & Answers

Q: What if a resident doesn’t respond to the activity straight away?

A: Allow silence. Some residents are processing internally. A memory may emerge several minutes later, or through listening to someone else’s story.

Q: Can everyday sounds work for residents living with dementia?

A: Yes. Familiar environmental sounds can sometimes be recognised even when words are harder to access. They may prompt emotion, gestures, or small signs of recognition.

Q: How is this different from a reminiscence activity?

A: Sound can be a gentle doorway into reminiscence, but it can also be playful, sensory, and immediate. It doesn’t have to rely on recall alone; it can simply invite noticing and shared listening.

Q: Can this be used one-to-one as well as in groups?

A: Absolutely. Sitting beside someone and asking, What did it sound like on the farm where you grew up? can open beautiful one-to-one conversations.

A Gentle Reminder

Every day you help create environments where residents can notice, remember, and connect.

Sometimes that happens through singing.

Sometimes through conversation.

And sometimes it begins simply by stopping long enough to listen.

A familiar sound can be just as meaningful as a familiar song.

Thank you for the thoughtful ways you help residents hear, remember, and belong.

With thanks and gratitude,