JUNE 6 • 2024 | 25

another long-running gig
that’s now 23 years in.
He wasn’t a music
therapist, per se, but
Krieger’s experience playing
music for older adults made
him an instant favorite at
the Metro Detroit Jewish
organization.
Today, at Brown Adult
Day Program, Krieger
hosts music sessions two
times per week at each site
in Southfield and West
Bloomfield. He sings and
plays music for groups of
individuals with memory
loss that can grow as large as
20 people at a time.
“I like the challenge of
finding ways around people’s
cognitive difficulties, or
perhaps any resistance they
might have that day,” Krieger
says. “I would have never

thought of pursuing this
[career path], but when it
came to my life, it was such a
natural fit for me.”

AWAKENING THROUGH
MUSIC
Susan Tauber, who volunteers
at Brown Adult Day
Program, says Krieger does
more than simply play music.
“He doesn’t just entertain,”
she says. “He engages those
in the program to sing along
and become part of the
music experience.”
For older adults with
memory loss in particular,
music can have a profound
impact on the brain.
Growing research shows
that music has the power to
reactivate areas of the brain
associated with memory,
emotion and more, with

the ability to improve
memory consolidation and
retrieval (a.k.a., making new
memories and remembering
old ones).
Krieger calls these musical
“awakenings” the reason
he continues to do what he
does.
“People in that situation
may not always be exactly
who they used to be, but
there’s still something there,”
he explains.
“There’s still a spark that
can be reached. I love the
challenge and opportunity
to find that spark and help
people remember for some
time.”
It’s a “real joy,” he adds
of witnessing the profound
impact music can have on
people.
Musical memories are

stored in the hippocampus
part of the brain, which
research shows is the last
thing people forget. In fact,
musical memory is often
preserved in Alzheimer’s
disease and other forms of
dementia, making it possible
to reach.
Krieger says he comes to
his gigs with a mix of his
own selections and audience
favorites. “Maybe they like
Broadway or showtunes, or
music by Sinatra,” he says.
“Whatever it is, I go from
there to help them respond
[to the music].”
Seeing participants’ eyes
light up, Krieger adds, is
what he strives for.
“It’s exciting to see what
delights people,” he says,
“and what helps them
awaken.”

GET IN THE GAMES

Join our team as a host family, sponsor, or volunteer.

Support the largest Jewish youth event
in the world.

The JCC Maccabi Games® are back this
year, empowering young athletes and
uniting Jewish teens from around
the world in a celebration of heritage
and sportsmanship.

MaccabiDetroit.com