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.” 

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The JCC Maccabi Games® are back this 
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