Mubik turns melodies into colours you can see, touch and play. Our games and tools use the remarkable resilience of musical memory to engage people living with dementia and to support rehabilitation after stroke and other brain injuries.
Dementia is now the seventh leading cause of death in the world and one of the main causes of disability and dependency among older people. Its global cost was estimated at US$ 1.3 trillion in 2019, about half of it carried by family members and other informal carers.1
Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and more than 100 million people are living after a stroke – many of them with lasting difficulties in memory, attention or speech.3
As populations age, health systems need meaningful, low-cost activities that keep the mind engaged, support rehabilitation and bring joy to everyday life. Music is one of the most powerful tools we have.
People with advanced Alzheimer's disease often still recognise and sing songs from their past, even when they no longer recognise familiar faces. Brain imaging research suggests why: the regions that store long-known music are among the last to be affected by the disease.5
Jacobsen et al., Brain, 2015
In a Finnish study at Helsinki University Central Hospital, stroke patients who listened to music daily recovered verbal memory and focused attention better – and were less depressed – than patients who listened to audiobooks or nothing at all.4
Särkämö et al., Brain, 2008
Many people with severe aphasia can sing words they cannot speak. Melodic Intonation Therapy builds on this, using sung, rhythmic phrases to rebuild speech step by step – an approach recognised by the American Academy of Neurology.7
Systematic review, Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2021
A Cochrane review of 30 studies and 1,720 people found that music-based therapeutic interventions reduce depressive symptoms in people living with dementia.6
van der Steen et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2018
A familiar song opens a door to memories, conversation and shared moments – between a person and their family, carers and therapists. Music is something we do together.
Experience from the field
In Mubik, a melody becomes a row of coloured tiles – each colour is a note. Players can see the shape of a song before they hear it, play it themselves with a touch, and guess which song it is. No musical training is needed.
Over 150 familiar songs from many genres. Recognising a well-known tune is a gentle, rewarding memory exercise that works on a phone, tablet or a large screen.
A structured song-recognition test for therapists, with results tracked over time under an anonymous client code – and an option to limit the test to songs the person knows.
A tool for aphasia rehabilitation that gradually flattens a familiar melody into rhythmic speech, level by level – inspired by melodic intonation therapy.
A simple tile-based check of the upper limit of hearing, so that music can be set up for each listener.
Battle modes turn recognition into a friendly game for two – for families, groups and generations to enjoy side by side.
Large tiles, clear colours, adjustable tempo and note names on demand. Mubik adapts to the player, not the other way around.
The method behind Mubik – presenting melodies as colour tiles that can be seen, played and recognised – is protected by a U.S. patent.
Mubik has been used and developed in the field for more than a decade – with the people who play it, their families and the professionals who care for them.
Interested in Mubik for your care home, clinic, research project or organisation? We would love to hear from you.