This is Your Brain on Music

Daniel Levitin (author of This Is Your Brain on Music) has a fascinating site for his lab at McGill University. Including, but not limited to, his research, and video and audio news programs on Williams Syndrome, papers on Perfect Pitch, and an archive of all of the videos of the news coverage of his lab's work (great to use to introduce a friend to the deeper intricacies of music's effect on the human spirit.)

Be sure to check out the links page to take a look into other research in the field.

Listen to the Music (Therapy)

Australian Science Podcast All In The Mind has an episode devoted entirely to the therapeutic powers of music. It discusses the work of a trio of Australian Musical Therapists, working in fields as diverse as neonatal care, cancer, and neurodisabilities, all who have found healing power in music.

A worthwhile listen, and if you follow the links at the bottom of the episode page, you will find a few more episodes on music related stories they have run in the past.

Suzanne Hanser, chair of the Music Therapy Department at Berklee , writes a compelling account of her experiences and reflections with Reva, a 14-year-old patient who is most responsive when her world is colored with music. At times succumbing, and at times overcoming labels attached to her by the school system, Music Therapy helps Reva achieve more than the world expects of her.

The article is accessible here, courtesy of FUSION Magazine.

Read anything good lately?

Don't have time to keep up on all the wonderful Music Therapy books these days? The Nordic Journal of Music Therapy has just released 4 new book reviews for Music Therapy related reading, and updates the page semi-regularly when worthwhile reading materials are published.

Have you read any good MT books lately? Post below...

A Few Notes:

The Mindful Music Therapist offers a helpful checklist to make sure you are giving the most to your patients.

WNYC has a radio show on pop music, catchy songs, "earworms," and other auditory curiousities. Includes interviews with Oliver Sack, Diana Deutsch, and Tim Griffiths. Listen here.

Sarsen Publishing is a new, independent publisher, specializing in books, music, and sheet music for music therapists, and music education. They are also open to submissions!

Healthology posted a short video that acts as a introduction to some of the methods of music therapy. Recommended for beginners.

The Senior Gazette has a front-page introductory account about the helping effects of Music Therapy on Alzheimer's.

Heartbeats in 4/4 time...

Newborns have the ability to detect a beat, and what's more, can also detect if the drummer drops the beat.

A new study shows that beat induction may be either innate, or learned in the womb. Infants showed an EEG response to a steady drum beat, and increased activity when the drummer decided to skip a beat.

Wired online has a plain-english version of this story. Or head over to PNAS for the full-text scholarly PDF.

Music Perception & Cognition Conference Announced...

The Society for Music Perception and Cognition announced the dates for their 2009 conference.

The conference itself will be held at Purdue University from August 3-7, 2009, and the deadline for submissions is February 1, 2009. The Society provides a crossroads for scholars focused on music from several angles (Neuroscience, Music Theory, Cognition, Ethnomusicology, etc.)


They have a newsletter as well as a links page full of thought-provoking sites. If anyone is planning on attending or has been to a past conference, please post your thoughts below!