Music & The Brain

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” – Bob Marley

What happens when you hear your favorite song? Does your heart begin to race? Maybe a shiver goes down your spine and you begin to tap your toes. Music is a powerful mode of communication. One of the earliest of all human activities, music has the ability to evoke strong emotional and physical sensations, as well as conjure memories. Additionally, it has been shown that studying and playing music can increase math and literacy skills. In this eBook, Music and the Brain, we will take a cursory look at the internal workings of the brain that allow these amazing responses, feelings and abilities to occur.

In our opening title article, “Music and the Brain,” neurologist Norman M. Weinberger examines the anatomy of the brain and its responses when listening to and creating music. Then in “Music in Your Head,” Eckart O. Altenmüller explores the visual, tactile and emotional experiences of listening to music. The section continues with observations on the long lasting benefits of learning to play an instrument, music’s power over human emotions, and how music therapy can help patients with brain disorders recover language, hearing, motion and emotion.

Sections 2 and 3 focus on the connections between music and mastering skill in math and linguistics. In “Music, Math and Imagination,” jazz musician and mathematician Marcus Miller puts forth the argument that play, creativity and improvisation are needed as much in the application of math as in the creation of music. While in “Speaking in Tones,” psychology professor Diana Deutsch explores the relationship between music and language and how songs and melodies help us learn to talk, read and bond with others.

We conclude this collection with a look at music and movement (also known as dancing.) In “The Evolution of Dance,” Thea Singer examines whether the human tendency for dancing formed as a by-product of natural selection or as an adaptive trait.

From the dawn of human culture, we have been creating, listening to, and enjoying music. With this eBook, we aim to provide you with insight into how your brain benefits from and responds to music in your surroundings. So the next time you hear your favorite song and begin to tap your toes, you’ll have a better understanding why.

-- Karin Tucker
Book Editor