Page 18 - Info Magazine nr 17 april may 2021

New books about the influence of music

Why does a clarinet play at lower pitches than a flute? What does
it mean for sounds to be in or out of tune? How are emotions car-
ried by music? Do other animals perceive sound like we do? How
might a musician use math to come up with new ideas?

Music, Math, and Mind by David Sulzer, a professor in the De-
partments of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Pharmacology at Colum-
bia University Irving Medical Center, offers a lively exploration of
the mathematics, physics, and neuroscience that underlie music.
He makes accessible a vast range of material and demystifies
how music works.

The Oxford Handbook of Music
and the Brain is a compendium
of current research on music in
the human brain. An internatio-
nal roster of 54 authors from 13
countries have written over 350,000 words that are organized
into 33 chapters. Major themes include Music, the Brain, and
Cultural Contexts; Music Processing in The Human Brain; Neu-
ral Responses to Music; Musicianship and Brain Function; De-
velopmental Issues in Music and the Brain; Music, the Brain,
and Health; and the Future. Each chapter offers a thorough re-
view of the current status of research literature as well as an
examination of limitations of knowledge and suggestions for fu-
ture advancement and research efforts. The book is directed to-
wards a broad readership including neuroscientists, musicians,
clinicians, researchers and scholars from related fields but also
readers with a general interest in the topic.

Groundbreaking music educator Dr Anita Collins draws on
the latest international neurological research to reveal the
extraordinary and often surprising benefits of learning music
for children from newborns to teenagers.

Brain research has revealed something extraordinary: learn-
ing music and listening to music can grow and repair our
brains at any age.

Simply clapping in time can assist a young child who is strug-
gling with reading. Learning an instrument can help children
of all ages dramatically improve their ability to focus on school
work, enhance their memory and improve behaviour. Playing
in an orchestra develops children's social skills. Learning mu-
sic can give every child an advantage, whether they are not
coping at school or are doing well already.