How Music Sculpts Our Brain

by Isabelle Peretz

How does the process of learning music impact our brain? To what extent does it foster curiosity, attention and enhance memory? How is it linked with reading, learning languages, or mathematical thinking? Does a child need a musical ear to develop musical ability and make progress in music? Is there an age limit for learning music? At a time when music education is being drastically cut, in connection with a “back to basics” rhetoric spreading over the field of education, there is also a growing interest in demonstrating and experiencing the way music can boost literacy, fine motor skills, memory, but also social behavior, altruism and… happiness! A world-renowned expert on music and the brain, Isabelle Peretz takes up the joint challenge of enlightening us on the main findings of more than thirty years of neurobiological research on music and education, and translating them, where possible, into actionable recommendations directly applicable to the music room. Written in both lively and straightforward language, her book details the various ways in which music can transform our brain, for the better. It makes the main findings of the neuroscience of music accessible to all those involved in music education —aspiring musicians, professors, learning adults, parents, or educational advisors. An indispensable guide to understanding and promoting best practice in musical education. Dr Isabelle Peretz is a professor of Psychology at University of Montréal, where she holds a Canada Research Chair and a Casavant Chair in neurocognition of music.

Genres: Psychology

105 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 30, 2023

Reviews

[Earle Sloan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended! Succinct and well-written, unifying research concepts

In the last few weeks I’ve read about a dozen books on the subject, including those by Drs. Oliver Sacks, Daniel Levitin, and John Powell, but this book was the most lucid and current. It should require only about 1.5 hours to read, and will leave you with a much better appreciation for music.

[Nikhil Krishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward, bite-sized book about how music develops cognitive functioning, featuring a bunch of studies.