Music and Mind

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“This book inspires us all to immerse ourselves in the vast potential of music and other creative arts to heal our wounds, sharpen our minds, enliven our bodies, and restore our broken connections.” —Bessel van der Kolk, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Body Keeps the Score

World-renowned soprano and arts/health advocate Renée Fleming curates a collection of essays from leading scientists, artists, creative arts therapists, educators, and healthcare providers about the powerful impacts of music and the arts on health and the human experience

A compelling and growing body of research has shown music and arts therapies to be effective tools for addressing a widening array of conditions, from providing pain relief andalleviating anxiety and depression to regaining speech after stroke or traumatic brain injury,  and improving mobility for people with disorders that include Parkinson’s disease and MS.

In Music and Mind Renée Fleming draws upon her own experience as an advocate to showcase the breadth of this booming field, inviting leading experts to share their discoveries. In addition to describing therapeutic benefits, the book explores evolution, brain function, childhood development, and technology as applied to arts and health.

Much of this area of study is relatively new, made possible by recent advances in brain imaging, and supported by theNational Institutes of Health, major hospitals, and universities. This work is sparking an explosion of public interest in the arts and health sector.

Fleming has presented on this material in over fifty cities across North America, Europe, and Asia, collaborating with leading researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners. With essays from notable musicians, writers, and artists, as well as leading neuroscientists, Music and Mind is a groundbreaking book, the perfect introduction and overview of this exciting new field.Advance Praise for Music and Mind

“At a time when the bonds of our common humanity are being stretched to the limits, at the same time as the intensifying stresses on our personal well-being, Renée’s book is a timely reminder that music is the meta language that connects all individuals and spans all cultures, religions, and races. Music has never been more important.”
 —Sting
 
“This lyrical book opens our hearts and minds to the vast potential of the creative arts—music, dance, and synchronous movements—to sooth, comfort and connect to each other, and thereby promote health and well-being. The authors, some of the most luminous musicians, dancers, physicians, and neuroscientists of our time, all are deeply engaging, sometimes even magical, writers. This book inspires us all to immerse ourselves in the vast potential of music and other creative arts to heal our wounds, sharpen our minds, enliven our bodies, and restore our broken connections.”
—Bessel van der Kolk

“Renée Fleming has the voice of an angel and the brain of a scholar. Her boundless curiosity has enabled her to assemble a myriad of experts to explore this exciting new field of science. Her work has given me a new appreciation of the wonders of music and the impact it has on our brains as well as our lives.”
—Katie Couric   
 
“Brava, Renée, for assembling this groundbreaking collection of writings on music and the brain, with all the latest fascinating connections and possibilities splendidly presented. This volume will be a touchstone not only for researchers and musicians, but also for plain old music-lovers and good-book-lovers like myself.”
—Jamie Bernstein
 
“Renée’s deep commitment to the powerful intersection of art and wellness is an inspiration. These studies are a beacon leading us to the inevitable realization that art is essential to humanity. I highly recommend this book for musicians and non-musicians alike. In our current divisive world, art offers hope, comfort and healing.”
—Marin Alsop
 
“This extraordinary volume edited by Renée Fleming is the most comprehensive compilation of the role of music in every aspect of life, from biological evolution to our own mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. The meaning of life is in the music of life.”
—Deepak Chopra

“[A] stimulating anthology. . . . Taken together, the essays reflect a ‘human-centric’ model of care that smoothly integrates traditional scientific research and intuitive notions of integrative health. The result is an expansive and thought-provoking look at the dynamic intersection between art and science.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Compelling. . . . A must-read for anyone who questions the health benefits of music.”
—Kirkus ReviewsRenée Fleming is one of the most highly acclaimed singers of our time, performing on the stages of the world’s greatest opera houses and concert halls. Honored with the US National Medal of Arts and five Grammy® awards, most recently this year for Best Classical Vocal Solo Album, she has sung for momentous occasions from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Super Bowl. A leading advocate for research at the intersection of arts and health, Fleming launched the first ongoing collaboration between the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the US National Institutes of Health. She has presented her program Music and Mind in more than 50 cities around the world, earning Research!America’s Isadore Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion. Other honors include the 2023 Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos and the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal.US

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