Daniel J. Levitin worked as a musician, recording engineer, and record producer. He then decided to devote his career to neurology. He studied the brain's functions and amassed an abundance of research about how the brain responds to music. He explains his theories and supports them with his research findings in This Is Your Brain On Music.
From the introduction of this book, it is very interesting. Levitin explains his love for both music and science and asks why anyone would want to mix the two. He draws interesting parallels between the two fields. And he argues that explaining the neuroscience of how the brain reacts to music, an art enjoyed by everyone throughout creation on some level, can begin to show us “the deepest mysteries of human nature” – our emotions, personal preferences, subconscious, and psyche.
Personally, I was intrigued by this introduction because I have been fascinated by both music and science. I received an undergraduate degree in Audio Production because I saw the field of music production as the mix of science and music. I have been a musician for over 20 years and an audio engineer for over 12.
The first two chapters explain the basics of music theory and music definitions. Then Levitin begins to explain how our auditory systems receive sound and cognitively process the waves. With each successful chapter, he explains the research that he and others have performed to determine how our mind is connected – how we store schemas when we listen to music, how we recall emotions, the mental qualities required for a musician, and understandings why we like the music we like.
Throughout the book, some themes reoccur. One is the strong connection between music and the emotional centers of our brain. The second is that “all of us are expert musical listeners, able to make quite subtle determination of what we like and don’t like, even when we’re unable to articulate the reasons why.”
The final chapter of the book lines out various theories for the importance of music in society. Levitin uses scientific research and logical reasoning to explain exactly why music is an integral art of society. He proposes different interpretations for why music is important to humans.
This Is Your Brain On Music has a wealth of information about how the brain works and how it responds to music. The book does a great job of explaining a history of neuroscience in easy to understand language. As Levitin writes on the book's website, “Ultimately, it is the story of how human brains and music have co-evolved to become who and what they are.” It is very intriguing, insightful, and entertaining.
www.yourbrainonmusic.com
ego.psych.mcgill.ca/levitin.html
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