Reflections on the musical mind
Subtitle: an evolutionary perspective
By: Jay Schulkin
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2013
Language: eng
Number of pages: 256
ISBN-13: 9780691157443
Copyright date: 2013
Subjects: Origin; Psychological aspects; Music; Musical ability
Description: What's so special about music? We experience it internally, yet at the same time it is highly social. Music engages our cognitive/affective and sensory systems. We use music to communicate with one another--and even with other species--the things that we cannot express through language. Music is both ancient and ever evolving. Without music, our world is missing something essential. In Reflections on the Musical Mind, Jay Schulkin offers a social and behavioral neuroscientific explanation of why music matters. His aim is not to provide a grand, unifying theory. Instead the book guides the reader through the relevant scientific evidence that links neuroscience, music, and meaning. Schulkin considers how music evolved in humans and birds, how music is experienced in relation to aesthetics and mathematics, the role of memory in musical expression, the role of music in child and social development, and the embodied experience of music through dance. He concludes with reflections on music and well-being. Reflections on the Musical Mind is a unique and valuable tour through the current research on the neuroscience of music.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 201-248) and index.
Table of contents: title: Music and the brain : an evolutionary context; title: Bird brains, social contact, and song; title: Human song : dopamine, syntax, and morphology; title: Musical expectations, probability, and aesthetics; title: Musical expression, memory, and the brain; title: Development, music, and social contact; title: Music and dance; title: Conclusion. Music and well-being.