Issue 10 | June 2009
Music, Mind and Medicine
***Articles reviewed and updated in July 2014***
It is hard to imagine a world without music. Most of us hear some form of music every day, and it is a powerful trigger of emotional memories. Even so, music remains one of life’s great mysteries. How can it have such a powerful impact? And what exactly is music?
Browse through our articles and interviews, listen to the audio library and check out our lesson ideas to find out more. This issue was first published in 2009; in 2014, all of the individual resources were reviewed and updated for accuracy and currency. Please do note, however, that the PDF of the original 2009 issue has not been updated from its original form.
What is music?
What is music?
The different elements of music and what they mean
Music audio library
Listen to our clips to hear examples of pitch, timbre and other elements of music
Harmony in my head
How do we hear?
Wired for sound
The brain has a complex interconnected set of pathways for processing music
Always on my mind
Our brains recognise octaves as special
Abacab
A short history of music
Talking loud and clear
How are music and language related?
Effects on mind and body
Second that emotion
Emotion is fundamental to the musical experience
Heartbeat
Music can trigger powerful physiological responses
You shook me all night long
As any Hollywood soundtrack composer knows, music can be used to manipulate people’s state of mind
Good vibrations
What is quality music?
Like a rolling stone
What does your musical taste say about your personality?
What makes a good musician?
Day after day
Could anyone, given the opportunity, become a concert pianist, or are there a select few with the potential to excel?
I can make you feel good
What role is there for music in modern medicine?
Simply the best
What does it take to be musically gifted?
Rock me Amadeus
Does music make you smarter?
I feel fine
Music has a long history in the healing arts
Crazy
Tarantism is a peculiar chapter in the story of music and health
Musical scientists
Scientists are increasingly turning to music and dance
Musicians’ dreams
Can musical inspiration strike in dreams?
Ailing musicians
Musicians experience a range of maladies, including carpal tunnel syndrome, musculoskeletal complaints and allergic reactions
What is the point of music?
I heard it through the grapevine
Why did music evolve?
She bangs the drums
When did music first appear?
All around the world
Music, like language, shows much regional variation
House of the rising sun
Can animals make music?
Leader of the pack
Music can be a powerful bonding agent
Pleasure and pain
Music plays a central role in the healing and medicine of the Circassian (or Adyghe) people of eastern Europe
Unusual perceptions
Bring the noise
Not everyone can hold a perfect tune, but some can’t actually tell they are out of tune
I can’t get you out of my head
Imagine having a song on permanent play in your head – that’s what people with musical hallucinations have to contend with
Now you’re gone
Loss of hearing is an occupational hazard for musicians – and a problem for those who listen to them
Red red whine
People with synaesthesia may experience music in radically different ways
Say hello, wave goodbye
Musical interests can fade away – or suddenly appear
Backwards messages
Are bands corrupting young people by burying subliminal messages in music, audible only when played backwards?
Music and creativity
She blinded me with science
What is this thing we call creativity and how does it apply to music?
You drive me crazy
Musical geniuses: are they all mad?
Ailing musicians
Musicians experience a range of maladies, including carpal tunnel syndrome, musculoskeletal complaints and allergic reactions
Music and autism
Is there a special relationship between autism and music?
Rhythm is a dancer
Music is commonly accompanied by dance – indeed, the two may have evolved together
Kick over the statues
Music has been used both to suppress and to promote dissension
Real Voices interviews
Real Voices interview: Troi ‘DJ Chinaman’ Lee
Troi, who was born deaf, is the head organiser of Deaf Rave, a music party for deaf people
Real Voices interview: Dr Adrian North
Meet Adrian, a music psychologist based in Edinburgh
Activities and lesson ideas
Melodic Marvels lesson idea
Explore the nature of auditory illusion and hallucination, the effect of music on our minds and bodies, and the potential for music in medicine
Music audio library
Listen to our clips to hear examples of pitch, timbre and other elements of music
Further resources and activities on music and the mind
Wellcome has funded organisations to produce the following activities and resources that will engage young people on the topic of music and the mind
Fast Facts
Each issue of 'Big Picture' comes with a sprinkling of Fast Facts, fascinating snippets of information on the topic covered.