Larry S. Sherman, a neuroscientist and lifelong musician, and Dennis Plies, a professional musician and teacher, collaborate to show how our brains and music work in harmony. Written for both musical and nonmusical people, including newcomers to brain science, this book is a lively and easy-to-read exploration of the neuroscience of music. "Learning, performing, and listening to music all place tremendous demands on the human brain. Learning to play a musical instrument is among the most challenging activities for the human nervous system, involving cognitive, sensory, as well as fine and gross motor functions. Music composition and improvisation also engage the human nervous system in remarkable ways. Understanding how the human brain functions and changes when engaging with music provides unique opportunities for understanding the nature of human creativity; the ways that the brain integrates sensory, motor, and cognitive activities; the characteristics of strong learners and teachers; and the ways that music can contribute to brain development and healthy brain aging. This book by Larry Sherman, a neuroscientist and life-long musician, and Dennis Plies, a professional musician and music teacher, explores the processes of teaching, learning, practicing, listening, composing, improvising, and performing music from the standpoints of behavioral, cellular and molecular neuroscience as well as the perspective of music pedagogy. The book surveys current neuroscience literature in the context of musical learning and teaching experience to explore how music literally changes the structures of our brains"--… (more)