The Musician’s Mind is a definitive guide to the workings of the musician’s brain. Author Lynn Helding, an experienced music educator and cognitive neuroscience researcher, provides readers with essential information about how musical learning and performing can be optimized by understanding what takes place in the brains of musicians. The book covers topics such as working memory, sensory processing, critical thinking skills, creativity,ECTION: motivation and more. It also includes interviews with professional musicians sharing their insights on how they’ve learned to optimize their own abilities.
For who is this book for ?
This book is for music educators, students, and professionals who want to gain a deeper understanding of how the musician’s brain works. It provides essential information about how musical learning and performing can be optimized by understanding what takes place in the brains of musicians.
Pros :
- The Musician’s Mind provides essential information about how musical learning and performing can be optimized by understanding what takes place in the brains of musicians.
- The book covers topics such as working memory, sensory processing, critical thinking skills, creativity, motivation and more.
- It also includes interviews with professional musicians sharing their insights on how they’ve learned to optimize their own abilities.
Cons :
- The Musician’s Mind could be dense for readers who are not familiar with cognitive neuroscience research.
- The book does not provide any practical instructional strategies or exercises that music educators can use in the classroom.
- There is a lack of diversity among the musicians interviewed throughout the book.
Learn more about the author
Lynn Helding is an experienced music educator and cognitive neuroscience researcher. She has taught all ages, from elementary students to college-level musicians, and has been actively involved in research on the cognition of music for over 20 years. Her work has appeared in journals such as Music Perception, The Journal of Neuroscience, NeuroImage and Cortex.
Reader Reviews
“A clear, concise and extremely informative book which will be an invaluable resource for musicians of all levels of ability and experience. The Musician’s Mind provides a fascinating insight into the workings of our brains when we are learning or performing music. Bravo!”
“The Musician’s Mind is an immensely valuable resource for musicians of all levels and disciplines. It demystifies the workings of the musician’s brain and provides concrete strategies to optimize musical learning, performance, and creativity. This book is a must-read for any music educator or performer!”
“The Musician’s Mind is an outstanding and much-needed contribution to the field of music education. Dr. Lynn Helding has impeccably researched cognitive neuroscience as it relates specifically to musical learning, performance, and creativity in order to provide us with a comprehensive understanding of how the musician’s brain works. The book is filled with valuable information for educators at all levels, from beginner to advanced.”
“A treasure trove of information on how musical learning and performing can be optimized by understanding what takes place in the brains of musicians.”
