Music Effect

Daniel J. Schneck was a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the Biomedical Engineering Society. He published widely (including 18 books) and was an international consultant on basic physiological function and the role of music in human adaptation. He was also an accomplished violinist and performed professionally. Dorita S. Berger is a concert pianist, an educator and a Board Certified music therapist. She is an international lecturer and consultant on music in human adaptation and its application in music therapy. Dorita runs a music therapy clinic in Norwalk, Connecticut, working with people with pervasive developmental disorders, autism, language learning delays, sensory issues and anxiety disorders. Her books include Music Therapy, Sensory Integration and the Autistic Child, also published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

The Music Effect gives indispensable knowledge to clinicians on music physiology. The book offers through and scientific explanations on the effect of music on physiology and relates these to clinical music therapy work. This makes it an essential and very important resource for music therapy students and educators, as well as clinicians and anyone with an interest in music and physiology.

• Foreword, George D. Patrick, Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center, Bethesda, MD. Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. What Is This Thing Called "Music"?: General Considerations. 3: Principles of Physics From Which Derive The Elements Of Music. 4: Principles Of Physiology and The Elements Of Sensory Information Processing. 5: Fear And The Instinct For Survival: What Happens When The Set-Points Go Awry? 6: Physiologic Entrainment. 7: Rhythm In Music And Physiology. 8: Melody - The Pitch Of Human Emotion. 9: Timbre, Harmony And Dynamics: Adding Richness And Depth To Rhythm And Melody. 10: Form - Creating Aesthetic Wholeness. 11: Nature Expressed Through Nurture. 12: Coda: Where Are They Now? References. Subject Index. Author Index.