Fleming, Renée, et al. "Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness." Viking (Penguin Random House LLC). April 9, 2024. ISBN 9780593653197

Abstract

World-renowned soprano and arts/health advocate Renée Fleming curates a collection of essays from leading scientists, artists, creative arts therapists, educators, and healthcare providers about the powerful impacts of music and the arts on health and the human experience. The new book contains a significant chapter by the Media Lab’s Tod Machover (Muriel R. Cooper Professor of Music & Media), Rébecca Kleinberger (PhD ’21), and Alexandra Rieger (PhD researcher) called Composing the Future of Health, where they describe the Opera of the Future group’s unique approach to combining research, technology building and music creation to provide innovative solutions to sonic wellbeing.

A compelling and growing body of research has shown music and arts therapies to be effective tools for addressing a widening array of conditions, from providing pain relief and alleviating anxiety and depression to regaining speech after stroke or traumatic brain injury,  and improving mobility for people with disorders that include Parkinson’s disease and MS.

In Music and Mind Renée Fleming draws upon her own experience as an advocate to showcase the breadth of this booming field, inviting leading experts to share their discoveries. In addition to describing therapeutic benefits, the book explores evolution, brain function, childhood development, and technology as applied to arts and health.

Much of this area of study is relatively new, made possible by recent advances in brain imaging, and supported by theNational Institutes of Health, major hospitals, and universities. This work is sparking an explosion of public interest in the arts and health sector.

In her introduction to Music and Mind, Renée Fleming writes: "Technology will continue to benefit the field [of music and health]. Tod Machover, Rébecca Kleinberger, and Alexandra Rieger from the MIT Media Lab show in their chapter how technology, music, and creative design can address intractable problems, from stuttering to Alzheimer’s and autism. I have performed Tod’s composition VocaGammified, which uses the 40-hertz vibration that has been found to reduce plaques and tangles in the brain by researchers at MIT. Imagine attending a concert and practicing brain hygiene at the same time!"

Fleming has presented on this material in over fifty cities across North America, Europe, and Asia, collaborating with leading researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners. With essays from notable musicians, writers, and artists, as well as leading neuroscientists, Music and Mind is a groundbreaking book, the perfect introduction and overview of this exciting new field.