Every Brain Needs Music

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.

Larry S. Sherman is a professor of neuroscience at the Oregon Health and Science University. An enthusiastic piano player since age four, he has published widely on brain development, aging, and disease, and given lectures on music and the brain throughout the world.

Dennis Plies, who was for many years a music professor at Warner Pacific University, has been involved with music for his entire life. Starting at the age of seven, he played marimba for audiences and on television, and he has recorded albums in genres including gospel, classical, and jazz.

Susi B. Davis began painting watercolors in her early teens. She continues to paint in watercolors and acrylics in her studio in Portland, Oregon, where she also teaches painting. She has previously illustrated several books, including children’s books about animals and a hiking guide featuring flowers and plants in the Pacific Northwest.

Brea Murakami, director of the Music Therapy Program, Pacific University:
Every Brain Needs Music is a thorough, but approachable primer for music lovers, music students, music teachers, and music therapists looking to understand how music is processed in the brain. The book presents a wide scope of music neuroscience literature, but in a way that makes it feel understandable. The complex topics are presented in a way that keeps readers’ attention, and helps readers make connections to their own inherent musicality. Music students and teachers will find this book helpful, and so will music therapists as a great refresher and quick-access guide for clear explanations to communicate to others the neuroscientific mechanisms underlying our clinical work.

Yakov Bergman, Music Director/Conductor of the Portland Chamber Orchestra, the Walla Walla Symphony, the Siletz Bay Music Festival, and the McCall SummerFest:
Every Brain Needs Music shares priceless information garnered from the life experiences of the authors as artists, scientists and educators, and provides unique insights and a treasure trove of information that all readers can benefit from. This valuable and informative book will help readers recognize the critical need for music education and the role it serves by enriching our aesthetic and cognitive lives.

Mei-Ting Sun, professor of piano, Royal Academy of Music, and winner of the first Piano-e competition and the National Chopin Competition:
Witty and brilliantly informative, Every Brain Needs Music evokes the love of music in all ways, and is the first book I will recommend to everyone who wants a deeper appreciation of music and life. From the deeply detailed description of our brains, to concrete examples and strategies of improvement and learning, this book will benefit beginners and seasoned musicians alike.

Valerie Day, lead singer, Nu Shooz, and Grammy nominee:
Engaging and insightful, Every Brain Needs Music illuminates the connection between art and science, and shows us the miraculous way our bodies and brains listen to, practice, and create music. From the architecture of music and the brain to the artistry of a transcendent musical performance, each chapter reveals why, for many of us, music is as essential as breathing or eating.