This blend of anecdote and scientific analysis is an absorbing study of our innate musical abilities, for both the adult beginner and the serious listener. Anyone who is either a professional or an amateur musician should find instruction and support in this book.
"A startling argument . . . provocative . . . absorbing." --The Boston Globe "Ambitious . . . arresting . . . celebrates the importance of hands to our lives today as well as to the history of our species." --The New York Times Book Review The human hand is a miracle of biomechanics, one of the most remarkable adaptations in the history of evolution. The hands of a concert pianist can elicit glorious sound and stir emotion; those of a surgeon can perform the most delicate operations; those of a rock climber allow him to scale a vertical mountain wall. Neurologist Frank R. Wilson makes the striking claim that it is because of the unique structure of the hand and its evolution in cooperation with the brain that Homo sapiens became the most intelligent, preeminent animal on the earth. In this fascinating book, Wilson moves from a discussion of the hand's evolution--and how its intimate communication with the brain affects such areas as neurology, psychology, and linguistics--to provocative new ideas about human creativity and how best to nurture it. Like Oliver Sacks and Stephen Jay Gould, Wilson handles a daunting range of scientific knowledge with a surprising deftness and a profound curiosity about human possibility. Provocative, illuminating, and delightful to read, The Hand encourages us to think in new ways about one of our most taken-for-granted assets. "A mark of the book's excellence [is that] it makes the reader aware of the wonder in trivial, everyday acts, and reveals the complexity behind the simplest manipulation." --The Washington Post
In music, while coaching groups of adults in ensemble settings and teaching them in the independent studio is a longstanding tradition, most tertiary-level music courses do not address the specific issues associated with teaching adults. The Adult Music Student addresses this gap, equipping music educators and professional musicians with the skills to provide optimal learning environments for adult music-makers, and exploring the process of learning and making music across the entire adult lifespan. In chapters rooted in research and real-world experience, adult learning theory, assumptions and philosophy are presented within the context of musical situations. The author also addresses adult motivation, teacher attributes that facilitate learning, and specific strategies to engage adults at different psychosocial or developmental stages. Providing practitioners with both an understanding of how adults learn, and practical approaches that can be used immediately in various music settings, this book offers an essential guide for any instructor working with adult music students.
Within the body lie all the elements (anatomy, physiology and the connection between the mind and body) which are needed to produce sound. Every instrument has a frame. The unique thing about the human vocal instrument is that the body skeleton is the frame. The purpose of this book is to help the voice professional understand this instrument and know how to take care of it. This book defines common problems and discusses how to fix these problems based on the specialization of the voice professional.
This is the golden age of cognitive therapy. Its popularity among society and the professional community is growing by leaps and bounds. What is it and what are its limits? What is the fundamental nature of cognitive therapy? It is, to my way of thinking, simple but profound. To understand it, it is useful to think back to the history of behavior therapy, to the basic development made by Joseph Wolpe. In the 1950s, Wolpe astounded the therapeutic world and infuriated his colleagues by finding a simple cure for phobias. The psychoanalytic establishment held that phobias-irrational and intense fear of certain objects, such as cats-were just surface manifesta tions of deeper, underlying disorders. The psychoanalysts said their source was the buried fear in male children of castration by the father in retaliation for the son's lust for his mother. For females, this fear is directed toward the opposite sex parent. The biomedical theorists, on the other hand, claimed that some as yet undiscovered disorder in brain chemistry must be the underlying problem. Both groups insisted that to treat only the patient's fear of cats would do no more good than it would to put rouge over measles. Wolpe, however, reasoned that irrational fear of something isn't just a symptom of a phobia; it is the whole phobia.
Lawrence Meredith writes with one question in mind: What constitutes life before death? The Hindus teach that there is life before life. So do the Mormons and the primal-scream therapists. The Muslims teach that there is life after death, and so does just about anybody else who's willing to be called religious. Meredith argues that these views are "felonious." We have the responsibility, he writes, to live life in the here-and-now and seek to experience our own religion of the body. Defining and exploring the different stages of the body is key to understanding Life Before Death: -The body as God -The body as Christ -The body as spirit -The body as dance -The body as play -The body as mortal What readers are saying about this book: It takes no courage to say one is a Christian, but it takes great courage to be a Christian. It takes no courage to say one is a writer, but it takes great courage to be a writer and write so others can comprehend the content. Larry Meredith, in Life Before Death, shows that he has enormous courage. After finishing this book, the reader is more prepared to face death and even more prepared to face life. - Maya Angelou, Author Life Before Death reminds us of the value of our todays, the here and now, and the joys to be savored one day at a time, one victory at a time, one championship at a time. And when Life is the ultimate championship, we don't need 'just a little bit more.' - Cedric Dempsey, President, NCAA Meredith's vision is kaleidoscopic, and his supreme revelation is that 'the Word made flesh' is a vital form of Amazing Grace - Earle Labor, Ph.D., Wilson Professor of American Literature and Director of the Jack London Research Center
Music has been intertwined with exercise and sport for many decades, and recent advancements in digital technology and personal listening devices have significantly strengthened that bond. Applying Music in Exercise and Sport combines contemporary research, evidence-based practice, and specific recommendations to help exercise and sport professionals, coaches, students, researchers, and enthusiasts use music to enhance enjoyment, motivation, and performance of physical activity. Readers will explore the psychological and physiological effects of music and learn how to apply scientific principles to personal workouts, group exercise classes, and both individual and team sport settings. Globally known authority and author Costas I. Karageorghis draws from contemporary research in an emerging field of academic study, exploring the application of music in the domain of exercise and sport. Respected psychologist and consultant for major organizations such as British Athletics, England Rugby, Nike, Red Bull, Spotify, IMG, Sony, and Universal Music, Karageorghis incorporates his unique experiences as a performer, researcher, and practitioner in music and sport to create a groundbreaking text that provides readers with an understanding of how music can play an important role in enhancing the experience of exercisers and athletes. Though Applying Music in Exercise and Sport is grounded in scientific research, content is presented in a way that is easy to comprehend and apply. Readers benefit from tools such as these: • Recommended playlists for a variety of exercise- and sport-specific settings that provide a guide to selecting and segueing music tracks • Tip boxes that help readers determine which track to play to promote or suppress certain emotions • Case studies that illustrate the process of identifying a goal, selecting an appropriate music program, and evaluating outcomes Applying Music in Exercise and Sport presents an interdisciplinary approach to selecting, integrating, and studying music in physical activity settings. Part I introduces the science of how music can help in exercise and sport and how it can be used to influence specific behaviors and emotions. Legal considerations regarding the use of music in exercise and sport environments are also covered. A range of assessment methods are provided for exercise and sport professionals that will enable them to select music and measure its effectiveness when used in individual, group, or team settings. Part II focuses on using music to enhance the exercise experience in both individual and group settings. Individual exercise types that are examined include flexibility, aerobic, and strength workouts, while group exercise activities include popular fitness classes such as Spinning, yoga, and circuit training. Part III focuses on how music can enhance sport training and performance, providing rich insight for coaches and competitive athletes participating in individual sports such as cycling, golf, gymnastics, martial arts, and tennis and in team sports such as basketball, soccer, baseball, and American football. Applying Music in Exercise and Sport facilitates creation of effective playlists, empowers music-related interventions, and enables assessment of the effects of music in the field. Collectively, these music-related skills promote purposeful selection of tracks, optimize psychological responses, and enhance performance.
Music in the Human Experience: An Introduction to Music Psychology, Second Edition, is geared toward music students yet incorporates other disciplines to provide an explanation for why and how we make sense of music and respond to it—cognitively, physically, and emotionally. All human societies in every corner of the globe engage in music. Taken collectively, these musical experiences are widely varied and hugely complex affairs. How did human beings come to be musical creatures? How and why do our bodies respond to music? Why do people have emotional responses to music? Music in the Human Experience seeks to understand and explain these phenomena at the core of what it means to be a human being. New to this edition: Expanded references and examples of non-Western musical styles Updated literature on philosophical and spiritual issues Brief sections on tuning systems and the acoustics of musical instruments A section on creativity and improvisation in the discussion of musical performance New studies in musical genetics Greatly increased usage of explanatory figures
How are people and communities able to prevail despite challenge? What helps them bounce back from adversity and even grow in knowledge and understanding? And can this resilience be taught? During the past decade, exciting scientific advances have shed light on how resilience operates from neurons to neighborhoods. In The Resilience Handbook, experts in the science of resilience draw on human and animal research to describe the process of resilience and follow its course as it unfolds both within individuals and in social networks. Contributors also highlight the promise of new interventions that apply what we know about resilience processes to bolster positive health, and raise some of the pressing questions and issues for the field as it matures. This handbook is designed to be used by students as an invitation to a burgeoning field; by researchers, as a framework for advancing theories, hypotheses, and empirical tests of resilience functions; and by clinicians, as a comprehensive and up-to-the-minute integration of theory and practice.