Daniel Levitin on Music as Medicine

Daniel Levitin is an award-winning neuroscientist, musician, ASCAP songwriter and the New York Times best-selling author of several books, including This is Your Brain on Music, The World in Six Songs, The Organized Mind and Successful Aging. His latest book, entitled I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine, explores the healing powers of music and shows how and why it is one of the most potent therapies today. He brings together the results of numerous studies on music and the brain and demonstrates how music can contribute to the treatment of ailments such as neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s to cognitive injury, depression and pain.

 

But Dan brings so much more to his work than an incredible scientific background. As a songwriter and musician who has worked closely with music icons such as Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Rodney Crowell and many more, he speaks eloquently about these topics from a music creator’s perspective. In this fascinating conversation, he also touches on human vs AI created music, how some of the most legendary songwriters tapped into their unconscious mind to create indelible lyrics and his work in getting music therapy as a covered treatment.

 

Learn more about Daniel’s work and read the book

Watch Daniel perform “Just a Memory” with Renée Fleming, Victor Wooten and Hardy Hemphill

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