For the American jazz musician, Charlie Parker, it meant, "your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom." "Without music life would be an error," said the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. 

And in the words of American pop singer Billy Joe, "Everyone loves music!"

They must be right, because we spend US$40 billion a year on music. But what do we mean by music? What defines it? And why are we so touched by i...

I was reading an article in The New York Times about the International Association of Jazz Educators’ Conference that began taking place in New York last week. Thousands attended and dozens performed, from young beginning jazz students to top pros in the field to music aficionados not related to anyone on stage. So how is it that jazz has become the vehicle for the resurgence of robust music programs in the schools w

hile cl...

Neuroscientists are discovering multiple ways that musical training improves the function and connectivity of different brain regions. Musical training increases brain volume and strengthens communication between brain areas. Playing an instrument changes how the brain interprets and integrates a wide range of sensory information, especially for those who start before age 7. These findings were presented at the Neuroscie...