How Music Can Make You Better by Indre Viskontas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I just finished reading this fantastic little 100-pager in one-sitting and absolutely loved it. It’s an incredibly fascinating look diving into the intersection between music + neuroscience to better understand the power of music, to heal, to hurt, to love, to express, to understand, to train, to educate, and moreover come together.

As a music lover, junkie, fan and player myself, I found it incredibly handy to have all the knowledge of how music scientifically affects our mood, capacity to learn, engage, and process, all in a little book. It beautifully reminded me of why I love music so much, and how it is SO powerful for our brains, moods, musicianship, and being a human in society.

Moreover, I appreciated how Indre Viskontas was so clear throughout on showing us how music is something that is accessible to all — she’s done her research and teachings to show that music doesn’t leave anyone out, from the classically trained “bourgeoise” listener, to the urban street dweller and “amateur” listener. From its origins, music is born within and enjoyed throughout time through all cultures and backgrounds, serving different purposes. It was beautiful to see that in such a succinct way.

Saving this one for whenever I may crave some inspiration, or want to refer back to some of the info she provided. Her portion on musicality and how talent vs. time spent on developing a skill needs to be purposeful, is something I will take with me as a musician going forward.

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