Music has been examined from multiple perspectives: as a product of human history, for example, or a product of human culture.
For example: Why can one musical performance move an audience to tears, and another compel them to dance, clap, or snap along? How does a "pump up" playlist motivate someone at the gym? And why is that top-40 song stuck in everyone's head?.
Written in a lively and accessible manner, this volume connects the science to larger questions about music that are of interest to practicing musicians, music therapists, musicologists, and the general public alike.
The field that has emerged around this approach is known as the Psychology of music.
Whether considering composition, performance, listening, or appreciation, the constraints and capabilities of the human mind play a formative role.
But there is also a long tradition, intensified in recent decades, of thinking about music as a product of the human mind.
Music has been examined from multiple perspectives: as a product of human history, for example, or a product of human culture