“A look at music’s effect on our everyday lives.”
Whether you consider yourself a musician or not, music is all around us! Augment life with the inspiration and enrichment of music by looking at its benefits and impact on our daily lives through the lens of science, medicine, sports, education, entertainment, business, service, and history. The show considers current events (e.g., The Olympics, holidays, and the Black Lives Matter movement) while exploring the prevalence and relevance of music. What is the soundtrack of your life?
This weekly podcast is hosted, created, and produced by Mindy Peterson, a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music. The show was launched in summer 2019, the result of an event Mindy initially saw as a huge disappointment (hear the story in the 10-minute Ep. 1: Introduction). View a complete episode list here.
What others are saying:
“With Enhance Life with Music, Mindy is spreading the word of music’s impact on our brain function and health, whether we consider ourselves musicians or not.”
– Dr. Nina Kraus, Professor of Communication Sciences, Neurobiology, and Otolaryngology at Northwestern University
“John Coltrane once said, ‘One positive thought produces millions of positive vibrations.’ Mindy Peterson’s ‘Enhance Life With Music’ is producing billions of positive vibrations for music, life, and humanity.”
– Dr. Clint Randles, Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of South Florida, and author of the book, “To Create: Imagining the Good Life through Music.”
“Wow! I’ve been a guest on a lot of podcasts, but you are in the top 1% in terms of people who know their stuff and know how to interview guests in an engaging, knowledgeable way. Great experience. Thank you!!”
– Dr. Julia Mossbridge, cognitive neuroscientist
“Thank you for creating your podcast aimed at all music lovers! You are unearthing lots of fascinating aspects of music. All of us must continually ‘sell’ the value of music and your podcast gives us all great material for our elevator speeches, so Thank You!!!”
– Doug Schmitt, Vice President, Schmitt Music Company
Ep. 61: The moral, artistic, and economic power of color in classical music; with Afa Dworkin
Intentional gate-keeping has taken place throughout history to keep classical music white. Afa Dworkin discusses the implications of the genre’s color spectrum from a moral, artistic, and economic perspective.
Ep. 60: How does music training affect children’s Social-Emotional Learning, and how is SEL affected by a pandemic? With Dr. Assal Habibi
Many life accomplishments depend less on academic learning than on social-emotional skills such as perseverance, impulse control, empathy, and a willingness to cooperate. Dr. Assal Habibi explains the effects of childhood music training on social development, and how social-emotional skills transfer to other, more consequential areas of life as children get older.
Ep. 59: How does MUSIC learning impact OTHER learning? With Dr. Anita Collins
Dr. Anita Collins’ new book,“The Music Advantage: How learning music helps your child’s brain and wellbeing,” was released September 1, 2020. Learn what research shows about the cognitive nutrient of sound, and about music learning’s foundational relationship to other learning, including reading.
Ep. 58: What does Sesame Street music have to do with guide dogs? September is National Guide Dog Month; with Rena Strober
Rena Strober is a Broadway, film, and television actor (Disney’s Liv & Maddie, VEEP, and Shameless ) is also an advocate for the blind. Her brand new album, “Imagine That! The Sesame Street Music of Joe Raposo & Jeff Moss,” features an all-blind children’s choir, as well as many famous guest artists. Rena tells us what makes this album...
Ep. 57: What the music you like says about your personality; with David Greenberg, PhD
Our musical tastes provide remarkable insight into our personality traits. Dr. David Greenberg has combined science, music, and psychology to develop Musical Universe, “a 23andMe for music,” whose data has been used by top research institutions. Take Musical Universe’s free 15-minute test to discover what the music you listen to reflects about your “Big Five” personality traits.
Ep. 56: How do artists and songwriters get paid when I stream their song or hear it played in a store? With Songtrust’s Anna Bond
Royalties refer to the income artists earn when people or businesses use their music, including streams, radio play, album sales, musical toys(!), and more. We discuss the two most common royalties, performance and mechanical, and how these are distributed to artists, song writers, band members, and other rights holders. Bonus: Learn who gets unclaimed royalties!
Ep. 55: “If you are not at the table, you are on the menu.” Music education in the new “classroom,” with David Jewell
What is K-12 music education going to look like moving forward with a new, non-traditional “classroom?” Guest David Jewell says, “It is important to keep music at the forefront in the ‘new normal.’ …If you are not at the table, you are on the menu. One person can make a big difference. Take that step and be at the...
Ep. 54: What happens when an entrepreneur combines music, health, and technology? With Point Motion Founder & CEO Kevin Clark
What if… there was a medical and educational assessment tool that could be used in person OR remotely; had the effect of lowering costs and reducing administrative burdens; was applicable across cultures, age groups, and physical & mental abilities; AND improved medical & educational outcomes? Point Motion has combined music, health, and technology to create this tool.
Music hack-the work I’m doing in the office will drive the type of music I listen to. I’m usually sitting at my desk all day so my music is always on. If I’m working on reports, it might be class rock/pop. If it’s something that needs a lot of concentrating, it could be Enya. If it’s something monotonous, maybe Metallica, to keep me awake!
Thanks so much for sharing!
We love music in our home- whether it’s listening to “cleaning music” while we clean up the house, or belting out songs we know together as a family around the piano and mandolin❤️ We are also schooling at home utilizing a curriculum that puts everything to music for easy memorization! We were thrilled the other night when we discovered this pony tail holder on our floor positioned like this: IMG_0742.JPG
Love this, Sarah — thanks so much for posting!! Definitely brought a smile to my face!
Hi my name is Vanessa, I am 11 year old.
I use just dance on the Wii to have fun dancing with music and being competitive with my sissy Delany.
Thank you, Vanessa! I’m so glad you listen to the podcast! I’ll include your Listener Improv on the next show. :^)
A way that we use music in our everyday life as a family is to sing a “brush your teeth” song while brushing my sons teeth. He never fights us during it, and he knows just how long to brush his teeth.
I wish I would have thought of that when MY kids were young! Thank you!
Mindy — Wow! I’ve been a guest on a lot of podcasts, but you are in the top 1% in terms of people who know their stuff and know how to interview guests in an engaging, knowledgeable way. Great experience. Thank you!!
Thanks so much, Dr. Mossbridge – It was a pleasure to meet you on the phone!!
Improv: Every time I am getting ready for the day I crank Beyonce. She makes you feel so empowered as a person/women and gets me dancing. Helps to start my day out right.
Love that — it’s like an audio version of the Power Pose – thank you, Lynn!