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The incomparable Renée Fleming introduces her new book, a groundbreaking overview of the burgeoning arts and health field. Renée shares her motivation for creating the book – and the origins of her interest in the intersection of music, mind, and healing. Discover how music can shape our well-being and enhance the human experience in unexpected ways.
Guest
Renée Fleming is one of the most highly acclaimed singers of our time, performing on the stages of the world’s greatest concert venues. Renée has been honored with the US National Medal of Arts and five Grammy awards. She has sung for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and the Super Bowl. AND she is a leading advocate for research at the intersection of arts and health. Her latest crucial contribution to this burgeoning field is a new book that just released TODAY, called MUSIC AND MIND: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness. This book is a curated collection of essays from leading scientists, artists, and educators that explores the powerful impacts of music and the arts on health and the human experience.
Notes
We discuss:
- Who Renee’s new book is for and what her goal is for this book.
- An overview of the book, and the stories that have particular personal impact for Renee.
- The impetus and motivation for Renee to become a music-activist, and to use her platform and success to advocate for the benefits of music and cross-sector collaboration.
- The benefits of cross-collaboration: “The most dramatic advances in science and medicine often arise when two previously unconnected disciplines intersect, learn each other’s language, and achieve insights that neither could have managed alone.” – Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD in Music and Mind
- “Music, if we are in the habit of listening, can be the bright silver thread that stitches our lives together and makes them whole.” – Ann Patchett in Music and Mind
- A mutual-favorite chapter in the book is “Can Singing Touch the Heart?” by cardiologist Jacquelyn Kulinski
Connect/Other Resources
- MUSIC AND MIND: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness on Viking (publisher) and Amazon
- Renee’s website
Previous episodes featuring contributing authors in Renee’s book:
- Ep. 153: Your Brain On Art: What is neuroarts, and how do the arts transform us? With Susan Magsamen, MAS
- Ep. 112: How are the sounds of my life shaping my brain, and what does music have to do with it? With Dr. Nina Kraus
- Ep. 27: Are musicians better able to pick up subtle emotional cues? with Dr. Nina Kraus
- Ep. 60: How does music training affect children’s Social-Emotional Learning, and how is SEL affected by a pandemic? With Dr. Assal Habibi
- Ep. 35: Oxytocin and dopamine in times of social-distancing; and how does music give us the chills? With Indre Viskontas
- Ep. 86: The latest research on music interventions in dementia, and two ways to get personally involved; with NIA’s Dr. Coryse St. Hillaire-Clarke
- Ep. 16: The Backstory of “Awakenings” and “The Music Never Stopped,” with Dr. Concetta Tomaino (basis of a main character in each film)
- View all episodes related to Science & Health
In-Episode Promo
SHEET MUSIC DIRECT: One of my favorite places to turn for instant gratification and a dopamine hit is browsing digital sheet music at SheetMusicDirect.com. This online store is powered by music publisher Hal Leonard, and it has over a million arrangements that you can view, listen to, and download. No need to buy an entire book for that one song you love. Create your own library from selections representing all levels, instruments, genres, and holidays. Prices start at $0.99 and you can both print your purchases and access them on any device, which is really handy for those of us who travel or are trying to go paperless.
I would say this is my guilty pleasure, but it’s actually a guilt-free pleasure. There are so many brain benefits to reading music, making music, and experiencing NEW music. Instead of subscribing to another streaming platform, subscribe to Sheet Music Direct to treat yourself and your kids to real brain food and a guilt-free pleasure. Access the latest hits and yesterday’s classics at sheetmusicdirect.com.
The Business Side of Music podcast
Coda
Renee shares about a time period in her life when music was particularly impactful.
Closing Words
Thank you so much to Renee for joining us today and for all she does to enhance lives with music through her dual roles of musician and advocate. Renee and I both truly believe — and know — that music can make lives better, and I so appreciate her using her platform for spreading the word of the many ways music can positively impact health and wellness.
Renee’s incredible book is available NOW! It’s called MUSIC AND MIND: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness, and is available in hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook. This book is a great way to get an overview of the intersection of arts and health, and get ideas for how you may want to tap into this exploding field. As Renee mentioned, the book also makes a great gift for the people in your life, whether they are musicians, artists, medical professionals, educators, or parents.
If you know of someone who would enjoy this episode, please share it with them! It’s easy to do right in your podcast listening app – just look for your app’s “Share” function to share by text, email, or social media. And of course you can always share the show notes webpage as well.
And if you’d like to stay in tune with the many ways music can make your life better, be sure to hit the Follow/+ button in whatever podcast app you use to listen. This is FREE and conveniently delivers each new episode to your device when it releases, so you don’t have to search for it. Following the show also gives you access to the latest addition to the podcast: mini Microhance episodes that are about 5 minutes each. These bite-sized episodes are like quick musical snacks offering tips, hacks, resources, and personal anecdotes to inspire you to enhance your life with music.
You can always connect with me on email (mindy@mpetersonmusic.com), Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
All Enhance Life with Music episodes are evergreen; so check out the back catalogue for more ways that music can make your life better.
Thank you so much for joining me today. Until next time, may your life be enhanced with music.
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