Bliss. Music. Therapy.

"I don't know a better tool than creative musical expression... playing, listening and sharing at a heart-felt level."
Dr. Barry Bitmann, Neurologist

Recently, Oliver Sacks, renowned Neurologist and supporter of music therapy answered questions sent in to PBS after a broadcasting of NOVA's Musical Minds.

Q: I'm doing a paper on the importance of music in everyday life. And I was wondering: Why is music such an effective tool for therapy?
Carissa, Grade 11, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

A: Music works because everyone responds to it—and in many ways. The rhythm, the beat, is crucial in synchronizing and energizing movement—whether for athletes or people with movement disorders like Parkinson's disease or Tourette's syndrome. And old songs may be recognized and responded to even if there is dementia or deep amnesia—and such music can evoke feelings and memories that are otherwise lost.

For more information on Musical Minds, produced by NOVA, click here

Below is a snippet of an interview between the founder of REMO drums, Remo Belli, and Dr. Barry Bittman, whose done remarkable research on music making and its effects on the body:

Mr. Belli – One final question. Can you summarize what your team has learned that can benefit mankind?

OTHER TV AND VIDEO

Music Instinct: Science and Song, a documentary produced by PBS, and featuring Bobby McFerrin, Daniel Levitin, and other greats in the world of Music and Neurology. Watch it here!

At the World Science Festival in 2009, Bobby McFerrin beautifully demonstrated how humans are pre-programmed to know a pentatonic scale. . .watch it here!