It is now an established fact that music helps all living creatures - from plants to birds and animals and man - to grow and rejuvenate. This book dwells heavily on the findings from ancient India and the masters of today who have made music therapy a viable healing alternative. It is the most comprehensive guide on the healing powers of sound & music.

The story of the author's life and work as a music therapist. The book begins with Edi offering her personal thoughts about music therapy, as both a profession and a personal vocation. She then shares her autobiography, with warm and wonderful stories that show the inevitable direction of her life's work -- her Tao as a music therapist. In the main section of the book, Edi illustrates her approach to music therapy through eleven moving case studies, each illustrating the "continuum of awareness" that served as a foundation for her approach. The cases are written with the love and humor that Edi brought to her work with individuals who have developmental disabilities. Musical examples are provided, along with photographs. At the end, Edi shares her vision of "music therapy for living, " including its potential for bringing world peace.

Amy Robertson has taken her experience of starting a music therapy program from scratch at the largest admitting hospital in America and provided step-by-step instructions on how others can do the same.

Music, whether performed or heard, has been seen as therapeutic in the history of many cultures. How have its therapeutic properties been conceptualized and explained? Which cultures have used music therapy? What were their aims and techniques, and how much continuity is there between ancient, medieval and modern practice? These are the questions addressed by the essays in this volume. They focus on the place of music therapy in European intellectual, medical and musical traditions, from their classical roots to the development of the music therapy profession since the Second World War. Chapters covering the Judaic, Islamic, Indian and South-East Asian traditions add global, comparative perspectives. Music as Medicine is the first book to establish the whole shape of the history of music therapy in a systematic and scholarly way. It addresses the problem of defining what music therapy has meant in different cultures and periods, and sets the agenda for future research in the subject. It will appeal to a diverse readership of historians, musicologists, anthropologists, and practitioners.

Music has been used as a mood altering intervention for thousands of years. There are numerous examples of the healing powers of music in the historical records of different cultures. In the last few decades, investigators have developed a more scientific approach to exploring the mechanisms by which music exerts its effects on the brain and other organs. Music interventions are now being used in medicine and nursing throughout the world, and "music therapy" has become an accepted discipline alongside other paramedical professions. This book is a timely and comprehensive review of the use of music as a complementary therapy, and for management of some "otherwise difficult to treat" conditions. The authors, each experts in their chosen field of medicine, have come together to compile an excellent, clear and precise update regarding the use of music therapy in different illnesses and neuropsychiatric conditions. This book contains information useful to psychologists, psychiatrists and physicians involved in primary care in other branches of medicine, as well as health science students and other health professionals interested in music as a complementary and alternative therapy (CAM). This book adds music as a potent, enlightening, and life-enriching addition to our armamentarium for the management of complex medical conditions. The content of some chapters may foster more ideas for future research. Throughout the book, there is an emphasis on the greater need for large, blinded, controlled studies to better support music therapy.

"Tune In" is an exploration of what can happen when we use music intentionally to better our health. It is a book that takes music therapy to the next level: "Jennifer has introduced me to the miracles that music therapy can perform. She has through her work touched many people in ways that could only be accomplished with both her special gift and her music. Jennifer has shown me with my own eyes what wonders music therapy can do for people. I've seen the beauty that can arise in the hearts of those who can not be reached by other types of therapy and yet they respond to the magic of music. Thank you Jennifer for giving me and all those that have had the benefit of your work one of the most heart-warming experiences of my life." - Don Felder, Lead Guitarist, the Eagles Author of Heaven and Hell "Tune In" speaks to people who long for more meaning and less stress in their lives. Music is powerful, and this book explores how music can heal our bodies, minds, and souls: "An insider glimpse of Jennifer Buchanan shows a person with creativity, hard work, sustained by a generous heart. Multi-talented, Jennifer has mobilized the media at home and abroad creating much awareness of the healing power of music through her advocacy in speaking and performing." - Fran Herman Music Therapy Pioneer

Music at the Edge invites the reader to experience a complete music therapy journey through the words and music of the client, and the therapist’s reflections. Francis, a musician living with AIDS, challenged Colin Andrew Lee, the music therapist, to help clarify his feelings about living and dying. The relationship that developed between them enabled Francis the opportunity to reconsider the meaning of his life and subsequent physical decline, within a musical context. First published in 1996, Music at the Edge is a unique and compelling music therapy case study. In this new edition of the highly successful book, Colin retains the force of the original text through the lens of contemporary music therapy theory. This edition also includes more detailed narrative responses from the author and his role as a therapist and gay man. Central to the book are the audio examples from the sessions themselves. The improvisations Francis played and his insightful verbal explorations provide an extraordinary glimpse into the therapeutic process when working in palliative and end-of-life care. This illuminating book offers therapists, musicians, related professionals and those working with, or facing, illness and death a unique glimpse into the transcendent powers of music. It is also relevant to anyone interested in the creative account of a pianist’s discovery of life and death through music.