First things first, I impulse grabbed this at the library because of this astounding cover. Absolutely gorgeous. And what a lucky discovery for me, because this book was so dang good! I never finish non-fiction, so the fact that I actually got to the end and enjoyed it all the way through is truly impressive. I think something interesting is happening in science & nature writing – it’s gotten more and more interesting and the quality of the writing has significantly improved. It’s just much more engaging now than it was two decades ago, right? Or is this one of those aging things that sneaks up on you, like my new found fascination with the birds in our backyard?
Ahhh let’s get back on track.
Susan Rogers has a very interesting story, working her way through the production side of the recording industry before going back to school in her forties to study psychology and become a professor at the Berklee School of Music. With this unconventional background, she identifies and explains seven dimensions of music and how our preferences in these dimensions push us toward different types of music. There’s an accompanying playlist (I used Spotify, it’s apparently everywhere), so you can immediately listen to and analyze the specific quality she describes.
Using these dimensions as the framework, she is also diving into the psychological and cultural influences that make music deeply personal and important to nearly all humans. She shares music she loves, her co-author loves, her students love — and why. She also has some interesting anecdotes and historical references that connect ideas and only feels a tiny bit name droppy.
And there were fun bits like:
I loved reading this. I found it engaging, the science talk was never too complicated to take me out of the point she was making. There were funny moments. And the entire book overflowed with enthusiasm for music of all genres. There was a lot of emphasis on “you like what you like because of a million factors that also make you who you are and everyone is unique and deserving of respect” and holy moly, is that the attitude we should all have. A little more of that can go a long way.
