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A City Upon a Hill: making scientific progress in brain-based music research in typical development, autism and other disorders

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Music that works

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Abstract

The enrichment of personal and shared musical experiences is a central component of ongoing pursuits of individual happiness and healthy, educated and prosperous communities around the world. In 1630, in America, John Winthrop spoke passionately of what he called “A City Upon a Hill”. Although in a religious setting (Winthrop purged his church of organ music in favor of a cappella metrical psalms) his passion and purpose applies directly to many research endeavors. We and other investigators seek to harness the power and neuroscience of music to enrich and improve the lives of individuals. We describe our vision of a music research “City Upon a Hill” and a scientific plan to build it. From our perspective, the plan starts with the acquisition of detailed knowledge of the “bedrock” of internal musical experiences within the human brain.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Psychiatry and Biostatistics, Harvard University Schools of Medicine and Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Nicholas Lange

  2. McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA

    Nicholas Lange

  3. Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and The Brain Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Janet E. Lainhart

Authors
  1. Nicholas Lange
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  2. Janet E. Lainhart
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. International Music and Art Research Association Austria (I.M.A.R.A.A.), Vienna, Austria

    Roland Haas (President) (President)

  2. Music Medicine Research Program, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria

    Vera Brandes (Director) (Director)

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© 2009 Springer-Verlag/Wien

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Lange, N., Lainhart, J.E. (2009). A City Upon a Hill: making scientific progress in brain-based music research in typical development, autism and other disorders. In: Haas, R., Brandes, V. (eds) Music that works. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-75121-3_10

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