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Music As Medicine by Daniel Levitin review – musician, heal thyself

In this fascinating book, the neuroscientist makes a strong case for the therapeutic force of music, describing ways in which it can be a beneficial part of recovery for patients

While both these statements attest to the deep pleasure to be derived from music – its soothing rather than healing properties – perhaps the most pertinent quote comes from the late Oliver Sacks, the neurologist and author of bestselling books such as The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and The Island of the Colourblind. Elsewhere, Levitin looks at how musicianship, like any kind of creativity, can be cruelly impaired by illnesses such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, but also how cognitive functioning can sometimes improve when artists re-engage with music in a different way after life-altering diagnoses. In contrast, Bobby McFerrin, a jazz singer renowned for his often astonishing improvisational skill, was diagnosed in 2016, but continues to perform, buoyed up by a health regime that includes pilates, physical therapy, breath work and the very act of singing itself.

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