How and Why Music Heals

Many of us know from personal experience that music positively impacts our well-being. But a growing body of research demonstrates music’s impact on our physical health, including brain health. How does music support healthy aging? Why does playing and listening to music reduce stress? 

Julene Johnson, a cognitive neuroscientist and co-director of the Sound Health Network, who studies how music impacts healthy aging and older adults living with dementia, and Sheri Robb, a board-certified music therapist who studies music interventions for children and adolescents living with cancer and their caregivers, discuss the healing power of music.