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

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. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Vienna.