social and applied psychology of music

Music is so ubiquitous that it can be easy to overlook the powerful influence it exerts in so many areas of our lives - from birth, through childhood, to old age. Authors consider the value of music in everyday life, answering some of the perennial questions about music. Publication begins with description of the academic background to the book, before looking at composition and musicianship. It then goes on to look at musical preference. What aspects of music are crucial in determining whether or not you will like it? Then the authors consider whether rap and rock are bad for young people, highlighting some of the major moral scandals that have rocked pop music, and asks whether these have become more extreme over time. The following chapter looks at music as a commercial product. How does the structure of the music industry affect the music that we hear on the radio and buy? It closes with an examination of music education. How does musical ability develop in children, and how does this relate to more general theories of how intellectual skills develop? Do musical skills develop independently of other abilities?