Continued ...
Day 2 ended with a concert by the Santa Fe Chamber Musicians that included Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony, conducted by Alan Gilbert, and the Mendelssohn Octet, performed by 8 outstanding musicians including members of the former Guarneri String Quartet, Alan Gilbert and his sister Jennifer (I later overheard Gilbert saying, "remind me never to play the violin right after conducting - it uses such different muscles...my hands feel like marshmallows")

Day 3 raised the question of how our new knowledge could be used to move the field forward and how to apply our work to the individual and the community. Berklee College Music Therapist Suzanne opened the day with music and demonstrated music's effect on reducing pain and stress and its ability to empower patients in hospital settings.

She was followed by a presentation and performance by violinist/educator Adrian Anantawan who presented "Music Moving Forward: Adaptation and Evolution," He spoke of his own journey of becoming a violinist, his work as a disability advocate, and his interest in making music accessible to all. Anantawan described a recent chamber music  performance  that included a young former violinist who was quadriplegic, yet still able to participate musically with the help of new computer programs. Following his remarks, Adrian concluded with a performance of Elgar's "Salut d'Amour."

The conference concluded with my speaking about Longwood Symphony Orchestra. I pointed out that there are few lawyers' orchestras, and no Wall Street Orchestras, yet there are several orchestras of medical professionals like Longwood Symphony Orchestra around the world. These orchestras are tangible examples of the developmental impact early music training has on the young brain.

At the end of the day, I stepped out of the Eldorado Hotel to explore Santa Fe. It is such a beautiful town filled with art galleries, public art, and music. It was also a craft fair weekend - the streets were blocked off to welcome the white tents of the many artists and artisans. I spent my last few hours in this magical town interviewing artists about their art and what inspired them.

Bravo to the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Conference co-Chairs who framed ... and achieved..these objectives:

"The overall goal of the Symposium is to bring “world class” scientists, physicians, healthcare professionals, and therapists to Santa Fe to interface with “world class” musicians, and, to present cutting edge research and
the state of the science in three areas of investigation:
1) how the development of the brain in early childhood and how cognitive development, language, emotion, and memory are influenced by various forms of music;
2) how music can be used to promote wellness and healing in patients with serious medical conditions including cancer, neurologic, developmental and cognitive disorders such as autism, and other chronic health conditions; and
3) how music promotes well-being in an individual and a community.

Two months ago, August 4-6, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival celebrated its 40th anniversary season with an unusual ... and unforgettable conference, Music, the Brain, Medicine and Wellness. The conference was the brainchild of  Marc Neikrug, Barrie Cassileth, and Cheryl Willman, which brought together over 100 musicians, music therapists, neuroscientists, physicians and health caregivers to share cutting-edge knowledge about how music heals, impacts brain development, affects language ... and enhances empathy.

Day 1:  This day was led by several music neuroscience superstars including Aniruddh Patel (read about him in this NYTimes interview of Ani from a few years ago), Gottfried Schlaug (his website is musicianbrain.com), Laurel Trainor and many others, who shared new insights on Music and Language, Music and Cognition, Music and Behavior, Music and Child Development, to name just a few.

How could these neuroscientific findings apply to daily clinical practice?
That was to be the work of Day 2.  But before Day 1 ended, we were treated to a concert of Bach piano concertos performed with string quintet. The choice could not have been better - in Bach there is beauty and emotion found within the careful constructs of counterpoint and harmony.  In these lectures, we were getting a glimpse of the elegance and beauty of the human brain as it responds to music.

Day 2: We returned the next morning to an equally inspired day.  New knowledge and insights are being revealed by the work of music neuroscientists. If a "Picture is worth 1000 words"  then functional MRI and PET scanning is worth a million.

Our new knowledge of music's impact on the brain is being applied to patients living with cancer, Parkinson's, autism, and Alzheimer's. Because music involves so many parts of the brains, including memory and emotion, even people with dementia can be deeply affected...and sometimes transformed...by hearing music.Two of the presenters included this video in their talks.