Healing Songs

Ted Gioia is an amazingly detailed researcher and an excellent writer. I'm an artist-in residence at a large health care system in Central Ohio. This book was well written tremendously insightful. Highly recommended!

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A most interesting read by an intelligent music scholar.

Thoughtful and provocative.

Gioia is a well-respected musicologist who has researched a number of topics from a thoughtfully academic perspective, and "Healing Songs" is no exception. Providing us with a cultural and historical overview of how healers of many traditions use music in their rituals, Gioia is able to put things into context without catering what might be seen as the "hocus-pocus" of folk religions. The book should be utilized as a supplement for those undertaking the study of music therapy, as it provides much validation of the practical side of music in healing. At no time does Gioia imply or even seem to believe that these songs are "magic" or that there is a spirituality that accompanies the effectiveness thereof, but he instead looks at the effectiveness of placeboes and compares the benefits of the spiritual and social elements with the conviction that there will be success.It's a fairly easy read, and is not exceedingly long. I feel that the book is certainly deserving of a place on my bookshelf as well as on that of any doctor, music therapist, ethnomusicologist or religious musician. As a Christian worship leader, the book helps me to understand the positive power that music can have in the life and body of believers, and how I can best provide an atmosphere that will encourage the positive changes.