Communicative Musicality explores the intrinsic musical nature of human interaction. The theory of communicative musicality was developed from groundbreaking studies showing how in mother/infant communication there exist noticeable patterns of timing, pulse, voice timbre, and gesture. Without intending to, the exchange between a mother and her infant follow many of the rules of musical performance, including rhythm and timing.
This is the first book to be devoted to this topic. In a collection of cutting-edge chapters, encompassing brain science, human evolution, psychology, acoustics and music performance, it focuses on the rhythm and sympathy of musical expression in human communication from infancy. It demonstrates how speaking and moving in rhythmic musical ways is the essential foundation for all forms of communication, even the most refined and technically elaborated, just as it is for parenting, good teaching, creative work in the arts, and therapy to help handicapped or emotionally distressed persons.
A landmark in the literature, Communicative Musicality is a valuable text for all those in the fields of developmental, educational, and music psychology, as well as those in the field of music therapy.

Communicative Musicality explores the intrinsic musical nature of human interaction. The theory of communicative musicality was developed from groundbreaking studies showing how in mother/infant communication there exist noticeable patterns of timing, pulse, voice timbre, and gesture. Without intending to, the exchange between a mother and her infant follow many of the rules of musical performance, including rhythm and timing.
This is the first book to be devoted to this topic. In a collection of cutting-edge chapters, encompassing brain science, human evolution, psychology, acoustics and music performance, it focuses on the rhythm and sympathy of musical expression in human communication from infancy. It demonstrates how speaking and moving in rhythmic musical ways is the essential foundation for all forms of communication, even the most refined and technically elaborated, just as it is for parenting, good teaching, creative work in the arts, and therapy to help handicapped or emotionally distressed persons.
A landmark in the literature, Communicative Musicality is a valuable text for all those in the fields of developmental, educational, and music psychology, as well as those in the field of music therapy.

All children are born with emotional talent. But if left untended, those talents can wane during the first five years of life. Children are sensitive and social beings from birth, exhibiting an innate enthusiasm for communication that must be satisfied for healthy development. If their feelings, agency, and motivations are met with affection, if they are respected and nurtured, then children will respond creatively and that inherent desire for companionship will flourish. However, with the recent changes in political and educational systems, early years education has seen a decline in focus on the emotional wellbeing of children and the development of their creativity. Those systems need to adapt if educators are to bring out the best in our future generations. By nurturing creativity and emotional wellbeing in the first five years of life, long term social benefits can be wrought. The book focusses on children's readiness for learning. It addresses the natural joy explicit in children's early conversations and engagement with music and their development through play with both adults and other children. This kind of education allows children to develop their bodies and skills, accept and understand their feelings, build relationships, and progress both their imagination and their problem solving skills. In this way, play with others drives development. With contributors from the fields of psychological, educational, and political spheres, this book will be of interest to anyone concerned for the future of our children.

Roots of Musicality offers an accessible and original theoretical approach to a holistic music therapy based on the notion of musicality as an expression of self, with the power to energise, balance and harmonise. The author considers neuroscience and psychobiology to identify analogies with the potential of musical expression to bring about therapeutic change, as observed during his work with children with autistic spectrum and pervasive developmental disorders. Perret also explores the five elements - earth, water, fire, air and space - as means of connecting nature and human spirit. Taken together, these two approaches are instrumental in bridging the gap between music and life and fostering the expression and development of personal energy and spirit in a range of contexts, from arts therapy, music education, performance, and personal and spiritual growth. Roots of Musicality is a key text for music therapists, art therapists, sound healers, music teachers and musicians. It will be of particular interest to those using music therapy with children on the autism spectrum.

Contributions from early childhood educators, teachers, psychologists, music therapists, occupational therapists, and psychotherapists highlight the crucial role that early relationships and interactions in group settings play in the development of children's personal, emotional and social skills. The book features the latest research and methods for successfully encouraging the development of these skills in groups of children aged 4-12. It explores how play within children's groups can be facilitated in order to foster emotional and empathic capacities, how to overcome common challenges to inclusion in schools and introduces practical, creative approaches to cultivating a sense of unity and team spirit in children's groups.

This multidisciplinary book shows how to foster meaningful relationships between therapists and vulnerable children, through exploring the concept of communicative musicality and creating rhythms of connection. It includes broad and in-depth contributions from leading therapists from diverse backgrounds - including Peter A. Levine, Daniel Hughes, Stephen Porges, Dennis McCarthy and many more. Contributors reflect on their own experiences, providing insights from the fields of music therapy, trauma, dance and movement therapy, psychobiology, dramatherapy, counselling, play therapy, and education. Contemporary theory is woven in with case stories to highlight the emotional realities of working with highly vulnerable children, and to present proven examples of how therapists can improve the quality of connectedness. Full of original and innovative ideas for working with attachment issues, trauma, communication difficulties, autism, learning disabilities, aggression and anxiety, this is inspiring reading for professionals who work with vulnerable children in creative therapies. Royalty proceeds from the book will be donated to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), UK.

Approaching the condition of autism from many perspectives, the authors make a comprehensive study of the disorder, balancing theory with practice, and presenting a clear picture of what it means to be autistic, and what can be done to improve the capabilities of the autistic child. They consider the historical descriptions, explanations and recognition of the condition; the symptoms and causes and examine methods of communicating with autistic children and helping them to communicate as fully as possible.