In recent years, a psychological perspective has gained increasing acceptance in the education provided to musicians: teachers, performers, and "creatives" alike. Research in music psychology has revealed how musicians acquire the ability to convey emotional intentions as sounded music, how listeners perceive it as feelings and moods, and how this powerful process relates to social and cultural dynamics. Of course, people who identify as musicians have special interest in these matters. A well-cited volume ever since its initial publication in 2007, Psychology for Musicians is now brought up-to-date in a second edition, particularly in expanding outside the exclusive context of Western formal/academic settings. This new edition draws on insights from recent research in music psychology, combining academic rigor with accessibility to offer readers research-supported ideas that they can readily apply in their musical activities.

Nobody is born a musician. Rather, people become musical. They do so through the right experiences as children, and with the right kind of support from the adults in their lives. Most teachers and parents believe that music can be a powerful a gift to kids. Ideally it becomes a lifelong gift, rather than merely a pastime of childhood to be reminisced about later. Unfortunately, not all music educational experiences produce a lasting musicianship. This book shares how learning experiences can be made more relevant, practical, and real world for young people studying music. With such experiences, kids can be on their way to becoming real musicians, defined as people whose musical skills allow them to leading musically active lives, whether music making is their profession or a personally-fulfilling part of their leisure time.