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Book review: SUSAN HALLAM, Music Psychology in Education, Bedford Way Papers No. 25. London: Institute of Education, 2006. 281pp. ISBN 0854737162 (pbk) £17.99

This handbook is designed for students training to be instrumental and class music teachers, and music teachers with an interest in the psychology of music. Students of music performance, most of whom can expect to teach at some stage in their careers, will also find it extremely useful. Its main aim is to summarize the psychological research that is most relevant to the teaching of music, and thus to provide a concise introduction to music psychology. Key topics are addressed in 12 chapters; at the end of each one there is a short section on the implications of the research for music educators and a brief, up-to-date reading list. Chapter 1 looks at the nature of sound, the origins and functions of music in society and music education both general and specialist. This sets the scene for subsequent chapters on musical ability (4), motivation and musical identity (9) and assessment (10), but in the meantime we return in Chapter 2 to music, the brain and learning: brain structures, the impact of learning on brain functions, and emotion and music. Early development, beginning with prenatal experiences and the role of caregivers, is the topic of Chapter 3, which also discusses the development of music perception from infancy to childhood, including the emotional content of music. Chapter 4 describes attempts made since the beginning of the last century to define and measure musical ability. Hallam argues, however, that this is more usefully conceptualized in terms of the skills needed for musical success, and these are summarized and considered in relation to Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. Inevitably, this leads to the question of the extent to which musical ability (however defined) is genetically determined. The ground is prepared in Chapters 2 and 3 for an outline, in Chapter 5, of research on listening and responding, appraisal and evaluation, and musical preferences. Chapter 6 moves from listening to making music, addressing the creative processes underlying composition and improvisation. Children develop