Music on Your Mind, by Dr.Amy Simpson answers fundamental questions as to how music learning and memorization operate optimally. I cover multiple methods that the human brain employs and how to maximize them everyday in practice, teaching, and performance. The book is relatively short, intended for readers to put the material to use quickly.
      Topics include use of imagery, securing long-term memory, variable practice, and the most recent, cutting-edge research on motor-skill memory - the Optimal Theory of Motor-Skill Learning.
      I have given many presentations to professional groups and in University settings, and have traveled as far as Texas to speak at the Texas Music Teachers Association state conference. People are quite interested in the topic. In March, I have been invited to present a 20-minute accelerated learning session at the national MTNA conference in Chicago.
      I am convinced that this material needs to be disseminated to as many music students, teachers, and performers as possible. While I do make a small commission on certain online book sales, it is so small as to be virtually worthless in comparison to getting the most modern information to the people who need it most. I teach part-time now and my husband is retired. My goal is for my work to reach the people it can help.
       As you plan for the coming academic year, please consider if you can host me for a 50-60 minute lecture session, or a shorter session if that is more convenient. Because music learning and performance are optimized by combining various techniques, I prefer to discuss a bit of all of them, and hope that attendees will read my book to understand the concepts more thoroughly. I do not require an honorarium if I am able to reach you, logistically or virtually.
Research in neuromusic is fascinating. Its techniques benefit all musicians and music educators. Please share this information with anyone you know who might be interested.
     My book is published by Springer Nature.
Link to peruse or to order:
http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-101294098-12898971?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Fbook%2F10.1007%2F978-3-031-68525-5

​From the Preface of Music on Your Mind, by Dr. Amy Simpson:
If you have ever wondered how you learn and remember music or whether your practice routines are efficient, this book is for you. As musicians, we rely on our minds and memory to perform music. But what is memory, and how does it operate? Could we learn to optimize memory to make learning and practicing better? We learn music and practice complex motor skills every day, but do we know how people acquire motor skills—or how to improve them? Are there techniques to improve our performance? Modern neuroscience has addressed these questions, and musicians can benefit from the research findings. Especially since the turn of the century, new imaging techniques have allowed researchers to explore what happens in the brain while musicians practice, hear, or perform music. Much is now known. This book explains how the musical brain operates and focuses on the best methods you can employ to learn, practice, and prepare music for performance. This is a practical explanation of the most important ways that learning and memory operate for music, as they are understood right now. It is intended for readers to understand what the best learning and practice methods are, why they are effective, and how to use them every day. I wish to help people become better musicians by bringing neurosci- ence and music research directly to the people it can help the most. While memory is a central topic, keep in mind that perception, memory, and learning are inextricably connected. We use our memories—that is, ixx Preface what we have learned—to do everything. What you are about to read applies whether you are planning to perform music from memory or from a score. More importantly, why try to learn something as complex as music performance without knowing the best methods? You don’t need to have studied cognitive psychology to benefit from this book. The first chapter provides background about human memory systems to prepare you to understand the core concepts to be covered. It is not intended as a complete explanation of human memory systems, of course, but it does explain the main types of memory that affect us as performing musicians. Chapter 1 is designed for easy referencing while you continue to read. Chapters 2 through 5 explain how to implement the most effective long-term learning techniques with a thorough, practical explanation of how we learn motor skill. Motor-skill learning is key to music practice. You will venture into the operation of motor programs, working mem- ory, attention, and expertise. The insights you will learn can create a vir- tual recipe for success that every musician should know, according to the most modern research. Using our senses, imagination, and emotion in music practice and per- formance can take countless forms, dependent only on what we are able to imagine. Chapter 6 explains how to use imagery and why it is impor- tant for learning, memory, and performance. In Chap. 7, you will learn how distributed practice coordinates with human memory systems to help us learn. Chapter 8 explains why under- standing the structure of our music is critically important to our performance. Finally, in Chap. 9, I share my own perspectives on coordinating research findings and on the current state of research. I delve into a deeper discussion of some of the main topics, explore some varying viewpoints, and offer my own opinions about the key takeaways and what future research might hold. I hope that this book will lead you to become a more informed musi- cian, a more e!cient learner, and a more highly effective and musical performer. Morgantown, WV, USA Amy M. Simpson