Daniel Levitin Book Launch (Washington DC alumni branch)

Join Professor Daniel Levitin in August as he discusses his new book on music and human civilization.

Through his background in neurology, Levitin shows how music (and dance) enabled humans to bond, creating the friendship between people that was necessary for society, science and art to co-evolve over thousands of years.

In "The World in Six Songs," Levitin picks up where his "New York Times" bestseller "This Is Your Brain On Music" left off; blending cutting-edge scientific findings with his own sometimes hilarious experiences as a musician and music industry professional, to take readers on a journey across human civilization through six different types of songs. They are songs of friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion and love. Arguing that music is a core element of our identity as humans, Levitin discusses over 380 songs and gives the theory behind each type.

Daniel Levitin runs the Laboratory for Musical Perception, Cognition and Expertise at McGill. Before becoming a research scientist, he was a record producer and professional musician. As a producer, he has a number of gold records to his credit, and has worked with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Midnight Oil, and k.d. lang. He has played professionally with Mel Tormé, Blue Öyster Cult, and David Byrne. His work has been published extensively in scientific journals such as "Science and Neuron" and audio trade journals such as "Grammy, Billboard and Audio".