The Need for a Holistic Understanding of Music — Thoughts on the Founding of AHUM

September 5, 2013General MissionBrad Raylius Daniel

Over the last 20 or so years we have seen a marked increase of interest and research in the subject of music by experts from a variety of non-musical fields—areas of study that have traditionally not been particularly concerned with music. Neurophysiology, evolutionary psychology, ethology, and a variety of other fields have been expanding their scope, little by little, to include the role of music in their developing paradigms. New fields have even arisen, such as evolutionary musicology, neuromusicology, and comparative musicology (which together are referred to as biomusicology), which are wholly dedicated to studying music’s extensive role through time in gradually producing the modern human. The use of music as a medical or psychological intervention—what we refer to as music therapy—has also grown in stature, with reserved skepticism giving way to an enthusiastic embrace of this promising and largely untapped approach to physical and psychological healing. Meanwhile, as we look further out into the distant reaches of the universe and further down into the workings of subatomic particles, we continue to find patterns of vibration and movement that constitute what we recognize as the basic components of music—nested vibrations at various regular, periodic rates.

All this zeal for achieving a broader understanding of music has been very enlivening and energizing. Many musicians, composers, music educators, and other specialists who work in the field of music have been keeping an eye on the progress of various lines of inquiry and research. However, a coordinated effort to pool this knowledge and begin integrating it into the story of our rich musical heritage has yet to coalesce. It was for the purpose of telling that large-scale, integrated story of music in human culture that I undertook the writing of A Big History of Music; and it is for the wider sharing of information across these various disciplines, to further refine our appreciation and awareness of music’s place in human life, and promote the dissemination of this knowledge through our educational systems that I have decided to launch this Association for the Holistic Understanding of Music.

It is my hope that these efforts will contribute to a meaningful improvement in the way our society values music and in the way it approaches education about music and its practice. We can’t afford to wait any longer as the generations continue to receive less and less exposure to knowledge about music. At a time when we should be expanding the scope of music and music-related subjects in our liberal arts education curriculums, to a level proportionate to music’s known importance throughout the entirety of human existence, we find that the focus on music in our educational systems is actually shrinking. So, the challenge before us is all the more difficult since we must both reverse a trend and push to new heights.

Just as music has bound families, tribes, cultures, and diverse nations together over the entire course of human evolution, let our desire to understand music, and to spread that understanding, unite us so that the whole of our efforts can be greater than the sum of its parts. Working together as a unified voice, and at times combining forces with other organizations that are also focused on music education, we can face these challenges. The rewards of success will be immeasurable—a radical revitalization of thought, art, and culture which will favorably impact innumerable lives. Please join us at whatever level of participation you can, and let’s work together to bring these badly needed changes into the world.