PBS to release THE MUSICAL BRAIN, featuring Sting

I thought of my friend when I heard about this announcement from PBS. He and I were talking and I mused how what I hum or hear in my head often has some relationship to what I'm doing . . . or about to do. And he laughed and said something like, "I don't know what that says about me, because I'm always whistling 'If I Only Had a Brain.'"

PBS announced a September 4 release date for "The Musical Brain," which is based on Dr. Daniel Levitin's book This Is Your Brain on Music. Here's the release:

Arlington, Va. – August 13, 2012 – PBS Distribution today announced it is releasing “The Musical Brain” on DVD. Why are certain songs so important to us? Does music make us smarter? Why do we feel like dancing when we hear a beat? Inspired by Dr. Daniel Levitin’s book, “This is Your Brain on Music,” international recording superstar Sting agreed to put his own musical brain to the test to find out how various types of music – complex and simple – affect him, on an emotional and a physical level.

In addition to discussing his passion for music, Sting and Dr. Levitin looked to state-of-the art technology – including an FMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine – to understand just what Sting’s musical brain reveals about him. Also featuring candid interviews with Michael Bublé, Feist, and Wyclef Jean, “The Musical Brain” is a unique inside look at what these musicians have learned about the power of music in their lives. “The Musical Brain” will be available on DVD September 4, 2012. The program has a run time of 60 minutes. The DVD SRP is $24.99.