Music Between Your Ears: How Musical Engagement Powers the Human Brain
Neurologist Dr. Samuel Markind
Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 12:00 PM
A respected neurologist and lifelong musician, Dr. Samuel Markind brings science and art together to explore one of humanity's most universal experiences. Combining neuroscience with real-world examples, he examines how music shapes memory, learning, movement, communication, and emotional well-being throughout life.
Come early for a conversation with Virginia Symphony Orchestra, featuring live music!
$10 for JCC members, $18 for potential members. Includes lunch. Pre-registration required by November 18.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Samuel Markind’slove of neurology and music fuels his passion for teaching communities about the connection between music and the brain. His goals are to illuminate ways that music benefits the brain and to encourage people to engage actively with music. Sam and his wife, Dina, have 3 grown children and became grandparents in 2022. They live in Connecticut and enjoy dancing together.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Why does music so deeply influence how we feel, and what is the science behind this phenomenon? In Music Between Your Ears, Samuel Markind, MD explores the intriguing relationship between music and brain function. Using evolutionary theory, he illuminates the pivotal roles that music plays in human survival and procreation. Music’s impact on raising children, finding love, and building community has molded the human species and continues to shape our lives in remarkable ways.
This book combines research, stories, and drawings to present compelling evidence for music’s life-enhancing potential. Dr. Markind highlights the brain’s instinctive capacities for music and the effects that music has on brain development throughout our lives. Music helps us learn at any age and in any condition, so it can improve our speech, movement, and memory, whether we’re healthy or suffering from illness or injury. The benefits of active participation in music are profound and accessible to everyone. Filled with straightforward and practical suggestions, this book will inspire anyone seeking to enrich their life through music.
PRAISE:
Music Between Your Ears is a deep dive into the many ways that music impacts us, including how music affects our mood and emotions, how it promotes social cohesion, and how it encodes and stimulates memory. Dr. Markind, a neurologist and music lover, conveys scientific information in a way that is accessible to readers of all backgrounds. It's an impressive work and I highly endorse it.
―Richard Kogan, MD, Artistic Director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program
Oliver Sacks once quoted the poet Novalis in his first note to his long-time friend and pioneering music therapist Concetta Tomaino: Every disease is a musical problem. Its cure―a musical solution. Neurologist Samuel Markind deftly shows us why, filling in the gaps in our knowledge of how we came about to be musical creatures, through and through.
―Indre Viskontas, PhD, author of How Music Can Make You Better
ACCOMODATIONS
The following accessibility accommodations are available for UJFT's programs (depending on the program location). Accommodations must be requested at least a week prior to the event. Requests can be submitted during registration.
- Interpreting services for Deaf or non-English speakers
- Assisted listening services to amplify sounds
- Preferential seating near a presenter to aid in comprehension
- Sensory fidget tools
- Noise-reducing headphones
- Stand-assist devices
- Audio recording of written materials for the visually impaired
The Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival is funded in part by the citizens of Virginia Beach through a grant from the City of Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission and is held in coordination with the Jewish Book Council, the longest-running organization devoted exclusively to the support and celebration of Jewish literature.