Music is like receiving a gift on Christmas, but not knowing the full extent of its capabilities. It’s great to have the music and use it for what we think it’s meant for, but if we knew of its power, we’d appreciate and use it a whole lot more. The famous musician Alfred Zotti has written Music Therapy: An Introduction with Case Studies for Mental Illness Recovery to diminish our ignorance in this area and start using music in a positive, life-changing way. Zotti discusses the real-life benefits of music with Alzheimer’s, bipolar disorder, autism, schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression.

Zotti writes about mental illness from personal experience; this is helpful to know when the reader wants to learn information that is tried and true. I appreciate the case studies that are included; they drive home the points that he makes in each short chapter and shows it applied to a person. The way he writes is simple to understand, and the information and facts that he presents are eye-opening. Any reader can benefit from this book!

Reviewed By: Rachel Dehning