Celebrating #musicscience
In Brain and Soul

"I Live my daydreams in Music. I see life in terms of music." Albert Einstein

Welcome!

Please feel free to explore this site
for performances, articles, pictures, etc.

Martha has combined her lifelong interests in music, technology, and education into advocacy for the cause of music in therapeutic as well as aesthetic environments, in the concert hall and beyond. With a varied career in professional music performance, pedagogy, and computer development over her lifetime, some of her long-term goals are to bring music into the mainstream of medicine and education, and to facilitate the automation of some of the biomedical music techniques that have proven so powerful in working with children with special needs.

Career Highlights

Click on the links below to find out more about the various aspects of Martha's career and interests.

Pianist

Performing to raise awareness
for music and the brain.

Click to see repertoire list.
Presenter

Educating the audience on the benefits of music in the brain.

Click to see list of past presentations.
Advocate

Moving music into the mainstream
of medicine and education.

Click to view advocacy page.
Writer

Author of several articles
and a middle-grade chapter book.

Click to view articles and link to book website.
IT Visionary

Designing projects to automate
biomedical music protocols.

Click to view IT background and project specifics.
Fiber Artist

Creating intricate quilts
and miniature quilts.

Click to view pictures.

TED talks



The Neural Tango: A Musical Transformation in Healthcare

This is a TEDxChattanooga (2020) talk discussing how we can create unique networks of doctors, therapists, educators, musicians, researchers, and caregivers will provide new ways for us to use the power of music and benefit us all. It also quotes a research project that indicates that music creates positive chemical changes in the brain.



Dance of the Neural Tango | TEDxChattanooga2016


Music is a direct conduit to the brain and can have amazing benefits to persons challenged with motor, speech, and cognition issues. The powerful outcomes of music in the brain are well known in the upper circles of neuroscience professionals, but not so well known on the street, where much benefit could be realized for those with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain injury, autism, and stroke.



Online Performances



Power of Music Concert | Concert Highlights

The Power of Music concert premiered on the YouTube platform on Tuesday June 1 at 6:00 pm EDT. The full concert was viewable online for 30 days, but concert highlights that include violin/piano and solo piano selections are still available. Links to the concert, as well as all additional supporting materials, are all found on the event website: https://powerofmusicconcert.com.



And the Sunlight Pierced My Heart

This performance was part of the "Alumni and Friends: A James Sellars Memorial Celebration" concert which took place on December 7, 2017, in the Lincoln Theater at the Hartt School, University of Hartford.

View more on YouTube




Recorded Interviews

NPR affiliate WUTC 88.1 "Around and About" show.

On 2/2, 'Chamber Music for Body and Soul V' Concert/Lecture Shows How Music Affects Our Brains.

NPR affiliate WUTC 88.1 "Around and About" show.

Concert for the End of Time: Dr. Summa-Chadwick Talks Music Therapy and PTSD.

NPR affiliate WUTC 88.1 "Around and About" show.

Dancing the Neural Tango: Dr. Summa-Chadwick Talks Music & Neurological Therapy.

About #musicscience

For more information, please visit the "Overview " page at
Music Therapy Gateway In Communications

Music is universally loved, and the joy of listening to favorite works can bring people together, heighten emotions, and inspire nonverbal communication on a deep level. The therapeutic element of music is equally as important as the aesthetic element; music protocols based in scientific research are applicable to many diagnoses that involve motor, speech, and cognition challenges. Evidence-based research verifies that music helps encourage brain plasticity, resulting in regrowth or repatterning around damaged or diseased areas for conditions such as stroke and traumatic brain injury. Unfortunately, there are some disorders such as Parkinson's disease that affect an area of the brain where plasticity cannot develop. However, greater quality of life can still result from the use of music to assist with motor movement and speech. Please view the TED talks and articles in this website as well as the link listed above for the Music Therapy Gateway in Communications "MusicScience Overview" page for more in-depth information.