Music Saved Them, They Say

It has been a notable feature of Pairon's approach to his research that it has been conducted with and for his participants. Their voices are so vivid, brought to life with a plethora of detailed quotes that one can almost feel present in the room as they make and discuss their music. In this way, the book is also a tribute to the persistence, engagement and courage of the people in these projects, who can be proud that their work is now exposed to a global audience, not just of researchers but also to practitioners around the world who could learn from and be inspired by these hitherto unknown projects. Accordingly, the language of this book is accessible and non-technical to promote maximum engagement. -John Sloboda, Research Professor, Guildhall School of Music & Drama Lukas Pairon has given us an exhilarating and incisive read, one in which he systematically dismantles the many myths that glorify music's 'magical powers' to change lives and replaces them with insightful, analytical assessments that allow the voices of the participant musicians to be heard in more ways than one. Through the process, he powerfully demonstrates how music can realistically change people's lives, in ways that are both limited but also profound. This book is very moving but never sentimental, one of the best accounts of music's real transformative capacities that I have come across. -Lucy Green, Emerita Professor of Music Education, University College London Institute of Education It has been a notable feature of Pairon's approach to his research that it has been conducted with and for his participants. Their voices are so vivid, brought to life with a plethora of detailed quotes that one can almost feel present in the room as they make and discuss their music. In this way, the book is also a tribute to the persistence, engagement and courage of the people in these projects, who can be proud that their work is now exposed to a global audience, not just of researchers but also to practitioners around the world who could learn from and be inspired by these hitherto unknown projects. Accordingly, the language of this book is accessible and non-technical to promote maximum engagement. -John Sloboda, Research Professor, Guildhall School of Music & Drama Lukas Pairon has given us an exhilarating and incisive read, one in which he systematically dismantles the many myths that glorify music's 'magical powers' to change lives and replaces them with insightful, analytical assessments that allow the voices of the participant musicians to be heard in more ways than one. Through the process, he powerfully demonstrates how music can realistically change people's lives, in ways that are both limited but also profound. This book is very moving but never sentimental, one of the best accounts of music's real transformative capacities that I have come across. -Lucy Green, Emerita Professor of Music Education, University College London Institute of Education