plasticity. Many studies have provided evidence for functional and structural differences
comparing musicians with nonmusicians. Although self-selection for musicianship by
individuals with innate functional and structural brain differences cannot be completely
ruled out, there is now more and more evidence to support the notion that musical train-
ing will lead to changes in brain function and structure.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all the subjects, musicians and nonmusicians, who participated in our
studies and allowed us to learn more about the brain that makes music. I like to acknow-
ledge the enormous contributions that have been made during various parts of these ongo-
ing studies by my former mentor Helmuth Steinmetz as well as by my friends, colleagues
and coworkers Lutz Jaencke, Katrin Amunts, Ben Martin Bly, Andrea Halpern, Michael
Charness, Ven Thangaraj, Julian Keenan, Siobhan Hutchinson, Yi Chen, and Christian
Gaser. Furthermore, this work would have not been possible without the invaluable help,
dedication, and efforts of my students Leslie Lee, Maria Picone, Katrin Schulze, Eileen
Lüders, and Nadine Gaab. I am also very thankful to my wife, Lisa Jones, for her constant
support and her many invaluable contributions to this work.
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