Renée Fleming in conversation with Kelly Leonard (L) at the recent Chicago Humanities Festival.

Renée Fleming hits all the right notes. The globally acclaimed opera singer, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, several Grammy Awards and honors from the Kennedy Center, was giving a piece of her mind to an eager audience recently at the Chicago Humanities Festival.

In a discussion on stage with Kelly Leonard, vice president of creative strategy for Second City, Fleming explains the mission of her latest book, Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health And Wellness, as a deep dive into the impact of creativity and music on the physical brain.

It is scientifically proven that music puts you in a different state of mind.

“It is scientifically proven that #music puts you in a different state of mind. #creativity”

“If you are performing jazz, music or comedy, you have to shut off the part of the brain that judges you,” Fleming says. “You can make a case for the arts and health. Arts are good for child development and also aging.”

After two hours in an MRI for an experiment on her own brain and interaction with music, Fleming says, “Music is more complex and activates every mapped area of the brain. The creative brain is more active.”

Take The Lead honors the creative brain on music and in this year’s Power Up Conference featuring the live music of acclaimed pianist and composer Marina Arsenijevic and the six-member group, Sweet Honey & The Rock.

“The 2024 @Takeleadwomen #PowerUpConference features the #livemusic of acclaimed pianist Marina Arsenijevic and the six-member group, @SHoney73. ”

Reflecting on her own enormous success, Fleming says, “Talent is 10%. You do not wake up at 16 and have the style or performance” to be highly successful. “Stardom comes from something recognizable,” she says. That can mean a tone, a distinct sound or approach.

Having debuted in Chicago in 1993 at the Lyric Opera, Fleming says, her work with neuroscientists on connecting the influence of music on our brains covers treatments for grief, chronic pain, trauma, aging, identity and more.

“Fleming says her work with neuroscientists on connecting the influence of #music on our brains covers treatments for #grief, aging, identity and more.”

“We use music for athleticism,” Fleming says. “I wrote this book to share why I am so passionate about this sector” of science.

Women in the popular music industry are making positive changes, according to a new study from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.

“#Women in the popular #musicindustry are making positive changes, according to a new study from USC’s @Inclusionists. ”

According to USC, the research covered “12 years and 1,200 songs from the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart” and “assessed artists, songwriters, and producers in six major categories at the Grammy Awards.”

The study shows “The percentage of women artists reached 35%, a 12-year high that reflects two consecutive years of change on the charts. Individual women artists filled 40.6% of spots on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart in 2023, an increase over 2022 (34.8%).”

Stay tuned to learn more about the exceptional women performing at the 2024 Power Up Concert and Conference on Women’s Equality Day August 25-26, 2024. Learn more here.

“Stay tuned to learn more about the exceptional women performing at the 2024 #PowerUpConcert on #WomensEqualityDay August 25-26, 2024.”

Leadership Takeaway of The Week

“Music is more complex and activates every mapped area of the brain. The creative brain is more active.”

Renee Fleming, Nobel Peace Prize winner and opera singer

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About the Author

Michele Weldon is editorial director of Take The Lead, an award-winning author, journalist, emerita faculty in journalism at Northwestern University and a senior leader with The OpEd Project. @micheleweldon www.micheleweldon.com