Making Music for Life: Rediscover Your Musical Passion

Leave your seat and join the band

Do you hope to expand your musical circle? Need inspiration and practical ideas for overcoming setbacks? Love music and seek new ways to enjoy it?

Roots musician Gayla M. Mills will help you take your next step, whether you play jazz, roots, classical, or rock. You'll become a better musician, learning the best ways to practice, improve your singing, enjoy playing with others, get gigs and record, and bring more music to your community. Most importantly, you'll discover how music can help you live and age well.
"Making Music for Life is a doorway into the endless joys of making music, for everyone at any age."
~Bernard Holland, music critic emeritus, New York Times and author of Something I Heard
"Gayla Mills' precision with language, delight with music, and intrinsic joie de vivre make her the perfect author for Making Music for Life. Everyone who has tapped a foot or hummed along with a band will love this book, and maybe, just maybe, make music a bigger part of their lives."
~Charlotte Morgan, Author of Protecting Elvis

"Gayla Mills shares the nuts and bolts of fostering one's hidden musical talent. But perhaps most importantly, she shares the power behind music. Music enriches our lives in so many ways, from strengthening our senses to enhancing memory and thinking. It boosts creativity and reduces stress, facilitating positive physical health and mental well-being. It strengthens social bonds, helping us find harmony while resonating with others. From amateur musician to Grammy-winning performer, anyone seeking to awaken their musical passion will find this book ideal."
~Dr. Lynn Szostek, psychologist and gerontologist
Making Music for Life "delivers a keen road map that supports musicians and the expansion of their craft. Gayla's done the work. All you have to do is step on the path and follow her lead."
~Greg Papania, music producer, mixer, composer

"Making Music for Life absolutely fascinated me. It's beautifully written and engagingly constructed and it helped me better understand why music has remained central to my life. I found it entrancing."
~Steve Yarbrough, novelist and guitar player
"As a scientist who frequently speaks about the benefits of music on the brain, I'm often asked: is it too late for me? Mills provides a highly readable and practical guide that democratizes music's promise." ~Dr. Nina Kraus, Professor, Brainvolts Auditory Neuroscience Lab, Northwestern University
A musician all my life, if anyone had suggested that I might stop playing, I'd have laughed. But life can get in the way: aging parents,heightened work and family demands. My guitar strings rusted; my piano went out of tune. I am the perfect audience for this thoughtful, detailed book, and I'm very thankful Gayla had the vision and heart to write it.
~Liz Hodges, author of What the River Means, guitar player and pianist.

"What better way to counteract boredom, stress, anxiety and even depression than playfully learning a new instrument, singing, jamming,or just learning to hear the pitch, rhythm and timbres of sounds around you. Gayla Mills, in her book, Making Music for Life, offers tips for learning to hear and live life like a musician, while boosting your dopamine and improving cognition at the same time."
~ Dr. Jodie Skillicorn, author of Beyond Antidepressants: A Psychiatrist's Guide to Preventing and Healing Depression Without Medication
"Music can be a powerful part of your life even if it is not your livelihood, and Gayla's book Making Music for Life is a powerful serving for this magical, mystical, musical table setting of love."
~Michael Johnathon, folksinger and host of WoodSongs Old-time Radio Hour