How did appreciation for music evolved in humans? How do we go about studying this?

How do we know humans are the only animals cabable of making music or appreciating it? Specifically, I'm thinking about whales who emit low frequency sounds that we can not hear.

ynnig said:

define "music"

Music is what pleases your ears. What relaxes and brings tranquility.

Bettye said:

How do we know humans are the only animals cabable of making music or appreciating it? Specifically, I'm thinking about whales who emit low frequency sounds that we can not hear.

Well it is difficult to know if animals do have music appreciation. In whatever species there is appreciation of music, how has that evolved? What is driving force for evolution of music appreciation

It is my hypothesis that all tissues rely on DHEA for optimal function. Many different phenomena may trigger DHEA release. Music may do just that. It has been found that "group drumming music therapy" increases DHEA: "Group drumming resulted in increased dehydroepiandrosterone-to-cortisol ratios, increased natural killer cell activity, and increased lymphokine-activated killer cell activity without alteration in plasma interleukin 2 or interferon-gamma, or in the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory II." (Altern Ther Health Med. 2001 Jan;7(1):38-47). Perhaps "music appreciation" is our behavioral response to increases in DHEA caused by music.