As the field of music cognition is rapidly burgeoning, researchers are beginning to consider how the unique amalgam of scientific and humanistic study of music may translate towards large-scale interventions that may improve cognition for many, including but not limited to people from neurodiverse populations. In this talk I will examine novel ways in which music cognition research may help improve cognition, in ways that move away from overused tropes (e.g. the Mozart Effect) towards future directions of use-inspired music cognition research. As use cases, I will describe some recent studies in my lab that capitalize on new musical technology, developed from first principles from music cognition research, to help those with attention deficits, memory disorders, and Parkinson's Disease. Our results show how music cognition can help refine and target music-based interventions for multiple special populations, by pinpointing ways in which music capitalizes on fundamental operating characteristics of the brain.