NEXT TALK: Next talk 31st of October, 7pm - Sesonal mood disorders
Cittie Of Yorke, 22 High Holborn, WC1V 6BN
Music of the Hemispheres
Tuesday, 30th of June 2015
The ability to make sense of musical sound has been observed in every culture since the beginning of recorded history. In early infancy, it allows us to respond to the sing-song interactions from a primary caregiver and to engage in musical play. In later life it shapes our social and cultural identities and modulates our affective and emotional states. In this talk we will discuss how the ability to perceive and make sense of musical sound is remarkably sophisticated, and can, for most people, be acquired simply by being exposed to the music of one’s own culture. We'll also explore why some people really don't 'get' music; while other's get too much of it, and discuss how some unique aspects of music make it such a powerful therapeutic tool in clinical contexts.
Lauren Stewart is Professor in Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, where she leads a research group and MSc programme in Music, Mind and Brain. Lauren’s research concerns the psychological and neuroscientific basis of musical behaviour and she has published 70+ peer reviewed articles on topics including learning and plasticity, congenital amusia, melodic expectations, and tone-colour synaesthesia. Her funding includes awards from the ESRC, Leverhulme Trust and the British Academy and she is associate editor of the international journal, Psychomusicology: Music, Mind and Brain. She is currently involved in several projects to explore the therapeutic potential of music - in individuals with stroke, with childhood hemiplegia, as well as neurodevelopmentally at-risk infants.
The answer of the game was: Loud music can make a person drink more in less time