The
Music,
Culture,
and the Brain Interdisciplinary Student Group exists to
explore the frequently complex epistemological interactions
of music,
culture,
cognitive psychology and neuroscience; interactions that
are rarely possible to address holistically in
disciplinarily organized classrooms.
Students
working on topics related to music in any discipline are
encouraged to contact us about joining the group. The
members attend bi-weekly symposia seven times per semester
where each takes turns facilitating discussions on agreed
upon reading materials. Our faculty sponsor, Dr. Judith
Becker, Professor Emeritus of Ethnomusicology, is a pioneer
in breaking through the disciplinary boundaries that
separate music and science.
The culmination of the group’s activities is a yearly
student-run workshop entitled “Music and the
Brain.”
The workshop consists of three main events: a keynote
lecture by an invited scholar, a faculty response
panel,
and a
student paper session with the keynote speaker, faculty
panel,
and
other students responding to presentations. Over the last
two years, the workshop has been proud to feature Dr. David
Huron (OSU) and Dr. Petr Janata (UC Davis) as keynote
speakers, and has brought scholars together from
psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, biophysics,
ethnomusicology, musicology, music composition, music
theory.
There
are many great opportunities for enrichment within the
various programs relating to music, culture, and the brain
at the University of Michigan. This group’s mission is to
help draw the diversity of such programs together into a
united and compelling whole.