What do a speech–language pathologist, a music conductor, an anesthesiologist, and a graduate student in developmental psychology have in common? They are among the “musician–scientists” combining musical backgrounds with their pursuit of scientific research as members of the Program for Music, Mind & Society (MMS) at Vanderbilt.
These talented individuals will present their research and perform music at the upcoming “Scientific Salon: A Soiree of Science and Song,” on Wednesday, May 3, from 5 to 8 p.m in the Wyatt Center Rotunda.
MMS is a collaboration of educators, the Nashville music community, and researchers from a diverse array of fields including neuroscience, psychology, communication sciences, music performance and pedagogy, medicine, education, English and public policy.
Co-sponsored by MMS, Peabody College and the Department of Otolaryngology, the Scientific Salon will showcase how music research embodies the intersection of these domains in novel and exciting ways, allowing musician–scientists to perform musical acts and present new music research that has emerged from this campuswide initiative.
Selections from the event’s program include “Jazz Improvisation and Anesthesiology—More Than Just Putting People to Sleep”; “Seuss and the Brain: Oh the Thinks You Can Think”; “It All Begins with a Song[writer]: Industry Trends, Social Networks and Strategy in Nashville’s Music Industry”; and “With Strings Attached: Can Music Improve Language?” All presentations represent the transformative MMS research currently under way at Vanderbilt, in which faculty, staff and students are pushing the boundaries of current knowledge on how and why music affects us. [lquote]This event will celebrate the fusion of scientific inquiry with music as it has manifested in the rapid pace of MMS research progress at Vanderbilt[/lquote] during the past two years.
Including complimentary hors d’oeuvres, the event is free and open to the public. For more information, go to the event’s Facebook page or email musicmindsociety@vanderbilt.edu.
Founded in 2015 through a Trans-Institutional Program (TIPs) award, the Program for Music, Mind & Society at Vanderbilt is a collaboration of stakeholders from various institutions, organizations and disciplines working together to accelerate the understanding, application and impact of music on individuals and on society at large.
Contact: Christian Anderson, (615) 875-1026