'Music & the Mind' To Be Explored On December 12
An event at the New York Academy of Sciences will examine the ‘magical power of sound’ through a neurological lens–featuring a brief live performance by renowned composer and pianist Vijay Iyer.
Published December 06, 2012
NEW YORK, December 5, 2012—On Wednesday, December 12, the Academy, in partnership with the Nour Foundation and Wisconsin Public Radio's nationally-syndicated program To the Best of Our Knowledge, will present Music & the Mind: The Magical Power of Sound, a sold-out event that will use music as a tool to investigate the interconnection between brain science, psychology, and human experience. The event is part of The Emerging Science of Consciousness: Mind, Brain and the Human Experience series.
Steve Paulson, Executive Producer of To the Best of Our Knowledge, will moderate a diverse panel comprised of musicians, scientists and clinicians, including cognitive neuroscientist and musician Jamshed Bharucha, music therapy pioneer Concetta Tomaino, composer and pianist Vijay Iyer, and physician musician Charles Limb.
"Scientists are making remarkable discoveries about how our brains create and respond to music. Their research not only gives us a glimpse into the creative process, it also has profound therapeutic implications for people who've lost their capacity for language but still have powerful emotional reactions to music," says Paulson.
Panelists will delve into the neurological basis of some of the most prized functions of the human mind, including creativity and aesthetic judgment, as well as discuss the capacity of music to elicit specific emotions and to heal the body. To illustrate some of the concepts discussed, panel member Vijay Iyer will play a short piece of his original work.
To learn more about the event, visit www.nyas.org/consciousness3.
The final event in The Emerging Science of Consciousness Series, Becoming Conscious: The Science of Mindfulness, will take place on February 6, 2013.
Media must RSVP to Diana Friedman: dfriedman@nyas.org or 212.298.8645.
About the Nour Foundation
The Nour Foundation is a public charitable and nongovernmental organization in special consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Founded in 1985, the Foundation adopts a multidisciplinary and integrative approach to exploring expressions of meaning and commonality in human experience, with the aim of engendering a greater spirit of unity, tolerance, and understanding among human beings worldwide. Please visit us online at www.nourfoundation.com.
About To the Best of Our Knowledge
To The Best of Our Knowledge is a Peabody Award-winning radio show produced at Wisconsin Public Radio and syndicated by Public Radio International. Each week TTBOOK cracks open the world of ideas, featuring in-depth interviews with renowned scientists, writers, artists, scholars, and visionaries. Please visit us online at www.TTBOOK.org.
About the New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, not-for-profit organization that since 1817 has been committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide. With 25,000 members in 140 countries, the Academy is creating a global community of science for the benefit of humanity. The Academy's core mission is to advance scientific knowledge, positively impact the major global challenges of society with science-based solutions, and increase the number of scientifically informed individuals in society at large. Please visit us online at www.nyas.org.