If music is so powerful, can it also cause harm? We discuss music-induced harm (MIH – yes, it’s a thing!) with music therapist, psychologist, and researcher Brea Murakami.
MediMusic, a British health tech start-up, uses scientific research to unlock music’s transformative medical benefits. It’s new device, the MediBeat, uses artificial intelligence to prescribe music for anxiety and pain, reducing the reliance on drugs in a wide variety of applications, including treatment of dementia, chronic pain, dentistry, pre/post operation, and physical therapy & rehab.
Musician and space enthusiast Laurie Orth discovered the answer to this question serendipitously! Following her own passions and her students’ interests led Laurie to combine two STEAM disciplines, space exploration and music. The result produced learning greater than the sum of its parts, and blasted doors wide open to a new universe of connections and opportunities. Laurie shares some of her favorite resources, and discusses all things music-and-space – including what musical instruments are in the International Space Station, and what musician-astronauts play them.
Analysis of a song’s mathematical structure has led to technology called Hit Song Science (HSS). This science makes it possible to predict a new song’s hit potential – AND has revolutionized the opportunities available to musicians. We discuss music’s structural components, and how songs’ mathematical relationships can predict commercial potential, level the playing field for musicians, connect musicians and fans, and match music industry professionals with the musicians they need.
While there are many different learning styles and preferences, scientific research does point to certain common denominators in successful learning, meaning learning that not only acquires knowledge, but also retains that knowledge and applies it to future problems and scenarios. The book “Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning” is written by cognitive scientists to clarify what those common denominators of successful learning are so that we can make our own learning and teaching “sticky.” Educators, parents, and lifelong learners, rejoice – essential scientifically backed research on how to learn smarter instead of just trying harder.
The award-winning movie Alive Inside (2014) inspired a five-year research project that is documenting the effects of a personalized music intervention for those with dementia. Dr. Coryse St. Hillaire-Clarke of The National Institute on Aging (NIA) explains the project, which is funded by an NIA grant. We discuss other studies and developments in music interventions for dementia, including two exciting opportunities to be personally involved in policies and research on the topic. The NIA is the primary Federal agency supporting and conducting Alzheimer’s disease research, which falls within the NIA’s broader scientific effort to extend the healthy, active years of life.
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