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SEMINAR: Music, the brain and a lifetime of benefit

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Today's date is Thursday, March 28, 2024
Music, the brain and a lifetime of benefit : School of Human Sciences Seminar Series Other events...
Bio: Alan Harvey is an Emeritus Professor at The University of Western Australia and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science. He is a neuroscientist, having published almost 250 reviewed articles and book chapters, in recent years focusing on the development and testing of new therapies to promote plasticity and regeneration after neurotrauma in the brain and spinal cord. He has also had a life-long interest and passion for music, and since his retirement has focused much more on writing and talking about the neurobiology of human musicality and has proposed new ideas about music’s evolutionary significance. Alan Harvey’s book Music, Evolution, and the Harmony of Souls was published by Oxford University Press in 2017, and reprinted in paperback in 2018. Alan is currently a member of Perth Symphonic Chorus and their chamber choir, and is a member of the recently reformed mandolin quartet Stringybach. Abstract: Alan will briefly review what is known about the brain circuits and neurochemistry involved in processing music, including basic components such as rhythm and melody, as well as more emotional aspects such as happiness and sadness. Why have humans evolved two interrelated yet distinct communication systems – language and music? Possible answers to this fundamental question will be considered, primarily focussing on the evolutionary power of music to promote trust and cooperative behaviour within human groups, music’s links to the neurobiology of the hormone oxytocin, and emphasising the continued importance of music in promoting the cognitive and social development of children, benefits that last a lifetime. How these insights aid in understanding the potential power of music as a therapeutic tool will also be briefly discussed.
Speaker(s) Alan Harvey, Professor Emeritus
Location John Bloomfield Lecture Theatre, UWA,Parkway Entrance 3. Parking on Parkway and UWA carpark entrances 3 & 4.
Contact Christine Page <[email protected]> : 6488 7126
Start Tue, 23 Mar 2021 13:00
End Tue, 23 Mar 2021 14:00
Submitted by Christine Page <[email protected]>
Last Updated Tue, 16 Mar 2021 16:51
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