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 Coming Presentations Lois Svard is Professor of Music Emerita at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA. Well-­‐known as a champion of contemporary piano m usic, she has performed at festivals and on concert series across the United States and in Europe. She is also known for her work in applying current neuroscience research to the study and performance of music. She has taught a university course on neuroscience and music for both neuroscience majors and m usic majors, has given presentations at colleges and universities, at international music conferences, national science conferences, and at a m ajor teaching hospital. Svard received her DMA in piano performance from the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University where she studied with Ann Schein. Music Teachers National Association Las Vegas, NV Alvernia University Reading, PA National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy Chicago, IL Recent Presentations Vermont Music Teachers Association Burlington, VT Garth Newel Music Center Warm Springs, VA London International Piano Symposium London, UK International Society for Music Education Thessaloniki, Greece Beijing, China Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations Halifax, NS Music Teachers National Association Anaheim, CA Milwaukee, WI Pomona College Claremont, CA Andover Educators National Conference Montclair, NJ Performing Arts Medical A ssociation Snowmass, CO Society for Music Perception and Cognition Indianapolis, IN Lois Svard, DMA BLOG www.themusiciansbrain.com Professor of Music Emerita Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA 17837 570-­‐490-­‐5194 [email protected] www.themusiciansbrain.com Lois Svard
pianist
workshops and presentations on neuroscience and music Why neuroscience? Neuroscientists have been studying the brains of musicians for well over two decades, and they have accumulated a wealth of information about how music is processed in the brain. An understanding of some of this current research can help us practice and teach more effectively and feel more confident in performance. This workshop introduces some of the latest research in brain science and explores practical applications for using it in learning, teaching, and performing. “Monkey see – monkey do” Our stage demeanor has an impact not only on how we perform, but also on how a listener actually hears the music. Why is this the case? It’s all due to mirror neurons. Mirror neurons, discovered in the 1990s and originally called “monkey see – monkey do” neurons, are amazing, specialized brain cells that fire not only when we act, but when we observe someone else performing the same action. The mirror neuron system has tremendous implications for how we learn music, how we teach, how we perform, and how that performance is actually perceived by the audience. It’s All in Your Mind Credit: iStockphoto.com/Firstsignal “A captivating lecture that needs to be heard by all.” Gail Berenson, Professor of Piano Ohio University, Athens MTNA Past President We know that Horowitz and Rubinstein often learned music away from the piano using visual and auditory imagery, but imagery is not a skill limited to exceptional musicians. Research has shown that imagining the movements necessary to play a piece of music -­‐ motor imagery -­‐ causes n early the same activity in the b rain as actual physical practice. Yet very few students are taught to use motor imagery. Current neuroscience research shows many benefits of using motor imagery: there is no muscle tension, so no chance of injury; one can practice when an instrument is not available; and one can learn physically demanding music with less time spent at the instrument. Fernando with Ramon, the brain neuron The Musician’s Brain Musicians’ brains are different – and that is usually a good thing. The brain changes in response to practice, and neuroscientists have been studying musicians to learn about these brain changes, known as plasticity or neuroplasticity. Understanding plasticity can have tremendous implications for how we practice and teach, for alternate learning strategies, for memorization, for performance anxiety, for p reventing injuries or conditions such as focal dystonia, and for musicians with disabilities.