IMHSD Workshop Series: The Diverse Musical Brain
Inspired by a recent seminar on “Decolonising Music Education” in the Reid School of Music, we are hosting a series of five workshops that aim to highlight the diversity of global music and music neuroscientists.
To date, much music neuroscience research has predominantly considered Western, European music. Our aim for these workshops is to broaden out our concept of music to include a greater variety of musical traditions. As research begins to uncover how music may be able to help with global health issues such as dementia and stroke, understanding a range of different types of musical experience is important, to take such work forward effectively.
The series will include practical and lecture workshops. Participants will have the opportunity to experience playing a range of styles of music for themselves, and speakers will be invited to consider to what extent their own research addresses non-Western musical experience. Each workshop will be followed by a 30-minute panel discussion and an informal drinks reception.
Workshop 2: Indian Classical Music and Singing in the Gambia
Date/Time: Tuesday 23 April 2019, 16.30 – 18.30.
Location: Reid Concert Hall, Bristo Square, Edinburgh
Type: Lecture workshop with guest speakers from Bengalaru and London, followed by an interdisciplinary panel discussion & drinks reception.
Panel: Diljeet Bhachu, IMHSD, Reid School of Music, ECA; Dr Alec Cooper, IMHSD, Reid School of Music, ECA; Prof. Bob Ladd, Linguistics, PPLS; Dr Nikki Moran, IMHSD, Reid School of Music, ECA; Prof. Colwyn Trevarthen, Psychology, PPLS.
Registration: Attendance is free – registration is encouraged please.
Lecture 1: Indian Classical Music and its traditional methods of teaching: How this can be understood and studied from a Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective
Dr. Shantala Hegde, Associate Professor and Consultant, Department of Clinical Psychology & Department of Neurorehabilitation, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India
In this presentation I will be focussing on the origins of Indian Music, brief overview of Indian classical music, the two main branches of Indian Classical Music- The North Indian/Hindustani Tradition and The South Indian/ Carnatic Tradition. I will dwell upon various characteristics of the Indian classical music tradition, the commonalities and differences between the western classical and examine how Indian classical music can be a new vista in understanding the neural basis of music perception and cognition. Indian classical music (ICM) is one of the oldest musical traditions. It is an oral tradition. Various techniques and methods are unique to this oral method of teaching and Guru –Shishya (Teacher-student) tradition of teaching has been considered crucial since the time of its origin in the Vedic era (~5000BC). The Guru plays the key role in passing on the not just the technical knowledge of the subject but the true essence of ICM, spirituality. Systematic research on ICM and its unique methods of teaching can shed newer lights in understanding its overall benefits from a psychological and neuroscientific perspective.
Lecture 2: Maternal Music in The Gambia: Understanding Music’s Role in Maternal Mental Health
Katie Rose Sanfilippo, Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths University and Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
Perinatal mental health problems affect up to one in five women worldwide. Mental health problems in the perinatal period are a particular challenge in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) where they can be at least twice as frequent as in higher income countries. It is thus of high priority to develop new low-cost, low-resource, non-stigmatising and culturally appropriate approaches to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression perinatally, for the benefit of both mother and child. Music-centred approaches may be particularly useful in The Gambia since a range of musical practices that specifically engage pregnant women and new mothers already exist. In this talk, I will discuss some ongoing work where we are co-developing a singing group intervention to help decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression in Gambian pregnant women. I will discuss our findings from the preliminary work we have completed that include findings from focus groups and two mental health measurement tools. Finally, I will share some information about the current feasibility trial we are running. We hope that this talk will allow for an interesting discussion around music and global health.