Extraordinary Variations of Musicality
Free Public Lecture
Dr Tony Gould Room, Room 216, Contemporary Music
Building 862, Victorian College of the Arts
St Kilda Rd
Musical prodigies present with a unique set of abilities that set them apart from their peers, often from an early age. History is replete with examples of musical prodigies whose unique talents and capabilities led to extraordinary accomplishments. Yet surprisingly few scientific studies have sought to delineate the possible underlying neurobiology of musical prodigies.
The intrigue for the neuroscientist is to determine what characteristics and neural predispositions enable musical prodigies to effortlessly achieve what others often struggle to master. The purpose of this talk is to sidestep the nature-nurture debate and to explore the neurobiological foundations of musical giftedness.
Presenter
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Professor Isabelle Peretz, University of Montreal, Montreal, CanadaProfessor Isabelle Peretz
University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
Dr. Peretz is a professor of Psychology at the University of Montreal and the holder of a Canada Research Chair and a Casavant Research chair in neurocognition of music. Her research focuses on the musical potential of ordinary people, its neural correlates, its heritability and its specificity relative to language. She is renown for her work on congenital and acquired musical disorders (amusia) and on the biological foundations of music processing in general. She has published over 270 scientific papers on a variety of topics in neurocognition of music, from perception, memory, and emotions to singing and dancing.