Music and the Brain

Catalog description

Prerequisites: PSYC 1110 or MUSC 1210 or MUSC 1130 or permission of Instructor. Normally offered: Every third semester. This course examines widespread musical behavior through both scientific and artistic perspectives. We look to the neuroscience of music perception to help explain the psychological processes that support emotional responses, composition, performance, and all the potential cognitive benefits of engaging in music. Even people who think they are bad at making music have sophisticated skills as listeners. It is a universal birthright that humans can learn the melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic patterns of their own culture’s music.