Can people who understand the emotions of others better interpret emotions conveyed through music? A new study by an international team of researchers suggests the abilities are linked.
Tag: Music
Researcher explores the role of musical timbre or tone in emotional response
How can people interpret the same sounds so differently? One answer is timbre, according to Zachary Wallmark, an assistant professor of musicology at the University of Oregon.
Why is there no Uber for live music?
While digital platforms like Uber continue to proliferate and expand the gig economy into new sectors of work, new Cornell University research shows some industries, such as live music, have structural features that keep them from adapting well to online platforms.
NUS appoints new Dean for Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music
The National University of Singapore (NUS) has appointed Norwegian composer and researcher Dr Peter Tornquist as the new Dean to lead the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YST). Dr Tornquist will begin his term of office in February 2022.
“Veteran Journeys,” by UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Professor, to Screen at Awareness Film Festival
“Veteran Journeys,” film by Dr. Kenneth Wells, professor at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Semel Institute, and David Geffen School of Medicine, will show in advance of Veterans Day, November 11
Media Invited to Acoustical Society of America Meeting in Seattle, Nov. 29 – Dec. 3
After more than a year of virtual conferences, the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) is holding its 181st meeting in person in Seattle, Washington, at the Hyatt Regency Seattle from Nov. 29 through Dec. 3. This major scientific conference brings together interdisciplinary groups of acoustics professionals, spanning many fields, including physics, medicine, music, psychology, wildlife biology, and engineering, to discuss the latest advancements. Follow conference highlights with social media hashtag #ASA181.
Why improvisation is the future in an AI-dominated world
In his autobiography, Miles Davis complained that classical musicians were like robots. He spoke from experience – he’d studied classical music at Juilliard and recorded with classical musicians even after becoming a world-renowned jazz artist.
Stress-relief Music Therapy Can Also Effectively Relieve Pain
Medical results show that music therapy can lower blood pressure, relieve pain during chemotherapy and dialysis, as well as stimulate the elderly brain. The Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University is offering a Music Therapy Program aiming to heal the ever-increasing patients with various chronic diseases in society.
Algorithm Finds Personalized Sound Zones in Cars for Driver, Passengers
In The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, published by the Acoustical Society of America through AIP Publishing, researchers from Stellantis and Laboratoire d’Acoustique de l’Universite du Mans outline an algorithm that adapts personalized sound zones within a car to changes in seat position, allowing riders to listen to their own audio without headphones and interruption.
‘Talking Drum’ Shown to Accurately Mimic Speech Patterns of West African Language
Musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton are considered virtuosos, guitarists who could make their instruments sing.
Music from Their Ears
A fisheries ecologist and a colleague with expertise in music have developed a new way to tell the story of how oxygen depletion in the world’s oceans stunts the growth of economically valuable cod — they put the fishes’ history to music and let them “sing.”

UCI experts produce guide for defense attorneys fighting use of rap lyrics in trials
Irvine, Calif., June 9, 2021 — Criminology and legal experts at the University of California, Irvine have released Rap on Trial: A Legal Guide for Attorneys, to help protect artists from having their lyrics used against them in court. Rap lyrics have been introduced as evidence in hundreds of cases, and a high-profile ruling by the Maryland Court of Appeals recently allowed a few lines of rap to help put a man behind bars for 50 years.
MEDIA ADVISORY: Story, Feature Ideas from 180th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America
The 180th ASA Meeting, being held virtually June 8-10, will feature sessions on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted hearing health, affected noise annoyance in urban settings, and adjusted how teachers talked and listened to their students. There will be presentations on how acoustics shapes speech in children, impacts mental health, and potentially signals health problems.
Conrad Prebys Foundation Awards $500,000 Grant to Support UC San Diego Department of Music Outreach
The University of California San Diego Department of Music will expand its post-pandemic reach with support from a $500,000 grant from The Conrad Prebys Foundation. The grant, which contributes to the Campaign for UC San Diego, helps launch the department’s outreach to both regional audiences, and the international music community.
Montana State’s Gregory Young Selected as the 2021 CUR-Arts and Humanities Faculty Mentor Awardee
Gregory Young, professor in the School of Music at Montana State University in Bozeman, has been selected as the 2021 CUR-Arts and Humanities Faculty Mentor Awardee. The award consists of a plaque and $1,000 for the recipient’s work with undergraduate researchers.
Not a Musician? Your Brain Can Still Tell What’s Music
New research suggests that people without musical training have areas of the brain that can identify and respond to music, even if they are unfamiliar with the genre. The study is published ahead of print in the Journal of Neurophysiology (JNP).
Not a Musician? Your Brain Can Still Tell What’s Music
Article title: Music-selective neural populations arise without musical training Authors: Dana Boebinger, Samuel Norman-Haignere, Josh H. McDermott, Nancy Kanwisher From the authors: “We show that music-selective neural populations are clearly present in people without musical training, demonstrating that they are a fundamental…

Rock Musicians Rufus Wainwright, Lisa Loeb, Tim Reynolds and More to Perform Free Virtual Concert for Colorectal Cancer Awareness
The American College of Gastroenterology Invites All to “Tune It Up: A Concert To Raise Awareness of Colorectal Cancer” Free Webstream Event Open to All on March 31, 2021 at 8:00 pm EDT

UNC Designated as All-Steinway School Thanks to Donor Funds
The University of Northern Colorado College of Performing and Visual Arts received a total of 96 new Steinway & Sons pianos, with most of them arriving in December of 2018, sealing the School of Music’s All-Steinway School status.

Study in Newborn Mice Suggests Sounds Influence the Developing Brain Earlier than Previously Thought
Scientists have yet to answer the age-old question of whether or how sound shapes the minds of fetuses in the womb, and expectant mothers often wonder about the benefits of such activities as playing music during pregnancy. Now, in experiments in newborn mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins report that sounds appear to change “wiring” patterns in areas of the brain that process sound earlier than scientists assumed and even before the ear canal opens.

IU expert available to comment on death of Chick Corea
Chick Corea, legendary jazz keyboardist and composer, has died at age 79. Jazz pianist and author of “Experiencing Chick Corea: A Listener’s Guide” Monikia Herzig is available to comment on Corea’s legacy and life. Herzig is a senior lecturer in…
‘Audeo’ teaches artificial intelligence to play the piano
A University of Washington team created Audeo, a system that can generate music using only visual cues of someone playing the piano.

Sia Furler Institute appoints its first Artist-in-Residence
One of the world’s leading live-sound music engineers has become the first Artist-in Residence at the University of Adelaide’s Sia Furler Institute of Contemporary Music and Media.

Hearing Tones, Elements Through Atomic Music
With each atom assigned a tonal signature based on its spectral signature, music can be a powerful tool for helping students understand atomic structure. Jill Linz is working toward synthesizing unique tones for each element to create an acoustic version of the periodic table. She will discuss her progress and the potential applications of the project at the 179th ASA Meeting, Dec. 7-10.
Acoustics Virtually Everywhere: 25 Scientists Summarize Research They’re Presenting This Week at ASA’s December Meeting
As part of the 179th ASA Meeting, 25 sound scientists summarize their innovative research into 300-500 words for a general audience and provide helpful video, photos, and audio. These lay language papers are written for everyone, not just the scientific community. Acousticians are doing important work to make hospitals quieter, map the global seafloor, translate musical notes into emotion, and understand how the human voice changes with age.

Pacific Symphony working with UCI public health experts on COVID-19 plan
Irvine, Calif., Dec. 8, 2020 — University of California, Irvine public health experts are providing consulting services to Pacific Symphony to enable the Orange County ensemble to once again play music together – which hasn’t happened since early March because of the coronavirus pandemic. In the past months, Pacific Symphony has held online events – including virtual concerts, living room concerts on video, internet interview programs, and KCET and PBS SoCal’s “Southland Sessions Presents Pacific Symphony” series – featuring offerings from the orchestra’s archival vaults.
Making music from neutrino experiments
David Ibbett, Fermilab’s first guest composer, converts real scientific data into musical notes and rhythms. His latest piece, “MicroBooNE,” will make its world premiere at a virtual concert on Dec. 8. In this audio interview, Ibbett shares a sneak peek of the song and explains his compositional process.
Alabama Symphony Orchestra musicians perform virtual concerts for sickest COVID-19 patients at UAB Hospital
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the sickest patients at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital have had their troubles eased, however briefly, thanks to an innovative musical project. Helping those patients recover — and keeping their spirits up amid the isolation the virus requires — is the motivation for the project, an effort between UAB health care staff and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.

Blowin’ in the wind
University of Utah chemical engineers have conducted an air flow study of the venue that the Utah Symphony performs in to determine the best ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 through the emissions of wind instrument players.
Binghamton University receives grant to support music ensemble residency
The Music Department at Binghamton University, State University of New York has received a nationally competitive grant to sponsor a residency with the Fifth House Ensemble, a Chicago-based group that specializes in emerging artist training, arts-integrated programming and civic practice.

Henry Ford Health System Kicks Off David DiChiera Music Therapy Program with Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Michigan Opera Theatre
Henry Ford Health System, in partnership with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT), has begun offering virtual musical performances to cancer patients via its music therapy program named for the founding general director of Michigan Opera Theatre, David DiChiera. Through the David DiChiera Music Therapy Program, patients of Henry Ford Cancer Institute will be able to enjoy both live and archived virtual performances from the DSO and MOT at no cost.

International Year of Sound Virtual Speaker Series Begins with Music
The Acoustical Society of America is hosting a series of experts to talk about how sounds affect everyone in different ways as part of the celebration of the International Year of Sound. The series features acoustic scientists from a range of backgrounds who will stimulate the understanding of the important role that sound plays in all aspects of our society. Three acoustic experts will be making their presentations virtually, and ASA encourages media, scientists, audio enthusiasts, students, educators and families to tune in. All events are open to the public, and admission is free.

The science of sound: Researchers suggest use of artificial tones in perception experiments could be missing the mark
Researchers at McMaster University who study how the brain processes sound have discovered the common practice of using artificial tones in perception experiments could mean scientists are overlooking important and interesting discoveries in the field of brain research

Researcher’s work a step toward “playlist” for testing neurological disorders
Psychologists and medical researchers for years have used familiar tunes to study brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, but they’ve never had a common set of songs to draw from. A new study by a neuroscientist at Missouri S&T may give those researchers a list of “greatest hits” to aid in their future studies.
Can Music Distract Us While We Work From Home?
A Rutgers researcher offers insight into the impact of music while we work

‘Part of the American soundtrack,’ W. Va. native Bill Withers dies
The entire country learned to lean on songwriter Bill Withers, a West Virginia native whose music became “part of the American soundtrack.” West Virginia University assistant professor of musicology Travis Stimeling says Withers’ music was intensely personal. Withers, who was given…
Stressed about COVID-19? Try tapping into the power of music
The virus might be keeping people apart; music can help bring them together — and just might have a positive effect on your physiological response to stress.

Composing New Proteins with Artificial Intelligence
Proteins are the building blocks of life and scientists have long studied how to improve them or design new ones. Traditionally, new proteins are created by mimicking existing proteins or manually editing their amino acids. This process is time-consuming, and it is difficult to predict the impact of changing an amino acid. In APL Bioengineering, researchers explore how to create new proteins by using machine learning to translate protein structures into musical scores, presenting an unusual way to translate physics concepts across domains.
Diana Dabby Wins ASEE Best Paper Award
Diana Dabby, music program director and associate professor of electrical engineering and music, recently won a 2019 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Best Paper award for “The Engineers’ Orchestra: a Conductorless Orchestra for Developing 21st Century Professional Skills.” The recognition includes an invitation to attend and present the paper at the ASEE National Conference in Montreal from June 21-24, 2020.
4 Santa Approved Holiday Playlists From UK School of Music
The right soundtrack for the holiday season is a gift in and of itself. Music can set the mood, touch the soul, lift the spirit or bring about cheer whether hosting a dinner party, braving the crowds to shop for that special someone or wrapping gifts by an open fire.

Driven by Realities of Climate Change, Composer Lei Liang Receives One of Classical Music’s Top Honors
UC San Diego professor and world-renowned composer Lei Liang wins the 2020 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for his orchestral work that both evokes the realities of climate change and offers the enduring potential for healing.

United in musical diversity
Two articles in the most recent issue of Science support the idea that music all around the globe shares important commonalities, despite many differences. Cognitive biologists Tecumseh Fitch and Tudor Popescu of the University of Vienna suggest that human musicality unites all cultures across the planet.
Smart people may learn music faster
Why do some people learn music more quickly than others? Intelligence could play a role, according to a Michigan State University study that investigated the early stages of learning to play piano.

South African ensemble Ladysmith Black Mambazo to hold master class at UIC
The ensemble will take part in course, “Music and Career Forum,” to increase students’ perspectives on the way music and musicians operate.
Save the Date: Major Scientific Meeting on Sound Next Month in San Diego
The Acoustical Society of America will hold its 178th meeting, Dec. 2-6, at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. This major scientific conference brings together interdisciplinary groups of researchers spanning many fields, including physics, medicine, music, psychology, architecture and engineering, to discuss their latest research. Reporters are invited to attend the meeting for free and participate in a series of press conferences featuring a selection of newsworthy research.