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April 13, 2006
Music and the Brain Co-Evolved
NPR had a fascinating segment last Saturday (hear it by clicking here) about music and the brain. McGill University neuroscientist Daniel Levitin was planning to take physiological measurements of Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart, along with 5 musicians and 50 audience members, to measure their responses to different types of music. I found myself very intrigued by Levitin's closing comments, which I have transcribed here:
"Music is a unique human quality. it is characterized by its ubiquity and its antiquity. [What a great line!] There is no culture that we know of that lacks music. For all of recorded history, music has been part of our species. The human brain apparently evolved along with music; music and the brain co-evolved. Learning about one can teach us something about the other."
It makes perfect sense that music touches something very primal in us and satisfies deep needs that, at times, seem inexplicable. I'm very intrigued and look forward to thinking and learning a lot more about Levitin's assertion that music and the brain co-evolved. I recently discovered a book on my shelf that's been patiently waiting to be read; I look forward to digging in after the semester winds down.
Jourdain, Robert (1997). Music, the brain, and ecstasy: How music captures our imagination. New York: Harper Collins.
Posted by hgroteva at April 13, 2006 5:55 AM | Music - of all kinds