Music and the Mind
Working in partnership with University College London (UCL) the NLO staged a four day festival-conference, the first of its kind developed by an arts organization, to explore, promote and amplify current scientific understanding of how the brain perceives, produces and appreciates music. Lectures by some of the world's leading neurologists, debates, discussions, performances and multi-media sessions all led audiences through the complex and evolving world of music and neuroscience, still in its relative infancy. Working closely with carers, workshops were also devised which explored how children with disabilities (especially deafness, blindness and autism) perceive, produce and appreciate music and to investigate how music can benefit them by promoting self-expression and creativity. Patron: Baroness Greenfield
Speakers at the festival included: Paul Robertson John Slobada Daniel Glaser Vincent Walsh John Gruzelier Lauren Stewart Graham Welch "This is the first conference on music psychology I know about that has been the result of a collaboration between an orchestra and researchers, specifically with the initiative for the event being in the hands of the orchestra. The consequent combination of scientific and artistic events was unique, and was reflected in the very high attendance from a wide range of participants." Professor John Sloboda