Science in the City explores the musical world of infants

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Trainor_Laurel1.jpg” caption=”Laurel Trainor will present a free public lecture on the origins of musical behaviour. Photo by Ron Sheffler.”]Music connects us and has the ability to communicate beyond words. Music is found in every society. The image of a mother, father or caregiver crooning softly to a baby is common the world over.

Why does it seem so natural to change the pitch of our voices and talk to babies in a sing-song fashion? Why do we sing to infants? Did music evolve to strengthen the emotional ties between parent and child? What is the function of music in society?

These and other intriguing questions will be addressed by Laurel Trainor's Science in the City public lecture on The musical world of infants: The origins of musical behaviour on Thursday, Oct. 11.

Trainor, a professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, studies auditory development and the perception of music in infants. As director of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind, she leads a diverse group of researchers, seeking to “bring together science and the arts in a unique and innovative way, with the goal of enhancing the scientific study of music across Canada and internationally”.

Trainor's lecture will explore the function of music in society to determine if it is a cultural invention or an evolutionary adaptation. Her research with infants shows that young infants already have multi-sensory connections between auditory and movement areas of the brain, and that they are like adults in preferring consonant chords or dissonant chords.

“Infants know what they like and don't like in music,” says Trainor. “They pick up what belongs and what doesn't through incidental exposure, much in the way they learn to speak. What I'm interested in is how music helps to 'wire up' the infant brain and if musical training affects brain development.”

This is a free public lecture and all are welcome. Some of you may recall that this lecture was rescheduled twice (Feb. 13 and Mar. 1) due to inclement weather. Snow is not in the forecast for Thursday.

The lecture will take place in The Hamilton Spectator Auditorium, 44 Frid Street, Hamilton. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the lecture begins at 7 p.m. To reserve your seat, please e-mail sciencecity@mcmaster.ca or call 905-525-9140, ext. 24934

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[img_inline align="right" src="http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Trainor_Laurel1.jpg" caption="Laurel Trainor will present a free public lecture on the origins of  musical behaviour. Photo by Ron Sheffler."]Music connects us and has the ability to communicate beyond words. Music is found in every society. The image of a mother, father or caregiver crooning softly to a baby is common the world over. <p><br />
<br />
Why does it seem so natural to change the pitch of our voices and talk to babies in a sing-song fashion? Why do we sing to infants? Did music evolve to strengthen the emotional ties between parent and child? What is the function of music in society?<p><br />
<br />
These and other intriguing questions will be addressed by Laurel Trainor&#039;s Science in the City public lecture on <i>The musical world of infants: The origins of musical behaviour</i> on Thursday, Oct. 11. <br />
<br />
Trainor, a professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, studies auditory development and the perception of music in infants. As director of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind, she leads a diverse group of researchers, seeking to "bring together science and the arts in a unique and innovative way, with the goal of enhancing the scientific study of music across Canada and internationally".<p><br />
<br />
Trainor&#039;s lecture will explore the function of music in society to determine if it is a cultural invention or an evolutionary adaptation. Her research with infants shows that young infants already have multi-sensory connections between auditory and movement areas of the brain, and that they are like adults in preferring consonant chords or dissonant chords.<p><br />
<br />
<p>"Infants know what they like and don&#039;t like in music," says Trainor. "They pick up what belongs and what doesn&#039;t through incidental exposure, much in the way they learn to speak. What I&#039;m interested in is how music helps to &#039;wire up&#039; the infant brain and if musical training affects brain development."<br />
<br />
This is a free public lecture and all are welcome. Some of you may recall that this lecture was rescheduled twice (Feb. 13 and Mar. 1) due to inclement weather. Snow is <i>not</i> in the forecast for Thursday.<p><br />
<br />
The lecture  will take place in The Hamilton Spectator Auditorium, 44 Frid Street, Hamilton. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the lecture begins at 7 p.m. To reserve your seat, please e-mail <a href="mailto:sciencecity@mcmaster.ca">sciencecity@mcmaster.ca</a> or call 905-525-9140, ext. 24934<p><br />
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