Music is far more than entertainment. Since the beginning of time it has been used to express deeply held emotions and beliefs. It is inextricably intertwined with human existence, used globally in dance, religious rites, public celebrations, private moments of contemplation and rejoicing, concerts, films, advertisements, and countless other activities. Life without music is unthinkable. Can one celebrate one’s birthday or wedding without music?
Yet why is it, that music affects humankind so deeply, evoking memories of the past, reinforcing joys and sorrows of the present, and prompting transcendent thoughts of the future? The present seminar will examine the phenomenon of music and the complex way it is processed by the brain. It will be taught jointly by a music historian, who will guide the group through the intricacies of music production and perception, and a neurologist, who will guide the group through the intricacies of brain function and physical interconnectivity. The goal will be to explore why music, emotion, and memory are so deeply interconnected.
About Professor Stauffer
GEORGE B. STAUFFER is Distinguished Professor of Music History and former Dean of the Mason Gross School. Educated at Dartmouth College, Bryn Mawr College, and Columbia University, he is well known for his writings on the music and culture of the Baroque Era and the life and works of Johann Sebastian Bach, in particular. He has published eight books, including, most recently, J.S. Bach: The Mass in B Minor (Yale University Press) and The World of Baroque Music (Indiana University Press).
Stauffer has also contributed numerous writings to American, European, and Asian publications, including The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Collier's Encyclopedia, Bach-Jahrbuch, Early Music, and many other journals. As a feature writer, he has contributed to The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, and The Weekly Standard. He has held Guggenheim, Fulbright, ACLS, IREX, and Bogliasco fellowships and is presently at work on the volume Why Bach Matters, to be published by Yale University Press.
As an organist, Stauffer studied with John Weaver and Vernon de Tar in New York and served as University Organist and Director of Chapel Music at Columbia University for 22 years. He is co-author (with George Ritchie) of the standard pedagogical text Organ Technique: Modern and Early (Oxford University Press).
About Professor Pixley
SARA PIXLEY has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Rice University with expertise in the areas of memory, learning, and neuroscience. Dr. Pixley has several publications on the topic of memory that have had a translational impact the field (e.g., being cited in a popular Coursera MOOCs, “Learning How to Learn”). In addition, she was involved in the design, implementation, and analysis of several research studies related to learning optimization that took place in a classroom setting (both higher education and K-12). She proudly serves as Executive Director of the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science (RuCCS), where she both acts as an R&D professional and a program leader coordinating activities including: strategic and operational administration, development of institutional vision, and framing scientific research for external communication and fund raising to maintain RuCCS as one of the most prestigious centers for cognitive science in the nation. She was recently honored with the Arts & Sciences Distinguished Staff Excellence Award.