Unplugged View: Music On My Mind
by Aaron Rowan
At the new home I’ve been settling into and helping to terraform, a goodly portion of wall space is given to bookshelves. If Tsunduko (not to be confused with Sudoku) were a competitive sport, I’d be a contender for the national championship. One very special top shelf is packed end to end with albums by my favorite artists I’ve hosted as a music curator: a literal A to Z, over 150 records reflecting the most diverse and eclectic concert series Modesto has ever seen.
But there’s another shelf I want to focus on: the third shelf up on the bookshelf in our study area. At one end, books about music; at the other, volumes on another topic that holds my fascination: neuroscience. Since migrating here to Palo Alto, I’ve even had the chance to participate in some brain experiments & studies conducted by Stanford students. The sweet spot on my shelf is right in the center, where music and neuroscience coalesce. The title I’m enjoying at the moment – a gift from my fantastic fiancée – is ‘This Is What It Sounds Like’ by Susan Rogers, a recording engineer turned cognitive neuroscientist and professor at Berklee College of Music. The book explores various characteristics of music (melody, lyrics, authenticity, etc.) and the “sweet spots” in each that appeal to individual listeners.
I was delighted to learn about something very different at the Gallo Center this month. As anyone who keeps up with their season schedule likely knows, the great opera soprano Renee Fleming is coming to town…..but there is more. Fleming has compiled a new book called ‘Music And Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness,’ featuring essays by musicians including Yo-Yo Ma, Rhiannon Giddens, and Rosanne Cash; and another former sound engineer & musician who became a neuroscientist, Daniel Levitin, whose ‘This Is Your Brain On Music’ also sits on my shelf.
On Saturday, June 8, at 5:00 pm, twenty-four hours before Fleming’s concert performance, she will appear alongside Dr. Levitin and other neuroscientists for the Music And Mind Symposium. It’s a free ticketed event where the panelists will discuss music & art therapies as tools to treat various ailments. Reservations are available on the Gallo website, but very few seats remain at the time of writing. Enjoy a soaring evening of opera with a side of neuromusical discussion, and pick up a copy of Renee’s labor of love.
