Short Courses & Events / Archive

Music and the Sound Mind

Thursday 15th February 2024, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)

Making sense of sound is one of the sophisticated jobs we ask our brains to do.

Dr Nina Kraus, Northwestern University professor, director of the Brainvolts Lab, and author of the book Of Sound Mind: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World examines the partnership of sound and brain, showing that the processing of sound drives many of the brain’s core functions and leaves a fundamental imprint on who we are as human beings.

Our hearing brain interacts with what we know, with our emotions, with how we think, with our movements, and with our other senses. Dr Kraus explores the power of music for healing as well as the destructive power of noise on the nervous system.

She describes why musicians—defined here as anyone who has played an instrument regularly at any point in their lives—have measurably better sound minds for decades. The sounds of our lives shape our brains, for better and for worse, and help us build the sonic world we live in.

🏷️ Price £30 (UK VAT inclusive)
🎥 Recording automatically sent to all who book (even if you cannot attend live)
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📜 Certificate of attendance available

Dr Nina Kraus

Dr Nina Kraus is Hugh Knowles Professor of Communication Sciences, Neurobiology and Otolaryngology at Northwestern University. As a biologist and amateur musician, she thinks about sound and brain health.

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Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.

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Sorry, this is an archived short course...

We have plenty of upcoming short courses coming soon. See details of some of them below or look at the full list of short courses.

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5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

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Michael Goldstein

To gain a better understanding of the development and evolution of vocal learning, we will examine the processes by which birds learn to sing and human infants learn to talk.

On the Nose: Nasality as Percept and Physical Reality
Thursday 9th May 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

On the Nose: Nasality as Percept and Physical Reality

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This course will address three perspectives on nasality: distinctions between nasal airflow and audio signal (velopharyngeal opening) and perception; deciphering between the two timbral qualities commonly related to nasality - twang and honk - and which are related to velopharyngeal opening; and the pedagogic usefulness of velopharyngeal opening to reduce laryngeal instabilities near points of registration shifts.

Tuvan Overtone Throat Singing
Tuesday 14th May 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Tuvan Overtone Throat Singing

Jerry Walsh

This two-hour class on Tuvan throat singing will be an opportunity to learn five different styles of overtone singing that first originated in Central Asia. Several styles can be learned quite quickly while others are more complex and require deeper study. This class is great for singers of all levels from absolute beginners to professionals.