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Music, dance and science join forces for Brain Awareness Week

March 09, 2004

Young musicians will take part in a novel experiment in London on Saturday 20 March during Brain Awareness Week (15-21 March 2004) to find out whether learning from sight or sound makes a difference to their performance.

The experiment is being organised by the New London Orchestra and the Institute of Neurology and will take place at the Camden School for Girls. Twenty young musicians from secondary schools in London will learn and perform pieces of music. They will be judged on the standard and accuracy of their performance in context with how the music was learned. This experiment is part of a larger event that will include illustrated lectures and hands-on computer based experiments.

"Our collaboration with the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, which began with the coordination of the Music and the Mind festival last year, has given us the opportunity to explore further how our brain perceives and processes music," said Cassie Tait from the New London Orchestra.

The audience will be encouraged to play an interactive role in the day through discussions, rating the musicality of the performers and taking part in computer-based experiments. The organisers hope the event will make people more curious to explore the links between music and neurology.

'Music on the Brain' is just one of hundreds of events taking place around the world during Brain Awareness Week. Co-ordinated annually by the European Dana Alliance for the Brain and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives in the USA, the Week is designed to promote the public's interest in research being conducted by scientists to find out more about the brain.

Professor Blakemore, vice-chairman of the European Dana Alliance for the Brain, said, "Once again we are seeing the huge interest in the brain represented by the diversity of events being organised, tackling serious ethical issues such as stem cell research and introducing biological concepts to children through music and dance. Brain Awareness Week, now in its sixth year, helps to break down artificial barriers between the arts, science and the public."

The arts also feature in other Brain Awareness Week events. Inspired by how brain cells communicate, the Hampshire Youth Dance Company and neuroscientist Dr Matt Cuttle from Southampton University have delved into the workings of the brain to choreograph a vibrant dance interwoven with striking images. The dance will be performed publicly at the Point Theatre on 16 March.

Dr Cuttle and post-graduates are running a science-art workshop using images of brain cells to help school children understand the brain by producing their own artistic representations of memory, how it works and what happens when it goes wrong.

Other events during Brain Awareness Week include:

At the British Library on 15 March, the authors of a new book, the Rhythm of Life, will explain how our body clocks work and what happens when they are disrupted, an important health factor in these days of increasingly working 24/7.

Embryonic stem cells: fixing brains or making babies? 17 March. The Dana Centre in London is the venue people where can find out more about these versatile cells and take part in a discussion on the moral dilemmas faced by scientists and the public. www.danacentre.org.uk

The launch of Headstrong on 18 March, a new information series for children with brain tumours produced by the Brain and Spine Foundation. Children and their parents have been actively involved in the production of this valuable resource.

'Mapping the Mind: new frontiers in brain science', 19 March at the Dana Centre. Join Professor Colin Blakemore to find out what is new in brain research and what might be possible in the future. www.danacentre.org.uk

Unsuspecting visitors to Explore-At-Bristol will be dazzled with cunning trickery and optical illusions. 'Brain Busking' is one of a series of events for families during March. 'On the Edge' is an interactive theatre production tackling mental health.

Snell Communications Ltd