The New York Academy of Sciences is sponsoring a conference entitled: The Neurobiology of Music in New York City in Spring/Summer of 2000. The principal investigator and chair is Robert Zatorre, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department o Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGiII University. The co-chair is lsabelle Peretz, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Montreal. Over the last decade, there has been an explosion in research activities on music perception and performance. This sudden increase in scientific work on music has been motivated by the idea that music offers a unique opportunity to better understand the human brain. Like language, music exists in all human societies. Uke language, music is a complex, rule- governed activity that is specific to humans. Similarly, music appears to be associated with specific brain architecture. However, unlike most other high-level functions of the human brain, only a minority of individuals become proficient musicians through explicit tutoring, although sensitivity to musical structure develops early in life without conscious effort in the large majority of the population. This particularity in the distribution of acquired skills confers to music a privileged role in the study of brain plasticity. All these aspects of music will be addressed by major scientists in the field. The goal of this conference is to bring together leading scientists who are working on music and who are using a wide range of different methodologies from the cognitive sciences and the neurosciences. The originality of the conference will be to favor integration across disciplines and methodologies, by grouping presentations under seven major themes. These themes were selected because they are both interdisciplinary and the object of intensive current research activities and of continued theoretical development. The presentations will be targeted to a wide range of researchers (i.e. cognitive and neuro-scientists), musicians, and students in the field. Special emphasis will be placed on attracting women and minorities. This type of diverse audience will provide many opportunities for cross- fertilization of ideas, and thus ensure a dynamic and stimulating atmosphere in which exciting new ideas can be discussed.
