May 2009

Hello all,
After a slight hiatus we are pleased to announce the return of the Music and Language journal club!
Gathering together researchers and practitioners in the Boston area, our aim is to provide an opportunity to discuss and delve more deeply into the latest research on music, language and their intersection.
Our next meeting will be held on Friday May 15th, 4-6pm. We will meet at MIT, in Room 46-4062. The address is 43 Vassar Street, McGovern Institute (4th floor) in Cambridge.

The theme for our meeting will be,
?Music acquisition: the role of aptitude vs. formal training?

We aim to discuss the following articles together:

Hyde, K., Lerch, J., Norton, A., Forgeard, M., Winner, E., Evans, A., Schlaug, G. (2009). Musical Training Shapes Structural Brain Development. Journal of Neuroscience, 29, 3019-3025.

Forgeard, M., Winner, E., Norton, A, Schlaug, G. (2008). Practicing a Musical Instrument in Childhood is Associated with Enhanced Verbal Ability and Nonverbal Reasoning. Plos One, 3 (10), 1-8.

Pulli, K., Karma, K., Norio, R., Sistonen, P., Goring, H., Jarvela, I. (2008). Genome-wide linkage scan for loci of musical aptitude in Finnish families: evidence for a major locus at 4q22. Journal of Medical Genetics, 45, 451?456.

Optional extras:

Hannon, E. Trainor, L. (2007). Music acquisition: Effects of enculturation and formal training on development. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11, 466-472.

Fritz, T. et al. (2009). Universal Recognition of Three Basic Emotions in Music. Current Biology, 19, 573-576.

These articles are available on our website, in the members area.

All are welcome! If you would like any further information please do not hesitate to contact either:
Jenny Thomson, Assistant Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education: thomsoje@gse.harvard.edu,
Nadine Gaab Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School: nadine.gaab@childrens.harvard.edu, or
Eveline Geiser, Postdoctoral Researcher, MIT: egeiser@mit.edu



Whether you read these messages and have not yet attended or are a regular participant, we would love to see you!!