Music & Language

  • Music & Language,  Music & The Brain

    Can instrument training improve speech?

    Greetings Dear Reader, from a chilly rainy Swiss morning. The weather has not been great in Luzern of late; autumn mist has descended from the mountains meaning that most days the city is coated in a low white blanket that hides the majestic scenery and waters the landscape. But every so often the sun appears and I’m reminded of how stunning this city can be. Luckily, even the mistiest of days can’t obscure the beauty of the lake and the old town. This morning I turned my attention away from the rain and onto to a paper that had been staring at me every day since I downloaded it. A…

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  • Conference reviews,  Music & Language,  Music and hearing,  SMPC13

    SMPC Day 2: Session 1 (Parallels and Impairments)

    Day 2 of the conference began with overcast skies but a very enjoyable trip to the local coffee shop. I like the fact that you can actually get a small coffee here in Canada – ask for a small coffee in the UK (other than espresso) and you get a substantial mug of coffee which for me is a waste as I don’t want much. So, fueled with my delightful mini kick I headed to the 8.40am start. Today I planned to duck between sessions; I started in ‘Parallels and Improvements’ and a talk by Bob Slevc (University of Maryland). Bob has been working on a follow-up to his study…

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