Week 2

Overview

Learning Objectives

By the end of the week you will be able to:

Describe the relevance of embodiment and neuroscience to the study of human behavior, specifically as it relates to music and music-making
Describe how music enhances our experience of phenomena

INTRODUCTION

Carlos Hernandez’s stories bring together multiple strands of intertwined ideas and knowledge. He writes about consciousness and much more. In Fantaisie Impromptu No. 4 in C#min, Op. 66 he highlights how we engage with music on multiple levels; aurally, physically, and emotionally. In order to understand this, we need to understand the neuroscience of sound. To understand Gaby’s experience once she puts on the jacket and "plays" the piano, we must define embodiment as it relates to the short story.

Two videos in the resources provide a glimpse into the many ways in which embodiment can be experienced and defined.

Key elements to remember:

Embodiment requires attention to our senses and the information they provide
Embodiment is the subjective experience of the lived body
Embodiment is experienced and nuanced by our worldview (i.e. religious or secular conceptions of how we believe the world came to be and how it functions)

GOAL

To better understand the complexity of hearing and playing music and how it affects our sense of self and our sense of the world around us (for example, our embodied experience of music).

Activities

In week 2, you will study the idea of embodiment, which may be understood in many ways. The neuroscience behind music will be presented. And finally, you will be invited to examine music that is important to you. The goal will be to discover some of the ways that music has connected with you.