Conference report: The Improvising Brain Symposium, 2013.

Abstract

The Improvising Brain Symposium was held at Georgia State University in April 2012. The event attracted researchers, educators and students interested and involved in the research of the brain during music cognition and improvisation. This summary provides an overview of the symposium and details from the keynote address. It also summarizes additional research presented at the symposium that was not submitted for publication.Keywords: Improvising brain symposium, brain, research, improvisation, brain imagingMore than 50 researchers, educators, and graduate students in the disciplines of music education and music cognition gathered to discuss recent developments in the area of musical improvisation. The Improvising Brain Symposium (IBS) was held at Georgia State University (GSU) and Loudermilk Convention Center, in downtown Atlanta, GA, April 7 to 9, 2013. The event was organized by chair Dr. Martin Norgaard (GSU School of Music), supported by the GSU School of Music, GSU Neuroscience Institute, Center for Collaborative and International Arts (CENCIA), GSU Research Foundation, and Yamaha Corporation of America. The symposium featured an introductory summary of empirical research on the improvising brain, a keynote speaker, 18 research presentations, 11 poster presentations, a string master class, and a live research study. Jazz violinist Christian Howes and the Kevin Bale trio performed a jazz concert for attendees. The performance was recorded and notated by Dr. Norgaard and his research team who later interviewed the musicians on their improvisational choices. Dr. Robert Zatorre's (Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University) first keynote address set the stage for much of the research presented at the symposium. His discussion of developments of technology and his descriptions of brain activity, as understood through brain imagery (e.g., Zatorre, 2012), while engaging in music listening and performance added historical and theoretical context for the presentations that followed. He closed the symposium with a lecture on brain, behavior, and music. The purpose of this report is to provide a summary of research presentations that will not be published elsewhere in this edition.This report highlights a sampling of work presented at the IBS and is organized under two main themes (1) neurocognitive functions in musical improvisation, and (2) implications for music education. For additional information on the topics presented below and presentations from researchers not covered in this summary, visit the official Improvising Brain Symposium Web site (http://www.cas.gsu.edu/theimprovisingbrain/).The Improvising BrainAn overarching theme of much of the research presented was identifying and modeling brain activity related to musical improvisation. James Fidlon (University of Texas at Austin) opened the event with an overview of empirical research on the improvising brain. Fidlon recognized that many researchers have identified improvisation as a cultural phenomenon because of the interaction between mind and body, making empirical study difficult. However, he identified the cognitive and physical processes that have been successfully measured in empirical research. He described improvisation as a complex skill in which creativity, decisionmaking, sensory motor processing, expert performance abilities, and spontaneous behavior occur simultaneously. He outlined the tools and methodology currently used in improvisation research, including physiological data (brain imaging, neural activation), behavioral data (music performance notation), and qualitative data such as self-report and expert evaluation.Augusto Monk (University of Toronto, Canada) presented a model of improvisational intelligence derived from the multidimensional cognitive processes underlying the task. To explore the strategies involved, Monk interviewed 10 professional musicians after they each performed a solo improvisation, in a nonidiomatic format (free of musical restraints and implications, making all elemental choices available). …