Between Science, Artistic Practice, and Health: Exploring the Harmony of Music and Social Connection
Join us for an enlightening event in collaboration with the BC Brain Wellness Program, where we understand how music and neuroscience intersect to explore the profound impact of music on our well-being and social connections.
Music making, the embodiment of collaborative communication, is built upon deep listening and intuitive coordination. As a pianist, Erika Switzer’s work has offered many lessons in compassion, healing, and the joyful connection of mind, body, and spirit. Erika looks forward to sharing her experiences with the BC Brain Wellness Program.
In tandem with Erika’s talk, Mikey Jose’s will talk about the neuroscience behind music’s impact on brain health outcomes, with a focus on the social/emotional impact of music. Understanding what may be going on in our brains while we engage with music may reveal how and why music continues to be used as a tool to connect and mediate emotions in both healthy and clinical populations.
About the speakers
Mikey Jose is a PhD Candidate in Neuroscience at UBC. His research explores what goes on “under the hood” of our brains as we listen to rewarding/motivating music, and he continuously strives to bridge the gap between the arts and health/medicine. Mikey is passionate about validating the crucial role that music plays in everyday life and clinical settings, and has received many opportunities to share this passion as a TEDx speaker, invited panelist and presenter at several international conferences, and Co-founder of the UBC Brain and Music group. Outside of his academics, Mikey is a composer, songwriter, and musician, and has accumulated over 6 million streams in 176 countries through his solo music project. His passion for creating music and deep interest in neuroscience intertwine, driving him to understand more fully the incredible holistic power of music.
Erika Switzer is an accomplished collaborative pianist who performs regularly in major concert settings around the world, such as New York’s Weill Hall (Carnegie), Frick Collection, and the Kennedy Center. Her performances have been called “precise and lucid” (New York Times), and “intelligent, refined, and captivating” (Le Monde). She has won numerous awards, including best pianist prizes at the Robert Schumann, Hugo Wolf, and Wigmore Hall International Song Competitions. Switzer is a cofounder of the organization Sparks & Wiry Cries, which curates opportunities for art song creators, performers, and scholars through innovative initiatives that capture the stories of diverse communities. She is assistant professor of music at Bard College and director of collaborative piano studies at the Conservatory, and holds a doctorate from The Juilliard School.
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