Museum hosts "Wild Music" lecture series

July 13, 2007

RALEIGH -- Is music an art form embedded in nature? Are other animals doing musical things like we humans? Are musical sounds a precursor to language? These are some of the "big" questions that biomusic probes. Find out more when the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences presents "The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music," a free lecture by biomusic researcher Patricia Gray, on Thursday, July 19 at 7 p.m.

According to Gray, "this new area of science research is revealing music as a fundamental, even genetic element in all humans and throughout the wild. Our gains in grasping our musical universe give us new insights into the cognitive abilities of ourselves and other animals, and lead to exciting and profound implications for learning, wellness, biodiversity, environmental preservation, evolutionary history and communication."

  "The Music of Nature" is the first in a series of three lectures held to complement "Wild Music: Sounds & Songs of Life," the newest traveling exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The exhibit, which runs through September 16, explores evidence for the biological origins of music.

Gray is clinical professor and senior research scientist of biomusic at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's Music Research Institute and one of the exhibit’s lead developers. She holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory (BM), the University of Wisconsin - Madison (MM), and the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music (DMA). She also is the Artistic Director and Pianist of National Musical Arts (NMA), for 21 seasons the resident ensemble at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC, and the founder and Director of NMA's BioMusic Program, where she leads a team of distinguished scientists and musicians that explores the musical sounds in all species.

In the second lecture -- held Tuesday, August 21 at 7 p.m. -- Steve Nowicki will discuss the intricacies of birdsongs. Nowicki is Bass Fellow and Professor in the Departments of Biology, Psychology and Neurobiology at Duke University. His research explores proximate mechanisms underlying the evolution of behavior. He is especially interested in the structure, function and evolution of animal communication systems, using birdsong as a model system. His current research includes work on the evolution of signal complexity, constraints on signal evolution, and mechanisms of signal production and perception.

For the third and final lecture of the series -- held Tuesday, September 4 at 7 p.m. -- Donald Hodges will present "A Layman's Guide to the Musical Brain." Hodges is Covington Distinguished Professor of Music Education and Director of the Music Research Institute at UNCG. At the Institute, he oversees nearly 30 active research projects in biomusic, neuroimaging of musicians, music education, music-related hearing loss, music performance, music medicine and ethnomusicology. Two of the projects are Sounds of Learning, an investigation of the role of music education in the lives of school age children, and Multi-sensory Processing of Conductors, an investigation into the ways auditory and visual information integrate in the brains of highly trained musicians.

All the lectures in the series are free and open to the public. "Wild Music" exhibit prices are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and students, and $3 for children. For more information, visit the Museum online at naturalsciences.org or call 919-733-7450 ext. 310.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of North Carolina through exhibits, research, collections, publications, and educational programming. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 am to 5 pm, and Sun., noon to 5 pm. Admission is free. Visit the Museum on the Web at naturalsciences.org. The Museum is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary.

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