EU-funded project 'Tuning the Brain for Music' organized the international and interdisciplinary workshop 'Music, emotions and brain plasticity' on February 5-6, 2009 in Helsinki, Finland. The workshop brought together scientists and researchers who share their interests in music from the view points of music perception, learning, emotions as well as their neural determinants.

The host and coordinator of 'Tuning the Brain for Music' project, Dr Mari Tervaniemi from the Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, opened the workshop and welcomed internationally acknowledged music experts as well as a large number of enthusiastic researchers and students. All together more than 100 participants from over ten countries attended the event.

The workshop focused on four thematic sessions: Music emotions and appreciation; Development of music and auditory skills; Music performance and expressivity; and Music in clinical perspectives.

Several music experts presented deep insights into recent findings and developments in their fields. The lectures given by Prof. Marcel Zentner (University of York, UK), Prof. Virgina Penhune (Concordia University, Montreal, Canada), and Prof. Sésverine Samson (University of Lille, France) were among the highlights of the workshop. In addition, twenty young researchers took the opportunity to present and discuss their most recent scientific results during a poster session held on the first day of the workshop.

The first session 'Music emotion and appreciation' began with the keynote speaker Prof. Marcel Zentner who introduced a new framework for the investigation of music-induced emotions. "In a series of experiments, we found out that nuanced expects of emotions such as nostalgia are more appropriate to describe the emotional reaction of music listeners", Zentner explained during his talk. The keynote was followed by talks from Prof. Tuomas Eerola (University of Jyväskylä, Finland) and Dr. Thomas Jacobsen (University of Leipzig, Germany).

Later during the conference, Prof. Virginia Penhune gave insights into her work on the development of motor skills in school-aged children and the effects of early music training on motor learning. During the session 'Development of music and auditory skills' she discussed possible long-term effects of early music training on motor skills and the possibility of a sensitive period for motor learning in childhood. The session was further complemented by talks from Dr. Minna Huotilainen (University of Helsinki, Finland) and Dr. Cristina Saccuman (HSRU, Italy).

The third session was devoted to 'Music performance and expressivity'. Dr. Fabricio Vecchio (HSRU, Italy) reported on an investigation of brain correlates of emphatic music performances. Dr. Roberto Bresin (KTH, Sweden) and Dr. Anders Friberg (KTH, Sweden) introduced computational approaches to specific performance features and their application in the development of new musical instruments.

The second day of the workshop focused on 'Music in clinical perspectives'. Prof. Jaakko Erkkilä (University of Jyväskylä, Finland), Dr. Elvira Brattico (University of Helsinki, Finland) and Dr. Jessica Philipps-Silver (Brams, Montreal, Canada) presented recent results of their work and their perspectives on music therapy improvisation and amusia.

Prof. Séverine Samson's talk about brain lesions on the recognition and experience of music emotions completed the series of keynotes and ended the workshop. "Deeper brain structures play an essential role in musical emotion processing" emphasized Prof. Samson during her talk. She also introduced findings regarding the relationship between music emotions and memory.

Besides the lively and intensive scientific discussion time was allocated for a social get together. The vice rector of the University of Helsinki, Prof. Hannele Niemi was warmly welcomed with Finnish traditional music performed by a child choir from the local Kaisaniemi primary school. This was followed by a conference dinner which gave an additional opportunity to meet and exchange ideas. On behalf of the organizers Dr. Minna Huotilainen (University of Helsinki, Finland) concluded: "We were very satisfied being able to present such high quality of talks, lectures and discussions on a broad interdisciplinary basis. This workshop showed - like the project "Tuning the brain for music" itself - how important it is to bring researchers from different fields together and give them a forum to discuss."

Eva Istók holds a M.A. in Musicology (University of Cologne, Germany). Currently, she is working as a Ph.D. student at the Cognitive Brain Research Unit at the Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Finland As part of the EU project 'Tuning the Brain for Music', her work focuses on cognitive and affective aspects of music appreciation and aesthetics. In addition, she acts as the official secretary of the project.
eva.istok@helsinki.fi

Kai Schirdewahn has been working as a journalist and communications consultant in Germany and Finland. In recent years, he has supported non-governmental and governmental organizations, amongst others the Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), concerning press relations and web communication. He holds a M.A. in Political History from the University of Cologne, Germany, and a degree as Certificated PR-Consultant from the University of Management and Communication (UMC) in Berlin.
kai.schirdewahn@web.de