Wednesday May 31st, 2023 , from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m., followed by a cocktail.
Université de Montréal, Pavilion Marie-Victorin, Room D-427
The recording of the lecture is available: here
Music, language, and the developing brain: How neural predisposition and musical training impact children’s language abilities
Abstract: A growing body of evidence suggests that musical training has a positive impact on language and reading development. In this talk, I will present studies linking music, language, and reading, and elucidate mechanisms underlying the positive effects of music on language and reading skills. Specifically, I will present evidence suggesting that musical training may facilitate the development of a bilateral neural network, which may be particularly beneficial for children with language-based learning disabilities. In addition, I will address the role of neural predispositions in shaping children’s early musical and language skills. I will present longitudinal evidence indicating that brain structure in infancy is associated with later music aptitude and language abilities. These findings suggest that neural predispositions established prior to the onset of musical training, even as early as infancy, may provide a scaffold upon which ongoing musical experience and training can build. Overall, these studies suggest a dynamic interaction between predispositions from infancy and experience over time in shaping the developmental trajectory of language and reading acquisition. This research illuminates the importance of musical experiences in early childhood, during a period of heightened brain plasticity, and carries implications for music-based approaches to support children with language-based learning disabilities.
Bio: Jennifer Zuk is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at Boston University, and the Director of the Communication and Neurodevelopment Lab. Her research combines behavioral and neuroimaging tools to investigate associations between music, language, and the developing brain in early childhood. Jennifer approaches this work through an interdisciplinary lens, having earned her PhD from Harvard University and clinical training in speech-language pathology at the MGH Institute of Health Professions and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Cognitive Science from Case Western Reserve University, as well as an Ed.M. in Mind, Brain, and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Jennifer’s scientific contributions have been recognized by prestigious awards from the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, The Dyslexia Foundation, Hartwell Foundation, American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation, and the Society for Music Perception and Cognition.
