The 1st Bali Workshop on Music & Brain, held from January 10-12, 2024, at the Tsinghua Southeast Asia Center, brought together a distinguished assembly of scholars and practitioners from neuroscience, arts, psychology, and biomedical engineering. Organized by Prof. Stella Christie and the Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, the workshop featured experts from leading institutions, including Tsinghua University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Calgary, and the University of Minnesota. Over the course of three days, 33 participants engaged in thought-provoking dialogues and lectures that explored the intricate intersections of music and cognition.
Discussions spanned a diverse range of topics, delving into the evolutionary roots of musicality, the mechanisms underlying human music perception, and the nuances of testing conditions in auditory research. Scholars debated the aesthetics of live performances and concert hall acoustics, while clinicians and educators examined the therapeutic applications of music in counseling and medical settings. A particularly compelling session addressed the imperative of integrating music and the arts into neuroscience education, underscoring the interdisciplinary nature of creativity and cognition. These conversations not only deepened academic understanding but also illuminated the potential for music to serve as a bridge between scientific inquiry and artistic expression.
The workshop culminated in a captivating live performance by a 21-piece Gamelan orchestra, an immersive experience that seamlessly blended scholarly discourse with cultural exploration. Participants were invited to join the musicians, feeling the rhythms resonate through the traditional Balinese instruments. This hands-on engagement underscored one of the workshop’s key themes: that music is not merely an object of study but a lived, embodied experience that connects individuals across disciplines, cultures, and traditions. As the final notes faded into the tropical evening, the event left an indelible impression, inspiring future research and collaboration at the nexus of music and the brain.
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