Music, Mind and Medicine: Creativity and Consciousness in Clinical Care was a two-day event that presented and examined the current state of scientific, artistic, and clinical thinking around the use of music in therapy, medicine, and education. A group of world class experts, many of whom are trained both as scientist-clinicians as well as highly accomplished musicians in their own right, convened to meet the primary objectives of the conference:.
The presentation of the most contemporary thinking and "cutting edge" research related to the neuroscience of music and its relationship to therapy, medicine, and human development Emphasize the unique social and emotional characteristics of improvisation and its connection to creativity and consciousness Development of the most important questions and methods to pursue for future research, clinical practice, brain development, and expansion of artistic expression.
Through a series of presentations, performances, and experiential opportunities, the panel and conference attendees engaged in a dialogue structured to deepen our understanding of all aspects of music production and perception. This includes the musical and extra-musical processes involved with extemporaneous music-making, the underlying neural correlates of improvisation, and the application of that knowledge toward clinical applications of music. Both days of the conference included performances, lectures, and audience participation to generate a more complete understanding of music, creativity, and improvisation, including its cognitive, emotional, and social implications.
Attendees included physicians, musicians, health care practitioners, educators, music therapists, and psychologists/counselors; generally, those involved with research, music, and/or the clinical treatment of people with developmental, neurologic, and mental health disorders.