I've spent nearly 20 years researching and writing about the effects of music, rhythm and childhood education on the evolution and development of the brain. Now I use evidence from brain science to inspire a new vision of what the developing child needs to find rhythm, and to feel whole—and connected.
I partner with professional arts organizations, schools and hospitals to teach about the science and art of music in development, in education and in healing. When I'm not in the science lab, teaching graduate and undergraduate students, or working in the community, I apply the principles of rhythm and connection to the teaching of yoga, and to raising my family.
Cv in brief
I completed a Bachelor of Humanities & Arts in Psychology and Music Performance from Carnegie Mellon University, a PhD in Auditory Development and Music Perception from the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind in Ontario, a fellowship in Science Journalism at the Banff Centre for the Arts, and postdoctoral research fellowships in Music Neuropsychology at the International Laboratory for Brain, Music & Sound in Montreal, and in the Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition at Georgetown University.
My work is published in scientific journals including Science, Hearing Research, Neuropsychologia, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, Frontiers in Education, and Research in Developmental Disabilities. My research has been featured in USA Today, Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, CBC, Men’s Health, The Altantic, NPR, The Discovery Channel, and in popular books including The Body has a Mind of Its Own, and Welcome to Your Child’s Brain. I have reviewed and edited popular science books on music and the brain, including The Power of Music by filmmaker Elena Mannes, and a review for Science Magazine of Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks.
As a vocalist, I have recorded and performed with Yoel Diaz Cuban Jazz Session. I am an RYT-200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher.