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THE NEUROSCIENCE OF IMPROVISATION

THE NEUROSCIENCE OF IMPROVISATION

Exploring the neurobiology of improvisation and related topics, such as music, meditation, dreaming, psychedelics, consciousness, and behavior change, with science-based insights into deepening your practice of improvisation.

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Author: Bradley Vines

Dr. Bradley Vines is a cognitive neuroscientist specializing in music emotion, perception, and performance, and a saxophonist. He holds a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from McGill University, an M.B.A. from the University of Oxford, and a B.A. in Cognitive Science from UC Berkeley. He has postdoctoral research training in the Department of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and the Center for Mind and Brain at UC Davis, and has been a Research Associate and Lab Director at the Institute of Mental Health in the University of British Columbia Department of Psychiatry. Bradley has received competitive grants for his research from the GRAMMY Foundation, the National Institutes of Health (NINDS), and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. He has 26 academic publications to his name, which have been cited in the literature more than 2,700 times and referenced in major media outlets including the New York Times, US News and World Report, and Businessweek. His published work includes research on music for stroke recovery, the epigenetics of music learning, multisensory integration in the perception of music, neuroplasticity in fine motor coordination, and pitch memory. Most recently, he led research on music for psychedelic therapy as Chief Science Officer at Wavepaths and conducted research on music in advertising and sonic branding as Director of Neuroscience at Nielsen. He currently teaches Music Cognition for Berklee College of Music Online. As a saxophonist, Bradley studied jazz improvisation in the William Paterson University Jazz program and privately with Gary Smulyan, Paul Nedzela, Knoel Scott, and Allaudin Mathieu. He has also studied South Indian Carnatic music with several prominent musicians in that tradition, including Dr. Vijaya Bharati, Ghatam Suresh Vaidyanathan, and Prasant Radhakrishnan. Bradley has contributed to music for psychedelic therapy as a Wavepaths artist and has performed with musicians such as Eddie Gayle, Mel Martin, and Steve Turre, in a variety of venues including Yoshi's Oakland and Zellerbach Hall.

A workshop on Artificial Intelligence and The Neuroscience of Improvisation (14 April 2024, 2:00 pm PST)

This workshop provides an overview of developments in AI involving music creation and improvisation, including a high-level exploration of how … More

AI, Artificial Intelligence, creativity, improvisation, music, neuroscience

A workshop on IMPROVISATION AND MEDITATION on March 10, 2024

See the CJC website for details: https://jazzschool.cjc.edu/event/improvisation-and-meditation-awakening-to-your-musical-mind-w-bradley-vines/ Improvisation and Meditation: Awakening to Your Musical Mind Overview Embark on an exploration of … More

Improvisation and Dreaming: Comparing These Intriguing States of Mind and Brain

In this program, we compare dreaming and improvisation focusing on creative synergies, experiential similarities, and the underlying neurophysiology. These states … More

dreaming, improvisation, neuroscience

What do improvisation, dreaming, and psychedelics have in common from a neuroscience perspective?

What is the experience of improvisation and what are its neurobiological correlates? One way to flesh out an answer, or … More

How do neuroscience findings compare with the intuitions of great improvisers?

This episode shares overviews of seminal neuroimaging studies that provide insights into what happens in the brain during improvisation. You … More

creativity, interviews, jazz, neuroscience

Playbook for Acquiring the Language of Improvisation, with drummer and educator Sammy Miller

In this episode, we have the pleasure of chatting with the marvelous Sammy Miller, the founder of Playbook, which is … More

A workshop on IMPROVISATION AND DREAMING on December 3rd

EXPLORING THE NONCONSCIOUS THROUGH MUSIC Join us for an illuminating journey into the realms of improvisation and dreaming, where music … More

Improvisation and The Attainment of Excellence, with Carnatic Percussionist Dr. Suresh Vaidyanathan

Our guest for this episode is Dr. Suresh Vaidyanathan, who is widely recognized as Ghatam Suresh. He is an extraordinary … More

improvisation, neuroscience

The Neuroscience of Effortless Mastery, with pianist, composer, and author Kenny Werner

This is an interview with the incomparable Kenny Werner. He is an improvising pianist and author whose impact on the … More

breathing, improvisation, Indian Philosophy, Kenny Werner, neuroscience, piano

A Life of Improvisation, with drummer Tommy Campbell

In this episode, we present an interview with the magnificent Tommy Campbell. Tommy is a drummer who has performed with … More

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