Which are the most beautiful, the most impressive operas of the last centuries? How did some classical works get into our collective memory and what do movies have to do with that? What role does Amsterdam play in the history of jazz improvisation, what is the Mozart effect and what good is that to you, anyway? Presenter Floris Kortie tries to find the answers to these questions in the ‘Grachtenfestival Colleges’.”
Today Floris Kortie’s guest will be violinist (and Master of Science) Merel Vercammen. Merel and harpist Miriam Overlach are partners in scientific research to establish if listening to music enhances one’s cognitive skills. In 1993, a study was published, stating that listening to Mozarts’ music may induce a short-term improvement on the performance of certain kinds of mental tasks. It was called The Mozart Effect. The research received lots of criticism and by now, it has become clear that it is not the cheerful music that stimulates cognitive skills - it is listening to music that is fitting to the state of mind of the listener, that has this effect.
Today, Merel Vercammen will be testing how much truth there is to this assertion, using the audience as guinea pigs. Following a short explanation on the influence of music on the brain, an app will be used to see if listening to music does indeed make people smarter.
Please note: for this college a smartphone is required.
Met dank aan het Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst