Save the date! Our next Quantu Project Workshop is coming up on Saturday, October 26th at 10 am. We're excited to announce that Dr. Tracy Cowden, the new Dept Chair of Music at UTSA and a gifted pianist, will present as one of our guest speakers. Tracy researches the effects of music on human health including brain health, neuroplasticity, and learning. The seminar will cover the latest research on the benefits of learning a new instrument and how listening to music influences cognitive health.
Quantu Project Team members will also provide an update on the science behind the Quantu Project, next steps and new opportunities for volunteers on the October 26th workshop. Details and registration information will be emailed soon.
This coming Saturday. Sept 21st, Dr. Cowden is also organizing an open, free event with UT Health School of Nursing and Hearts Need Arts on the Healing Power of Music for caregivers, students, teachers, medical volunteers and all others interested in how music can be used to help engage those struggling with dementia and other health challenges.
Thank you to Quantu Project volunteer and pianist Donna Vinarskai for reaching out, connecting us with Dr. Cowden, and catalyzing new directions of research into music and brain health! With Tracy's and Donna's help, we can advance research on how learning an instrument (see for example, Ross et al., Journal of Neuroscience, 2017) or listening to your favorite music (Ferreri et al., PNAS, 2019;; King et al., Journal for the Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease, 2019) improves cognitive processes, and help put the scientific findings into practice for Quantu Project volunteers.