This week’s presentations were a great way for all of us to finally figure out what in the world everyone else in this program is spending their days doing. And one project in particular really caught my eye, partially because I love music but also because it was one of the few non-medical projects. Wilson’s project is all about studying the physical movements of playing piano and how that can tell us the neurological processes behind playing an instrument. Using people with varying levels of experience with the piano, they film the subject playing whatever sequence they just learned. They can then use this film to study how much the test subject anticipates the notes that are next. For example, if the subject knows what notes are coming and is anticipating the movements, he/she tends to set their hands in an optimal position to reach those notes during the notes that come beforehand, so that the test subject can minimize the amount that he/she has to move. In addition, Wilson’s lab is also tracking how hard each of the notes are hit, which can also demonstrate how much the test subject is anticipating the notes because if you are stressed about not knowing which notes come next you are less likely to be able to hit the keys softly even when the music requires it.
I grew up playing piano, and like most other kids my age I eventually made the terrible decision to stop playing. However, I still love sitting down at the piano from time to time and trying random songs. In addition, my father is an amazing piano player, so I have always loved listening to him play. While sometimes I feel as though studying the science behind things such as dance and music goes against the purpose of these things, it is also fascinating to attempt to unravel the mystery of how our brains interpret and learn these practices. Therefore, I loved hearing about what Wilson is working on this summer.
