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Centre for Music and Science

 

Interested students are highly encouraged to make music and science a significant part of their undergraduate degrees at the Faculty of Music. Currently, there are three main music and science options that you can select during your degree:

  • The Part IB (second-year) course Introduction to Music and Science. This course provides a broad introduction to the field of music and science, ranging from the acoustics of pitch perception to the evolutionary basis of musical emotions. The course also provides a grounding in empirical research methods, with a view to supporting students to conduct research projects in the future.
  • The Part II (third-year) course Exploring Music Psychology: From Theory to Practice. This course takes a deeper dive into music psychology, providing a chance to explore particular research topics in greater detail, and to design one's own research projects.
  • The Part II (third-year) dissertation. This is an open coursework option that allows students to design and conduct a full research project in the domain of music and science.

These courses are primarily attended by undergraduate students from the Faculty of Music; however, it is also possible for Part II Biological and Biomedical Sciences students to take the Part II music psychology course as a Minor Subject.

It is also possible for other students at the Faculty of Music to audit music and science classes informally and without examination. Students interested in this possibility should contact the CMS director Peter Harrison as soon as convenient.

Please see this link for more general information about applying for undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Music.

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Latest news

ICMPC17 presentation - Huw Cheston - Coordination Strategies in Networked Jazz Performances

4 September 2023

We just got back from from an inspiring ICMPC17 (International Conference for Music Perception and Cognition) in Tokyo. It was so great to hear from music psychology laboratories over the world, and to reconnect with old friends and colleagues. Several of our CMS members presented at this conference, including PhD student...

Michaelmas 2023 seminars announced

30 August 2023

The seminar list for Michaelmas 2023 has now been published on the CMS seminars page ! We are excited to have guests joining us from institutes around the world, including Europe, the United States, and Australia, to talk about a variety of topics spanning pitch, rhythm, timbre, and memory.

Research associate position for managing a randomised controlled trial of music therapy with autistic children

30 August 2023

The Autism Research Centre at the Cambridge Department of Psychiatry is looking to appoint a research associate (fixed-term) to manage a randomised controlled trial of music therapy with autistic children. The application deadline is 10 September 2023. For more details see the following link: https://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job...