Of Molecules and Melodies

Coleman concert to explore connections between music, brain

Midland Daily News

Published 5:00 am EDT, Thursday, August 29, 2019

What happens inside your head when you listen to music? Do the atoms and molecules dance like the rest of you? Do the neurons light up like disco lights?

Questions like that will be answered on Saturday, Sept. 7 during a talk “Of Molecules and Melodies: The Neurochemistry of Music” by Professor Edward Roth from Western Michigan University, accompanied by performances by local musicians Angelo Cassar, Brad DeRoche, Kris Goodwin and David Wayne Smith.

This event is presented by the Midland Section of the American Chemical Society and Coleman Faith United Methodist Church as part of the Concerts in Coleman series. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with the event beginning at 6. Admission is free and a reception will follow. Faith UMC is located at 209 E. Jefferson St. in Coleman, at the corner of Fifth and Jefferson.

Roth is the director of the laboratory for brain research and interdisciplinary neurosciences (BRAIN) and director of the music therapy at Western Michigan University.

The BRAIN lab explores how the human brain generates our abilities to think, speak, feel, and move and how these functions are modified by the perception and production of music and other types of sound. The work combines a variety of research disciplines including psychophysiological, neuro-imaging, and behavioral research methodologies to create more effective clinical strategies for people diagnosed with various neurological disorders. Visit the BRAIN Lab website (https://wmich.edu/brain) for more details on this important area of research.

Roth has presented at conferences around the world, most recently at the Kennedy Center in New York City, and published in professional journals on music therapy, science and health. He is a percussionist who primarily studied as a marimbist and more currently plays drums and piano.

The Midland Section of the American Chemical Society (http://www.midlandacs.org/) has existed for almost 80 years and conducts a wide variety of community outreach events to introduce students and the wider community to the fascinating possibilities of science.

The Concerts in Coleman series by the Faith UMC strives to bring high quality artistic performances to Coleman that area residents might not have access to otherwise. More information is available by contacting the church office at 989-465-6181, online at www.faith-umc-coleman.com, or by calling Ann Sigsby at 989-615-2599.