# MBB Junior Symposium 2025: Music and Health: Putting Knowledge into Practice #### calendar\_today Date and Time **February 28, 2025** 04:00PM - 06:00PM EST #### pin\_drop Location **Holden Chapel, Harvard Yard** Please note: This event is not open to the public. The MBB junior symposium features talks by and discussions with a variety of scholars on an interdisciplinary theme in mind/brain/behavior. The symposium will include speaker presentations and a panel discussion with speakers and symposium organizers. Participation is required of students pursuing the Certificate in MBB (students in honors MBB tracks) and is also open and recommended to students pursuing or considering a secondary field in MBB. **SYMPOSIUM THEME** The symposium Music and Health: Putting Knowledge into Practice will explore the intersection of music, health, and neuroscience, from its impact on brain plasticity to its transformative applications in community and healthcare settings. Through an interdisciplinary lens, this event will showcase how our growing scientific knowledge impacts real-world music-based therapeutic interventions. **PRE-REGISTRATION** Please pre-register at [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1wAXblRf-64ONdvDDzR8QW4Rf0NplGJIqicOmPm\_Gnes](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1wAXblRf-64ONdvDDzR8QW4Rf0NplGJIqicOmPm_Gnes). If you are an MBB track junior or senior attending for credit, or an MBB secondary field junior or senior, please pre-register by noon on Thursday, February 27th. If you are an MBB sophomore, a first-year considering an MBB track or secondary field, or not an MBB student, please pre-register by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, February 25th; space is limited for these categories and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. **SCHEDULE** 4 p.m. – **Welcome, Introduction, and Musical Performance**, *Lisa Wong & Performers* 4:15 p.m. – **Music and the developing brain: A window into brain plasticity**, *Marija Pranjić* 4:30 p.m. – **Neurodiversity as Ingenuity: Rethinking Music Expertise, Value, and Voice**, *Andrew Clark* 4:45 p.m. – **Neurologic Music Therapy: Integrating Music into Clinical Practice for Enhanced Health Outcomes**, Caitlin Hebb 5:00 p.m. – **Music, Stress, and Stories: Collaborative Songwriting and Mental Health**, *Ronald Hirschberg* 5:15 p.m. – **Panel Discussion, Q&A** 5:45 p.m. – **Summary and Reflection on the Next Steps** **TALKS AND SPEAKERS** **MUSIC AND THE DEVELOPING BRAIN: A WINDOW INTO BRAIN PLASTICITY**, Marija Pranjić *(Research Fellow in Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital, Medical School, , [https://www.childrenshospital.org/research/labs/laboratories-cognitive-…](https://www.childrenshospital.org/research/labs/laboratories-cognitive-neuroscience-research))* With the advent of modern neuroimaging technology, there has been a rapid expansion of neuroscientific research on music and its biomedical applications. This lecture will explore state-of-the-art research in both basic and applied music neuroscience, with a particular focus on the role of musical training and music-based interventions in shaping brain plasticity during early childhood. **NEURODIVERSITY AS INGENUITY: RETHINKING MUSIC EXPERTISE, VALUE, AND VOICE**, Andrew Clark *(Senior Lecturer on Music, Music/FAS, )* Music has long been used to heal and rehabilitate, but what if disability itself could transform and enrich musical practice? This session explores how disability culture and neurodiversity challenge traditional notions of musical expertise and value. Drawing from the work of Cambridge Common Voices, a neurodiverse vocal ensemble, we will examine how disability experience and aesthetics can reshape choral music, fostering inclusion, creativity, and new socio-musical possibilities. **NEUROLOGIC MUSIC THERAPY: INTEGRATING MUSIC INTO CLINICAL PRACTICE FOR ENHANCED HEALTH OUTCOMES**, Caitlin Hebb *(Neurologic Music Therapy Fellow and Clinical Operations Manager, MedRhythms Therapy, )* This presentation will explore Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT)®—the application of music to address cognitive, sensory, and motor dysfunctions from neurologic diseases. NMT employs standardized interventions to achieve non-musical goals like mobility, speech, and cognition, leveraging music's ability to induce neuroplastic changes in the brain. Effective with diverse populations, including those recovering from stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s Disease, and Multiple Sclerosis, the session will provide an overview of the neuroscience behind music and showcase various NMT treatment techniques. **MUSIC, STRESS, AND STORIES: COLLABORATIVE SONGWRITING AND MENTAL HEALTH**, Ronald Hirschberg *(Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Massachusetts General Hospital, Medical School, )* Military Veterans are likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as traumatic brain injury (TBI), depression, yet current gold-standard treatments for PTSD are not effective for all patients. This talk will review music and stress, and focus on a collaborative songwriting intervention (CSI), exploring its potential effectiveness in improving mental health outcomes for veterans with PTSD. **ORGANIZERS** **Lisa Wong** *(Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Milton Pediatric/Massachusetts General Hospital, Medical School, , )* **Marija Pranjić** *(Research Fellow in Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital, Medical School, , [https://www.childrenshospital.org/research/labs/laboratories-cognitive-…](https://www.childrenshospital.org/research/labs/laboratories-cognitive-neuroscience-research))* See also:- [ Junior Symposium ](/event-type/junior-symposium) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#) Save: [ Add to calendar calendar\_today ](https://mbb.harvard.edu/node/1628156/event-feed.ics) Copy link link