Thursday, April 16, 2026
The USC Center for Music, Brain, and Society warmly invites you to an engaging lecture with Dr. Elizabeth Margulis from Princeton University. This talk explores how listening to music naturally evokes vivid autobiographical memories and imagined scenes that feel deeply personal, yet are surprisingly shared across listeners within a culture. By studying these spontaneous thoughts, the research reveals how music can shape collective patterns of imagination and mental experience over time. This is a hybrid event. For accurate head counts, please RSVP.
POSTPONED
The USC Center for Music, Brain and Society warmly invites you to a special lecture featuring Dr. Haley Kragness. Who chooses to sing, dance, or play music? Participating in musical activities has social and emotional benefits throughout the lifespan: for instance, singing, clapping, and dancing with others enhances social bonds for children and adults alike, and musical activities may have protective effects against age-related hearing loss. It is therefore critical to understand the factors shaping enthusiasm (or reluctance) to engage in musical activities throughout the lifespan. In this work, she explores several mechanisms likely to contribute to lifelong musical engagement: children’s musical abilities, their attitudes about the origins of musical abilities, and their beliefs about who should play music.
This event will be held both virtually and in-person on the UPC Campus. This event is currently being rescheduled to a new time and date. Please visit our website for updates.
Past Events
Check out various events the Center for Music, Brain and Society has hosted. We have hosted a variety of events including faculty talks, book talks and symposium around the intersection of arts, health and research.
Past Events Gallery
