Denison professors and students worked with local children, ages 9-12, to help them understand how music interacts with the brain, during Kids Tech University, a collaborative project between The Works museum, Denison University, and OSU Newark.
Psychology Professor Nestor Matthews and Jazz Ensemble Director Pete Mills, along with several Denison psychology students collaborated on a lesson that illustrated how we understand rhythm.
In a session titled, “How does your brain track musical tempo?” Matthews and Mills demonstrated interactive processes at four lab stations. Each station was staffed by Denison students: Marcos Arnette ‘20, Anthony Bruno ‘20, Folly Folivi ‘22,; Noah Gavia ‘20, Kimberly Gutierrez ‘20, Gabby Oliveri ‘20, Nick Russo ‘20, Cami Walter ‘20, and Betty Xu ‘20).
In one experiment, Mills played Dave Brubeck’s classic “Take 5,” which is in a 5/4 time signature, while Matthews attempted to get the kids to tap out a polyrhythm.
The goal of the series is to get young children (especially under-served children) on to a college campus multiple times to interact with college faculty and college students while learning about science and technology. The same students will be back on Denison’s campus later this semester for a Kids Tech University session titled “How Does Google Work?” with Denison Mathematics and Computer Science Professor Ashwin Lall.
