Launched in 2005, the Music in Human and Social Development (MHSD)* Research Group brings together researchers, theorists and practitioners from multiple disciplines including music, psychology, sociology, medicine, physics, education and neuroscience, in order to explore the complex and powerful role of music in human experience.
Currently directed by Dr Katie Overy and based in the Reid School of Music, we are actively engaged in the research and implementation of therapeutic, educational and social development programmes involving music and are keen to support innovation in these areas. Our work is based on strong links within the community including with schools, orchestras, hospitals, prisons, local authorities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
We have supported 40+ PGR students and postdoctoral fellows to date, and we host regular interdisciplinary, international seminars, workshops and conferences around original themes of shared interest, such as ‘Interactive Minds’ (2005), ‘Music, Language and Movement’ (2007), ‘Dance, Timing and Musical Gesture’ (2008), ‘Music, Pattern and Mathematics’ (2010), ‘Music and the Neurosciences IV: Learning and Memory’ (2011), ‘Rhythms in Scotland’ (2012), ‘The Child’s Curriculum’ (2010-2013), ‘The Diverse, Musical Brain’ (2019) and ‘Participation’ (2022).
*Previously known as the Institute for Music in Human and Social Development (IMHSD)
