Arts and Culture News

September 9, 2016

Humans Dance to the Same Beat

Could Playing Music Improve Kids' Brains?

Origin of Music by Means of Natural Selection

Creating Simplicity: How Music Fools the Ear

Latest Headlines

updated 1:02am EDT

Almost All Food, Beverage Products Marketed by Music Stars Are Unhealthy

June 6, 2016 — The first study to quantify nutritional quality of food and drinks endorsed by music celebrities popular among teens has concluded that almost all such products are unhealthy. None of the music stars ... read more

What Musical Taste Tells Us About Social Class

June 3, 2015 — Love the opera? Hungry for hip hop? It turns out that your musical likes and dislikes may say more about you than you think, according to ... read more

First Evolutionary History of 50 Years of Music Charts Using Big Data Analysis of Sounds

May 6, 2015 — Evolutionary biologists and computer scientists have come together study the evolution of pop music. Their analysis of ... read more

Want to Improve Your Putt? Try Listening to Jazz

Nov. 12, 2014 — Listening to jazz music while putting can boost your performance on the putting green, according to new research. While any kind of music improves performance compared to ... read more

Links Between Grammar, Rhythm Explored by Researchers

Nov. 5, 2014 — A child's ability to distinguish musical rhythm is related to his or her capacity for understanding grammar, according to a recent study. The study is the first of its kind to show an association ... read more

What Makes a Song Sing? Backup Singers

Sep. 29, 2014 — What made Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” a No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1983, and other songs, like Madonna’s 1999 “Nothing Really Matters,” flounder at 90 or below? New ... read more

Why Do We Enjoy Listening to Sad Music?

July 11, 2013 — Sad music might actually evoke positive emotions, reveals a new study by ... read more

Teens Involved in Arts Activities Report More Depressive Symptoms Than Teens Not Involved in the Arts

Nov. 20, 2012 — Teens who participate in after-school arts activities such as music, drama and painting are more likely to report feeling depressed or sad than ... read more

Emotional Expression in Music and Speech Share Similar Tonal Properties

Mar. 14, 2012 — Music is a very strong emotional communicator, and different cultures have different emotional associations for different musical "modes". Now, a new cross-cultural study shows that tonal trends used ... read more

Tone Language Is Key To Perfect Pitch

May 19, 2009 — "Perfect" or "absolute" pitch is quite rare in the U.S. and Europe. But musicians who speak an East Asian tone language fluently are much more likely to have ... read more

Sting's Musical Mind Revealed by Brain Scan

A New Zoo Opens in Pyongyang

Making Art out of Pollution

Zoo Director Defends Decision to Shoot Gorilla

Ionian Musical Heritage Conservation Goes Digital

Apr. 20, 2016 — Digitization and the web are being used to manage and disseminate cultural heritage, according to new research. A new study focuses on an Ionian music archive to show how modern technology can be ... read more

UK Children Play Instruments as Part of Family Tradition, Not to Boost Social Status

Oct. 27, 2015 — British parents encourage their children to play musical instruments as part of a family tradition and not to boost their social status as Americans do, research ... read more

Why Middle Class People Are More Likely to Play Music, Paint and Act Revealed

Sep. 15, 2015 — The reason why middle class people are more likely to play music, paint and act has been revealed in a major new study. Research involving 78,000 people found that it was not wealth or social status ... read more

Big Data Reveals Classical Music Creation Secrets

Apr. 30, 2015 — A new study uncovers how classical music composers collaborate, mix, and influence one another: Results show how culture evolves and predict the future of the recording market. A team of scientists ... read more

New Way of Syncing Music to Video Will Revolutionize the Production of TV/video Ads

Oct. 15, 2014 — A researcher has shown that tiny tweaks to the soundtrack can make TV ads much more memorable, increasing their commercial ... read more

Teenagers Learn About Modern Life Through Celebrity Culture, Says Academic

June 17, 2014 — Teenagers interested in celebrity culture are more likely to have a well-rounded knowledge of modern life and awareness of issues relating to politics, economics and the media, a leading Media Arts ... read more

Super Bowl Ads Score With Popular Music

Jan. 23, 2014 — Researchers are wrapping up a 10-year study of popular music in Super Bowl commercials this year. Through this research they will illustrate the frequency in which advertisers employ popular music to ... read more

Repetition in Music Pulls Us In, Together

Nov. 5, 2013 — A researcher explores the psychology of repetition in music, across time, style and ... read more

Music Lessons Enhance the Quality of School Life

Aug. 30, 2013 — A new study examined whether an extended music education had an impact on pupils' experienced satisfaction with the school. Nearly a thousand pupils at ten Finnish schools with extended music ... read more

Same Beat Set to Different Tunes Changes Walkers' Pace

July 10, 2013 — Personal tastes in music have little to do with how we keep time to a tune while walking, according to new ... read more

In the Mood for Music

June 26, 2013 — Could a computer distinguish between the moods of a mournful classical movement or an angst-ridden emo rock song? Research suggests that it should be possible to categorize music accurately without ... read more

New Technology Modifies Music Hall Acoustics

May 30, 2013 — With the flick of a switch, inflatable sound absorbers can turn classical music halls into houses of ... read more

Music Rules in Special Creative and Experimental 'Play Zones'

Sep. 14, 2012 — Like reading, learning to sing and make music can be modeled by parents and teachers. Special areas called music play zones encourage children to make ... read more

The Definition of a Musical Instrument

Dec. 6, 2011 — The sounds produced by a fiddle are not always musical, but the fiddle is still nevertheless regarded as a musical instrument. However, if one uses sticks or car engines to create music – do they ... read more

Songs About Sex -- How They Affect Kids: Study Questions the Impact of Sexualized Lyrics on Adolescent Behaviors and Attitudes

Sep. 6, 2011 — Do sexualized lyrics in popular music have an impact on the sexual behavior and attitudes of adolescents? Researchers recently took a look at the trend of increasing use of sexually explicit lyrics ... read more