Johanna Dasovich-Wilson is a PhD candidate at the University of Jyväskylä. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Queen's University (Canada) and a Master of Arts in Music, Mind and Technology from University of Jyväskylä. She is a pianist and music theory enthusiast who has developed a penchant for researching musical multimedia and the effects they potentially impose on audiences - whether they like it or not.

She will talk to us about her research on the impact of audio-visual media on music perception:

People have always been drawn to audio-visual presentations of music, whether it be opera, musical theater, or music videos. Living in the 21st century, we are spoiled with choices. In this talk, however, we will be exploring the use of music videos and the role of musical multimedia in today's listening culture. Unlike audio-only experiences, they require more attention. Music videos are a multi-sensory experience. You can just listen to the audio, but the visuals are always lurking, demanding your attention. Research has shown we ascribe meaning to music, whether it be because we associate it with some event in our lives, or because its structural elements, like its modality, timber, rhythm etc., communicates a feeling to us which helps us to understand and appreciate it. With music videos, that meaning is more assertive, the artists intention behind the song may be clearer, and there are consequences to this for the listener.

In this talk, we will explore music video listening experiences, their effects on the individual, and the consequences they impose on future listening experiences. We will explore how our attention is directed during these experiences and the cognitive mechanisms that make the experience impactful. We will also discuss the role of memory and associations in respext to the functions of music. Johanna will discuss the studies she has conducted as part of her PhD, which triangulates qualitative and quantitative research findings in order to get a better picture of how music videos and musical multimedia influences our experience of the music

I look forward to discussing these topics with you all! YouTube killed the radio star, let's investigate!

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The Music Therapy Friendship Initiative promotes collaboration between the clinical music therapy community and the broader scientific and educational communities in Finland and worldwide.

The idea for MTFI began when a few PhD students, studying music psychology and music therapy, accidentally met some students who were studying to become clinical music therapists. We realized that we were sharing University facilities and not much else. We decided that this lack of contact between the research and clinical worlds needed to change, and MTFI was born. We organize monthly MTFI Get-Togethers (Now in Zoom!), special events, and full-day seminars, where music therapists and music psychologists (and anyone else interested in these topics) can get to know each other and learn from each other. We hope you’ll join us!