Music is a window into how the brain thinks, feels, and heals. The Music & the Brain Summer School explores the fascinating intersection of neuroscience and music, an increasingly interdisciplinary field that connects fundamental research with real-world applications.
The program welcomes undergraduate and PhD students, as well as early-career researchers and professionals interested in understanding how music shapes cognition, emotion, and behavior. Participants will explore the neural mechanisms underlying music perception, movement, emotion, and social cognition. They will gain hands-on experience with neuroimaging techniques, learn from clinicians applying music-based interventions in neurological and psychiatric contexts, and engage in interactive discussions with leading experts in the field.
Set in the beautiful city of Pavia and hosted by one of the oldest universities in Europe, the summer school also offers a platform for international collaboration, fostering new academic exchanges and research partnerships.
The Summer School will take place from Monday, June 22 (afternoon) to Friday, June 26 (morning).
In the morning sessions, participants will engage with state-of-the-art research through lectures by internationally renowned scholars, complemented by interactive activities and open discussions. These sessions will address key topics: music across development, sensorimotor and predictive processing, affective responses, and social processes in music cognition.
The afternoon sessions will be dedicated to a “Where are we going?” perspective, aiming to foreground the major theoretical and methodological challenges of the field and to explore emerging research questions and future directions. Topics will include: music beyond the human species, methodological innovations such as hyperscanning, and crucial experimental challenges, including multilab and large-scale collaborative studies.
In turn, these sessions will foster critical discussion, interdisciplinary exchange, and reflection on how current approaches can be expanded within the psychology and neuroscience of music in the years to come.
For Erasmus+ BIP students from partner universities, additional online classes are also planned before and after the Summer School.
A welcome cocktail will be held on Monday afternoon at the end of the first session, offering participants an opportunity to meet and connect.
On Thursday evening, a dinner will be held for all participants, preceded by a social activity to explore and experience the city of Pavia.
The school will be open to 30 qualified and selected participants.
The registration fee is 390 euros and include:
Note: Accommodation and travel are not included.
Participants from partner universities (Aarhus University, Université Bourgogne Europe) are eligible for financial support through the Erasmus+ BIP program.
The Summer School will take place at the University of Pavia, one of the oldest universities in Europe. Pavia is a vibrant student city with a strong academic tradition and a lively atmosphere.
Pavia is a 25–35 minute train ride from Milan and offers easy access to the Ligurian coast, the Apennine mountains, and many culturally and historically rich destinations across Italy.
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A range of accommodation options is available in the city, including hotels, B&B, student residences, shared flats and private apartments, many within easy reach of the university.
Lectures will be held in the Aula Golgi, a historic frescoed amphitheatre located inside the Camillo Golgi Museum. Camillo Golgi was awarded the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the structure of the nervous system, making it an inspiring venue for studying and discussing the neuroscience of music.
The organizing committee remains available to provide any further information or assistance
regarding accommodation and local arrangements.
For any additional information about the school, you can contact the organizing committee at: