YAMsession 2016 - Meet the Speakers

We proudly present Dr. Alexandra Lamont, Keele University, and Katri Saarikivi, Cognitive Brain Research Unit, University of Helsinki
26 Sep, 2016

YAMsession 2016 has now confirmed the two international speakers to spread light on what current research say about music and children: Dr. Alexandra Lamont, Keele University, UK and Katri Saarikivi, Cognitive Brain Research Unit, University of Helsinki, SF.


Dr Alexandra Lamont is senior lecturer in psychology of music at Keele University, UK. She is a member of the Centre for Psychological Research within the Research Institute for Social Sciences and Editor of the journal, Psychology of Music. Dr Lamont’s research centres on issues of musical development and musical engagement across the lifecourse. The main research question is why and how people choose to engage with music. Why does a toddler respond well to a familiar piece of music? What can children learn about themselves through music? Why do we experience strong emotions in relation to music at festivals and live concerts? What kinds of social bonds are formed through active musical engagement? Her research focuses on exploring these questions in everyday settings and placing musical experience in the wider context of people's lives

At YAMsession 2016, Dr. Lamont will talk about musical preferences in young people :

Music preferences change across the lifespan, but this talk challenges the notion that young people don’t like classical music by presenting evidence that young audiences can be attracted to many forms of music. I show how preference is shaped by experience, and outline experiences that can help young people engage with unfamiliar types of music.


Katri Saarikivi is a cognitive neuroscientist and leader of the NEMO (Natural Emotions in Digital Interaction) Project at the Cognitive Brain Research Unit at the University of Helsinki, Finland. In her research Katri explores brain processes related to learning and how they can be shaped through interaction. She also works with organizations on subjects like the future of work, digital work, connectivity, creativity, and other human-centered aspects of work. She hopes to bring relevant neuroscientific knowledge to organizations to help in understanding how supporting human interaction and learning can lead to value creation and wellbeing. Her PhD at the Cognitive Brain Research Unit looks at how intensive music or dance training during childhood influences the development of executive functions.

Katri Saarikivi will explore the relation between empathy and music:   

We are more connected than ever, but at the same time it feels like it has never been this easy to lose contact to others. Our digital tools for collaboration fail to support many aspects that lie at the core of functional human connection. Could recent scientific discovery in the neuroscience of music help find ways of reanimating empathy online?

Please note that the previously announced speaker, David Hargreaves, regrettably cannot make it to this year’s YAMsession, as he unexpectedly had to undergo surgery.

For more info about YAMsession and the 2016 programme, check out the YAMsession website