GELIFES Seminars - Henkjan Honing

Link to seminar

Henkjan Honing (University of Amsterdam)

Unravelling our capacity for music

Even those of us who can't play a musical instrument or lack a sense of rhythm can perceive and enjoy music. Research shows that all humans possess the trait of musicality. We are a musical species—but are we the only musical species? Is our musical predisposition unique, like our linguistic ability? In his presentation, Henkjan Honing will discuss what we currently know about the origins of musicality, along with the empirical evidence in humans and other animals in support of this.

Biosketch:
Henkjan Honing is Professor of Music Cognition at both the Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Science of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). He studies what musicality is and to what extent human beings share musicality with other animals. His aim is to define the cognitive and biological mechanisms that underpin musicality. In addition to a research agenda (The Origins of Musicality, 2018, MIT Press), Honing has published several books for the general public, including Music Cognition: The Basics (Routledge, 2022) and The Evolving Animal Orchestra (MIT Press, 2019).