Podcasts About Music Cognition, Music Psychology, and Music Science
Podcasts are a great way to keep up with the latest and greatest in music science! Whether you’re a music research nerd, or a musician looking to understand what’s going on when you engage with music, there are lots of options available. Check out our list below to find your new favorite music and psychology podcast!
Instru(mental), aka this podcast reviews music cognition research from a music therapist’s perspective. The host, Brea Murakami, shares how she translates music psychology and music science research into her music therapy sessions to help her clients thrive. Every episode features practical tips for applying what you learning about music into everyday life!
Song Appeal is a podcast that tries to answer the question, “why do we like the music we like?” Hosted by Hunter Farris, each episode highlights a different catchy song and analyzes the music psychology and theory that explains why that song is so popular. At 10-15 minutes per episode, Song Appeal is the perfect music psychology pick-me-up on the go.
Interested in a deep dive into cutting-edge music science research? Be sure to check out So Strangely, a podcast hosted by Dr. Finn Upham. With an interview format, you’ll get an overview of a recent music science study from people actually doing the research. This is a great choice for those interested in keeping up with the latest in the science community!
Cadence is a podcast that tells stories about music and the mind. The host is Indre Viskontas, a neuroscientist and opera singer who illuminates the science behind the featured stories. Topics from the first two seasons include music savants, writing songs to learn English, and musical universals.
This series of podcasts was released by the Library of Congress between 2009 and 2011. It features interviews with many leaders in the music psychology and music therapy community spanning topics as wide as Music and Memory, Dangerous Music, and Acoustic Medicine.