Students invited to test their musical prowess

Young ears are bombarded with music from multiple sources – radio, Internet, MP3 players, television, bars and concerts.

Yet how is this deluge of music affecting how young minds process melodies? Scientists from the International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS) would like to answer that question by inviting undergraduates to take part in a new study on music perception.

Anyone who’s curious about their ability to differentiate melodies can log onto www.brams.org/tests to sample song excerpts, provide feedback and a questionnaire on their musical habits.

Each participant will be scored on their musical prowess and be eligible for a 20$ gift certificate for the iTunes music store (one prize will be drawn for every 50 participants).

“Through this unique study, we hope to measure the music aptitude of modern students,” explains lead researcher Mélanie A. Provost, a master’s student at BRAMS, a research centre that is jointly operated by the Université de Montréal and MNI, McGill University.