B.Mus., Ph.D.
Neuroscientist, Music Educator, Writer, Speaker
Biography
Tara Gaertner is a neuroscientist, music educator, writer and speaker. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music from McGill University and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Texas, Houston. She has taught piano, flute, and music theory since for over twenty years including teaching the Music for Young Children program as well as private piano and flute lessons. She has taught neuroscience at the University of British Columbia for over ten years, and is an Adjunct Professor in the department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy.
With her background in neuroscience research and her experience as a music teacher, Tara is passionate about understanding how our brains process and learn music. Currently writing a book entitled Training the Musical Brain, she maintains a blog of the same name where she discusses recent research in music psychology, motor learning, the neuroscience of motivation, and other topics related to the neuroscience of music pedagogy.
There are a remarkable number of brain regions involved in processing and making music, so it’s not surprising to find that time and effort spent learning how to make music leads both to physical changes in the brain and improvements in the capabilities of the person who owns that brain. Tara combines relatable stories with the latest research in her blog, Training the Musical Brain, as well as in a book she is writing. Here are some examples of the topics covered.
In some cases, when people learn to do something, there is more activity in their brains, and researchers say: “See, that’s because they’re using more of their brains for this!” But sometimes there is less activity, and the researchers conclude that when we are good at something, our brains are more efficient. So, which is it?
The use of song as a mnemonic device is well-known and we’ve pretty much all used this technique, starting "the ABC song" to learn the alphabet. Many university students make use of songs to memorize facts; I recommend it to my neuroscience students. I even own a copy of The Biochemists’ Songbook a whole book of songs for learning metabolic pathways. Does wrapping information in music really make it easier to remember? And, if so, why?
When things are written smaller, they seem harder. Just knowing this fact helps kids understand that a new book isn’t going to be more difficult to play. But unfortunately, the smaller print does actually make this music harder for the children to read. Why is this?
Tara has taught the Music for Young Children piano program, Music Pups classes for children 0 to 4, and private piano and flute lessons for beginner to intermediate students in southwest Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She is a classically trained pianist and flutist who has a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from McGill University, as well as Grade 10 piano certification from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She has taught private lessons in piano, flute, and music theory since 1988. She performs in Vancouver on flute and piano, with the Broadway Chorus musical theatre group and the Vancouver Pops orchestra.
Effective summer 2020, Tara has “retired” from teaching music classes in order to continue her studies in medical school.
The studio, located at St. Faith’s church in Kerrisdale, is now in the excellent care of Nancy Mann. She offers the MYC program for children aged 3 to 9, as well as private piano lessons. Please contact her at nancyemann@gmail.com or visit her website.
Tara has given seminars and workshops about music and the brain to both local and international audiences. Topics include: