The scientific knowledge base about the effects of music and music making is constantly expanding. The research projects that the NAMM Foundation Research Division have funded validate and support the importance of music at every stage of life.

Our Mission
To support scientific research that explores the relationship between music and physical and emotional wellness, with particular attention to:

• the elderly population
• the impact of music making on at-risk youth
• the effects of music making and music education

Our Process
Every grant is reviewed by members of the scientific community. The project's methodology is assessed and the ability of the principal researchers to successfully investigate the proposed hypothesis is evaluated, all prior to presentation to the NAMM Foundation Advisory Board for approval.

An additional peer-review process follows the completion of a project when its researchers seek to publish or present the study in scientific journals or at conferences. After undergoing this final vetting process, the results and details of a Research Division-funded study can be widely disseminated to the general public.

To read about grants awarded in a specific year or about a specific research project, click on one of the names below. For the full updated report on our funded projects, download the Funding Report (May 2005), which includes Research Studies and Initiatives in Progress awarded for 2003 and 2004.

1999
Dr. Mireille Besson: "Music, Language and the Brain: Mutual Interactions"
Dr. Emmanuel Bigand: "Do Musicians and Non-Musicians Perceive Music Differently?"
Dr. Timothy Brophy: "A Longitudinal Study of Children's Melodic Improvisations"
Dr. Martin Gardiner: "Benefits of Music Training for Children With and Without Learning Disabilities"
Dr. William Mencl: "Investigation of the Neural Locus of Musical Expectancy"
Dr. Mari Riess-Jones: "Effects of Age and Tempo in Responses to Music"
Dr. Geoffrey Underwood: "Developing a Cognitive Model of Sight-Reading in Pianists"

2000
Dr. Emanuel Donchin: "The Processing of Pitch and Scale: An ERP Study"
Dr. Jenny Saffran: "Music Learning and Memory by Human Infants"
Dr. Glenn Schellenberg: "The Impact of Music Lessons on Cognitive Development."
Dr. Robert J. Zatorre: "Structure and Functional Correlates of Absolute Pitch"

2001
Dr. Gottfried Schlaug: "Neural Correlates of Motor Skill and Musical Imagery in Pianists"
Dr. William Thompson: "Effects of Music Exposure on Sensitivity to Emotional Meaning"

2002
Dr. Christo Pantev: "Musical Training, Neural Plasticity and Brain Development across the Life Span"

Research Studies and Initiatives in Progress

2003
Dr. Timothy Brophy: Travel grant for presentation of "Longitudinal Study of Children's Melodic Improvisations"
Dr. Steven Brown: "Analysis of Brain Systems Underlying Music and Dance Improvisations"
Dr. Kris Chesky: National Conference on Occupational Safety and Injury Prevention for Musicians
Dr. Gottfried Schlaug: "Effects of Music Training on Brain and Cognitive Development"
Dr. Noreen Yazzejian and Dr. Ellen Peisner-Feinberg: "Evaluation of Music and Movement Intervention for Preschool Classrooms"

2004
Ms. Susan Coull: Chair, 11th World Congress of Music Therapy
Dr. Lori Custodero: Chair, International Society for Music Education Early Childhood Music Research Commission Conference, 2004, New York, New York
Society for Music Perception: 8th Annual Conference on Music Perception and Cognition
Independent Production Fund: "The Music Instinct: Science and Song"
Dr. Larry Scripp: "Assessment of Music Ventures in School"
Dr. Ellen Winner: "A Comparison of the Effect of Music vs. Language Learning on Children's Brain and Cognitive Development"