Reply to comment

Hello, my name is David Richardson. I am a sophomore at Haverford. I spend most of my free time playing music and making art. These hobbies are what drew me to biology. I am very interested in the neuroscience of art and music and hope to further my knowledge on the topic throughout the course. Specifically, I'd like to become more familiar with synaesthesia and how it can better or limit an artist. I am taking a class on the Russian author Vladimir Nabokov, a famous synaesthetic. I'd like to better understand how his writing is affected by his condition. I would also like to brush up on my genetics. In the development of an artist, is nature or nurture to be blamed or credited for certain artistic flaws or triumphs? Is this even a reasonable question? I imagine they are equally to credit/blame. Lastly, I would like to explore the calming effects of music on the human brain. How can we feel so at home in a piece of music, something entirely intangible? I imagine it has something to do with memory and association. But what about pieces we've heard for the first time?