We’re so pleased you have joined us

In this course we aim to get you thinking about why certain songs feel good to you and how music makes you feel emotions.

Specifically:

• What is it that makes me love a song?
• Why do some songs feel like they are written just for me?

For us, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is a good example of such a song to use for this course, because it has a cross-generational appeal. It’s also a bit unusual as a pop song, which makes some of the things it does more obvious – but of course, the principles here apply to lots of songs.

Meet Dr Sandra Garrido

Hi, I’m the lead educator and am excited at having the opportunity to support and guide you through this course.

I have a background in psychology and am a musician as well, so I’ve always been fascinated with the effect music has on our brains, our emotions and our behaviour.

I did my PhD in music psychology in 2012 and since then have been teaching this subject in universities as well as conducting research about the connection between music and mental health.

View Sandra’s Future Learn profile

Meet Dr Tim Byron

Hi, I created this course and am proud to say that it has been accepted very well. In my research I look at how the mind processes music. During this short course you will come to understand something about that too, while avoiding getting too deep into musical notation, or detailed music theory.

View Tim’s Future Learn profile

Your Task

We’d love to hear from you. Please select the comments link below and share a little about yourself and your motivations for joining the course.

What are you most hoping to learn in the course?

Liking and replying to comments that interest or challenge you is an important way of contributing to the conversations that will make this course a vibrant experience; not only for you, but also for other learners.

When you have completed your task, select ‘Mark as Complete’ to help you track your progress through the course.