Singing Mice and Humans

March 18th, 2021

Watch as Mr. Kevin M. Murphy and Dr. Arka Banerjee unfold the relationship between an organism's brain and auditory communication! Learn the effects of singing and the mechanics behind how it works!

Guest Speakers

Kevin M. Murphy

Voice Teacher and Performer

Kevin M. Murphy is a voice teacher and performer. As a performer, he was a part of the first national tour of The Book of Mormon musical. Mr. Murphy also runs a private studio called the NYC Vocal Studio. As a voice teacher, he is a part of the faculty at NYU Steinhardt where he teaches undergrad and graduate students who want to be on Broadway.

Dr. Arka Banerjee

Neuroscientist and Assistant Professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Dr. Arka Banerjee is an assistant professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and neuroscientist. He's been particularly interested over the past few years in how the brain allows human beings to use sounds as a way of communicating.

Question Index

1. 3:52 - Why do humans sing? 2. 5:54 - Why do mice sing? 3. 8:05 - Are all mice capable of singing? 4. 9:47 - Can you teach anybody to sing? 5. 12:52What is resonance? 6. 14:06 - If you got a nose job, would your voice sound different? 7. 14:42 - What was that structure moving inside the singer's mouth? It looks it's making up most of the singing. 8. 17:04 - What is the difference between singing and talking? Are they the same thing? 9. 18:31 - Do we know what mice are trying to communicate when they sing? How would we know? 10. 20:03 - All rodents make noise, but can they all be taught to make the same noise? 11. 21:40 - Do animals have different soundtracks from what their mom teaches them? Can they learn these songs? 12. 22:39 - What is the effect of singing on the brain and body for humans? 13. 26:02 - What part of the mouse's brain is associated with its singing? 14. 27:59 - When was singing invented? 15. 28:46 - We know that animals can sing, but do you think that singing came even before humans? 16. 29:47 - Do all creatures in the world sing? 17. 30:38 - Is there anything besides animals that can sing? ('creatures' as in living things) 18. 31:42 - What has initially led to the study of singing mice? Why do we study singing mice? 19. 33:44 - Do mice sing when they're happy? Do they make sounds like the way cats purr? Do mice sing to express love or sadness? 20. 35:18 - Do people connect to songs emotionally? 21. 39:00 - How come most human females are capable of singing higher notes than most males? Why do we each have a unique voice? 22. 40:51 - Can you train yourself to make those different tongue movements or to sing higher? 23. 41:37 - Do you think that vocal learning has a common evolutionary root? Or does it seem to have emerged independently in different creatures? 24. 43:10 - I've heard there are some musical instruments that can mimic the sound of a human voice. Is that why we like the sound of certain instruments (b/c they sound like human vocals)? 25. 45:03 - Why do humans like to sing with each other? 26. 48:54 - Do mice sing with each other? 27. 50:53 - Do mice songs have melodies or things that they repeat from the other mouse? Do these melodies have meanings? 28. 52:10 - How do we perceive sound? Why do we find something musical, or beautiful? 29. 56:01 - How are you still making music in the pandemic?