Research

We contribute to MSU’s research mission by asking questions and seeking answers that expand our understanding of the most fundamental question of all: what it means to be human. Why do we have an innate capacity for musical expression and appreciation? How has that capacity taken different forms in different times, places, and cultures? And how can it be used today to improve quality of life and make a positive difference, both locally and globally? Our faculty are charting new directions in the study of creativity, in early childhood music learning, in cognitive science, and in our understanding of global identity and culture