We study the psychology of music using citizen science. Yale University | University of Auckland
We’re a brand-new lab at Harvard University researching the fascinating science of music. Send us a message or visit us at themusiclab.org to see how you and your family can get involved!
08/15/2025
our latest music game, Rhythm Radar, is about how melodies and rhythms work together to make a perfect rhythmic fit 🎶🧠 give it a try and post your score!
Rhythm Radar Which rhythms fit best? Test your musical intuitions!
07/17/2024
Check out our newest citizen-science experiment, Tone Guesser! 🎶🧪🧠
this game, led by postdoc Courtney Hilton, taps your visual and auditory perception to test your intuitions for how color tones and music tones fit together.
Get your score at themusiclab.org/quizzes/toneguesser !
04/09/2024
#WOYC2024 - Music Monday Archives - Early Learning Nation Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project Helps Parents Write Love Songs to Their InfantsK.C. Compton·Mar 28, 2024·10 min readWhen we hear the word, “lullaby,” most of us imagine something like the dictionary definition of “a gentle, quiet song that lulls a child to sleep,” a cradle song to soothe...
02/28/2023
Got Rhythm? Test your drumming skills and challenge your friends to beat your score. https://www.concerthotels.com/got-rhythm
02/23/2023
Fun fact!🎶 reported, when it comes to CDs, Mozart—the best new artist of 1782—outsold Grammy-winners Beyoncé, Adele, and Drake in 2016! Yes! This is true. The massive box set, “Mozart 225: The New Complete Edition” was sold more than 1.25 million copies in 2016. Do you still listen to CDs? What's your favorite way to hear music?
02/21/2023
Do you think you might be tone-deaf? Or pitch-perfect? Test your pitch perception with our game. Average time: 2.5 minutes. https://www.themusiclab.org/quizzes/td
02/17/2023
Sam Mehr, the director of The Music Lab, comments in Nature's recent piece: 'Gamifying experiments can make behavioural research more inclusive, rigorous and reproducible–if it's done right'.
How games can make behavioural science better Wordle, Minecraft and Scrabble are played online by millions. Gamifying experiments can make behavioural research more inclusive, rigorous and reproducible — if it’s done right.
02/15/2023
WRCH FM Connecticut radio (Lite 100.5 WRCH) recently featured us on their Spotlite Show! Host Chuck Yarochowicz asked our research assistant, Ekanem Ebinne: Why is music important for babies? What music is best for babies and how do I expose my baby to more music? What age do babies respond to music? How can our listeners know more or take part in the Music Lab? https://youtu.be/-XBVGVWXo-c
02/07/2023
Calling for parents with babies (0-4 months old)!
We are currently recruiting participants for **Musical Babies**, a 10-week study that explores how singing to a baby may improve the baby’s and parent’s mood and overall mental health during the first year of life.
The study will be done *completely on your smartphone* and thus you won’t need to come to our lab. The study will begin with a live Zoom meeting. Then you will use a smartphone app to learn songs and keep track of your baby’s sleep and mood.
You are eligible to participate if your baby is 4 months old or younger. If you'd like, you can also sign up before your baby is born!
Sign up for the study here: 🎶 https://forms.gle/LmTpAWYxvTNKMTNX9
02/02/2023
Could the purpose of music really cross cultures? Lab director Sam Mehr and researcher Manvir Singh found evidence that people can hear universal traits in music. Check out other scholars' comments about the study in The Atlantic🎶 https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/01/the-search-for-universal-qualities-in-music-heats-up/551447/
01/24/2023
Check out a recent study by Eun, one of our postdocs at the Music Lab.
As a collaborative work with Dr. Beatriz Ilari, the Associate Professor at the University of Southern California, this study on the impact of music education shows that for adolescents, the benefits appear to extend beyond a surge in neural connections in their brains. It actually boosts their wellbeing. Read more about the research study here: https://music.usc.edu/usc-research-impact-of-music-education/
01/23/2023
Are you a parent of a baby or expecting a baby soon?
Sign up for our Musical Babies study to explore how singing benefits you and your baby!
Musical Babies is a 10-week study that explores how singing to a baby may improve the baby’s and parent’s mood and overall mental health during the first year of life.
Parents with a baby aged 0 – 4 months are eligible to participate. The study will be done on your smartphone!
Sign up for the study here: 🎶 https://forms.gle/aFP6S9TdrV52LdW4A