Pitch Exploration Lab at PennState

09/24/2026

Exciting news and updates today!

09/13/2026

News of an accepted publication coming soon - stay tuned!

09/04/2026

New podcast from the PI on Spotify, a six-episode miniseries of interviews related to music and science. Check it out!

05/21/2026

We're getting involved with music & leisure studies, including this new initiative promoting adult wellness and community music. Stay tuned!

Recreational music’s impact on adult wellness is the focus of a new research workgroup funded by the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at Penn State.

04/22/2026

Undergrad research in action!

02/04/2026

Happy new year, we’re back at it!

12/02/2025

Participating in Giving Tuesday? Check out our page tonight or tomorrow!

Join me and make a gift to GivingTuesday 2025.

12/02/2025

For some, identifying a musical note by ear alone is nearly impossible, but for those with the ability to instantly recognize or produce a note without any reference tone, also known as absolute pitch, it comes naturally.

Absolute pitch, more commonly known as perfect pitch, has long fascinated researchers in science and music, according to Joanna Kieran-Mendez, a third-year undergraduate student majoring in health policy and administration at Penn State. In collaboration with the College of Arts and Architecture’s Pitch Exploration Lab (PEL), and supported by a 2025 Erickson Discovery Grant, Kieran-Mendez has set out to better understand what makes this ability so extraordinary.

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/3w5hvjvu

In collaboration with the College of Arts and Architecture’s Pitch Exploration Lab, and supported by a 2025 Erickson Discovery Grant, third-year undergraduate student Joanna Kieran-Mendez has set out to better understand what makes perfect pitch so extraordinary.

11/12/2025

Undergraduate student Joanna “Joey” Kieran Mendez is the labs project coordinator featured in the news at Penn State today. Go Joey!