APEF is very pleased to organise a new conference with Clara James, Ordinary Professor at the Geneva School of Health Sciences. This conference, created for Florimont, is intended for parents and teachers of the institute.

The conference will take place both in person at Institut Florimont and via Zoom.

How can the strong influence that human musical activities exert on humans be explained?

The influence that human musical activities exert on humans can be explained through several interconnected dimensions: developmental, cognitive, emotional, and neurobiological.

Clara James will describe how, well before babies form their first word, they already respond to musical structures, a capability that reveals the deep roots of musicality in human evolution. The brain changes observed in child musicians indicate remarkable adaptations: larger and more active brain structures that are not limited to music but extend to improvements in language, attention, and other cognitive abilities.

And this influence is not only limited to children but continues throughout life!

Clara James will transport us to a world where music is much more than a simple melody; it is part of the essential foundation of human existence.

Biography

Clara James, Ordinary Professor at the Geneva School of Health Sciences (HES-SO Geneva) and Privat Docent at the University of Geneva, combines her expertise in neuroscience, psychology, and her background as a professional violinist to lead the Geneva Musical Minds Laboratory (GEMMI Lab).

Her research, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), Alzheimer Switzerland, and additional private funding, focuses on mitigating cognitive decline in healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive decline, as well as enhancing the cognitive development of children. Demonstrating that intensive musical training can substantially enhance brain plasticity and cognitive functions at any age, Clara James has recently secured further SNF funding to broaden her research into child development.