Music ePortfolio: Syd Ryan

Music has always been a part of my life, but my perspective on music has shifted from expression to research. Throughout my formal education in music and behavioral neuroscience, I now appreciate music not only as a form of artistic expression but as a formal stimulus of the senses that can modulate the brain and behavior. My educational background has given me the skills of critical listening, collaborative leadership, and innovative and scientifically disciplined problem-solving.

My aspiration at High Point University is to study both as a musician and as a scientist who understands sound-from its physical construction to its impacts on the brain. More specifically, I am interested in how rhythm, frequency, and timing interface with neural systems, and how these can be measured, manipulated, and clinically used in application and rehabilitation. This interest has guided my shift toward neuromonitoring and research at the cross-section between music, neuroscience, and human health.

Ultimately, my personal goal is to help inform the development of more empirically supported practices utilizing music and sound in the support of neurological function, particularly in the management of patients with strokes, among other patient types. Through the alignment of musical insight with scientific study, my hope is to help shift the paradigm regarding the understanding, study, and use of music.