Music Dynamics Laboratory
  • People hear the missing pulse.

Our Mission

At the Music Dynamics Laboratory our work seeks to discover the general principles of dynamics at the forefront of music perception and cognition.  Music is a high-level cognitive ability - a form of communication relying on highly structured temporal sequences similar in complexity to language. Music is found among all human cultures, and musical ‘languages’ vary across cultures with exposure and learning. Unlike language, however, music can often be universally understood via its self-contained patterns of sound within all musical cultures. These patterns intrinsic to music such as pitch, rhythm, tonality, and resonance all provide us with insights into neural processes. We investigate the neural facets of these patterns in music and our perception of them, as well as the emotional and interpersonal experiences that they afford.

Our research also explores the fundamental functions of hearing, communication, and auditory system development at large. We aim to identify human and environmental constraints that shape musical communication and learning and reveal the potentially crucial applications to aid in language learning. Research in our lab provides insights into an array of hearing and communication disorders and explores approaches to improve the design of neural prostheses which will have the potential to enhance our perception of music and sound in cochlear implant patients.

Upcoming Events 2023-2024


Exploring App-Based music Interventions and Therapist-Led Music Therapy.  Nov 8, 2023, 3:00pm EST

New England Sequencing and Timing 2024. Stay tuned for more information. Date TBA

Expression, Language and Music Conference  October 3-5, 2024

Featured Publications

Large, E. W., Roman, I., Kim, J. C., Cannon, J., Pazdera, J. K., Trainor, L. J., Rinzel, J., Bose, A. (2023). Dynamic models for musical rhythm perception and coordination. Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, 17, 1151895. doi: 10.3389/fncom.2023.1151895.

Roman, I. R., Roman, A. S., Kim, J. C., & Large, E. W. (2023). Hebbian learning with elasticity explains how the spontaneous motor tempo affects music performance synchronization. PLOS Computational Biology, 19(6), e1011154. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011154.

Tichko, P., Page, N., Kim, J. C., Large, E. W., & Loui, P. (2022). Neural entrainment to musical pulse in naturalistic music is preserved in aging: Implications for music-based interventions. Brain Sciences, 12(12), 1676. doi: 10.3390/brainsci12121676.

Dotov, D., Delasanta, L., Cameron, D. J., Large E. W. & Trainor, L. J. (2022). Collective dynamics support group drumming, reduce variability, and stabilize tempo drift, eLife 11:e74816, doi: 10.7554/eLife.74816.

Wei, Y., Hancock, R., Mozeiko, J., & Large, E. W. (2022). The relationship between entrainment dynamics and reading fluency assessed by sensorimotor perturbation. Experimental Brain Research, 240(6), 1775–1790. doi: 10.1007/s00221-022-06369-9.

Tichko, P., Kim, J. C. & Large, E. W. (2022). A dynamical, radically embodied, and ecological theory of rhythm development. Frontiers in Psychology, 13 1-15. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.653696.

Kim, J. C., & Large, E. W. (2021). Hebbian plasticity in gradient frequency networks of neural oscillators. Biological Cybernetics, 115(1), 43-57. doi:10.1007/s00422-020-00854-6.

Lerud, K. L., Kim, J. C., Almonte, F. V., Carney, L. H. & Large, E. W. (2019). A canonical oscillator model of cochlear dynamics. Hearing Research. 180, 100-107. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2019.06.001.

Tal, I., Large, E. W., Rabinovitch, E., Wei, Y., Schroeder, C. E., Poeppel, D., & Zion Golumbic, E. (2017). Neural Entrainment to the Beat: The “Missing Pulse” Phenomenon. Journal of Neuroscience, 37 (26), 6331– 6341. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2500-16.2017.