2025 Tsinghua Music and Brain Summer Workshop: Successfully Held

From August 4 to 8, 2025, the Second “Tsinghua Music and Brain Summer Workshop,” organized by Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, was successfully held at Tsinghua University. The camp attracted 26 outstanding participants from 17 universities in China and abroad, including several young faculty members.

Figure 1. Group photo of participants

This year’s training camp continued the interdisciplinary spirit of the 2024 inaugural program, with clearer goals and content design:

Cultivate talent in interdisciplinary music–brain science research — inviting musicians curious about brain science, as well as students with strong backgrounds in mathematics and engineering who also love music.
Support young scholars at the start of their research journey — providing systematic training in neuroscience technologies and quantitative analysis methods for young faculty members interested in music–brain science, helping them to carry out independent research.
Build research teams and methodological frameworks — imparting innovative experimental methods and research approaches through hands-on practice, laying the foundation for future collaboration.

Distinguished Faculty and Cross-Disciplinary Exchange

The camp invited seven experts from institutions including the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Johns Hopkins University, Beihang University, the Institute of Automation at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, and Peking University. Lecturers included Professor Xiaoqin Wang, Israel Nelken, Juan Huang, Dangxiao Wang, Xindong Song, Dan Zhang, and Jing Chen. Renowned pianist Xiangdong Kong joined again, bringing unique humanistic perspectives and artistic sharing.

Figure 2. Lecturers (clockwise from top left: Xiaoqin Wang, Xindong Song, Israel Nelken, Juan Huang, Dangxiao Wang, Dan Zhang, Jing Chen, Xiangdong Kong)

Theory and Practice Combined

Morning sessions covered core topics in music and brain science such as neuroscience principles, auditory perception, virtual reality, social neuroscience, and brain–computer interfaces. On the final day, Mr. Xiangdong Kong gave a lecture on “Music, Health, and Psychological Care,” performing an improvised therapeutic piano piece called the “Four-Tone Composition,” and interacting with participants to vividly demonstrate music’s potential in emotional regulation.

Figure 3. Lecture session

Figure 4. Mr. Xiangdong Kong presenting his “Four-Tone Composition” improvisational piano therapy

Afternoon sessions focused on hands-on experiments, where participants operated neuroscience experimental equipment themselves, joined in “musical ensemble and real-world music–brain experiments,” and experienced the entire process from data collection to analysis. Engineers from Huichuang Medical provided on-site guidance, enabling participants to quickly master both the principles and practical techniques of the equipment.

Figure 5. Huichuang Medical engineer explaining theory and demonstrating equipment experiments

Figure 6. Participants practicing fNIRS, EEG, and multimodal data collection and analysis

Intellectual Exchange and Cultural Fusion

The camp also organized mini-salons and participant roundtables, sparking lively discussions on topics such as Western and Chinese music, music therapy, and live concert hall experiments, generating cross-cultural understanding and inspiration. Informal “hometown and culture” interactive games helped participants from diverse backgrounds bond quickly, building trust and a foundation for collaboration in a relaxed atmosphere.

Figure 7. Participant roundtable

Figure 8. Interactive “Hometown and Culture” game among participants

Science Meets Art — The “Scientific Concert”

On the evening of August 8, the closing event, the “Resonance of Heart and Brain” Scientific Concert, showcased a prototype of the “scientific concert” concept we had envisioned. On stage, scientific experiments and artistic performances unfolded simultaneously—multimodal data were collected from performers and audience members, while the audience immersed themselves in a fusion of Eastern and Western music. This format not only provided valuable data for scientific research but also allowed the public to directly experience the power of combining art and science, revealing music’s potential to touch the soul and influence emotions and brain activity.

Figure 9. “Resonance of Heart and Brain” Scientific Concert (Yi He, Lin Wu, Hua Wang, Zefan Gao, Xindi Yan, Yifan Shao)

Figure 10. Mr. Xiangdong Kong and Professor Israel Nelken performing four-hand piano

Seeds for the Future

At the closing ceremony, Professor Xiaoqin Wang, Director of the Brain and Intelligence Laboratory, presented certificates to participants and volunteers. Many participants expressed that they not only gained methods and skills but also clarified their future research directions. Some resolved to pursue further studies in related fields, while others hoped to integrate music and neuroscience into their existing research. We look forward to seeing these young scholars and artists carry forward the spirit of the camp, jointly advancing innovation in music and brain science.

Figure 11. Professor Xiaoqin Wang presenting completion certificates to participants and volunteers

Figure 12. Professors Xiaoqin Wang and Israel Nelken, Mr. Xiangdong Kong, and participants group photo

Contributors | Juan Huang, Wenyi Song
Editing & Layout | Jing Gao, Jingyi Wang
Review | Xiaoqin Wang, Weijie Guan