Once

ONCE (2007):
Beats, Rhythm and Romance: Music as Humans’ Connective Tissue

Join Dr. Jessica Phillips-Silver, music neuroscientist and artistic creator, and series host Jason Dick, Editor in Chief of Roll Call, to explore the nature of the musical brain and its role in our lives, relationships, and art. Dr. Jessica will set the stage with inspiring and provocative questions about the biological origins of music and the relentless presence of rhythm in our daily experiences –  questions that will awaken your musical listening sensibilities and change the way you think about the role of music in your own brain health and life.

Film Synopsis: A modern day Irish Musical written and directed by John Carney in 2007, ONCE tells the inspiring story of two kindred spirits who find each other on the bustling streets of Dublin. One is a street musician who lacks the confidence to perform his own songs. The other is a young mother and Czech immigrant who is trying to find her way in a strange new town. As their lives intertwine, they discover each other’s talents and push one another to realize what each had only dreamt about before. During one eventful week, they write, rehearse and record songs that reveal their unique love story. ONCE stars musicians Glen Hansard (of popular Irish rock band The Frames) and Markéta Irglová. Musical collaborators and friends prior to making the film, Hansard and Irglová composed and performed all of the original songs in the movie.
– Felipe Echavarria & Maggie Drayt

One Show Only • Sunday, July 7 @ 10:30AM in Avalon 1.

Science on Screen® launched at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, MA in 2005. In partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and its pioneering nationwide film program, the Coolidge has expanded Science on Screen to 122 cinemas nationwide. Throughout the academic year, SoS creatively pairs screenings of classic, cult, science fiction, and documentary films with lively presentations by notable experts from the world of science and technology. Each film is used as a jumping-off point for a speaker to introduce current research or technological advances in a manner that engages popular culture audiences—enhancing film and scientific literacy through film.

About the Speakers:

Jessica Phillips-Silver, PhD, is a music neuroscientist, speaker, and artistic creator. Dr. Jessica’s scientific research, featured in Science Magazine, Discovery Channel and NPR, explores how musical rhythm shapes brain development. Her children’s musical, Finding Rhythm, premiered at the Kennedy Center, and her music and brain curriculum is implemented in schools across DC. Dr. Jessica helps organizations in the arts, education and healthcare create or deepen their programs using music arts to promote optimal brain growth and healing—especially through rhythm. Dr. Jessica completed her Bachelor of Humanities & Arts degree in Cognitive Science & Vocal Music at Carnegie Mellon University, her Ph.D. in Auditory & Music Neuroscience from McMaster University in Ontario, and postdoctoral fellowship in Music Neuropsychology at the International Laboratory for Brain, Music & Sound in Montreal. She served as Associate Researcher in Neuroscience at Georgetown University and Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Music, teaching Georgetown’s first course on Music and the Brain.

Jason Dick is the editor in chief of CQ Roll Call and the host of its Political Theater podcast. He has also worked at National Journal and for the AmeriCorps program, and is a former English teacher at the university and high school levels. A one-time screener for the SXSW Film Festival, he is a native of Arizona and lives on Capitol Hill.