Your Brain at Work Your Brain On Music: A Conversation With Neuroscientist Dr. Indre Viskontas
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Mar 13, 2026 
Dr. Indre Viskontas, an opera singer turned neuroscientist who studies memory and creativity, joins to explore music and the brain. She describes how musical training sharpens attention and memory. They unpack brain networks behind creativity, dopamine and musical anticipation, AI’s impact on creativity, and how music can be used in learning, health, and group synchrony.
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Musical Training Tunes Signal From Noise
- Musical training sharpens attention and task switching by teaching listeners to separate signal from noise at early auditory processing stages.
- EEG shows trained brains distinguish speech from other sounds before conscious awareness, aiding layered pattern tracking like drumming.
Three Networks Behind Creative Insight
- Creativity arises from coordination of three brain networks: executive control (prepare/verify), default mode (incubation/insight), and salience (switching tied to identity).
- Artists, especially improvisers, use the salience network to toggle modes on demand for creative flow.
Use Anticipation To Shape Musical Learning
- Apply neuroscience to practice: set up anticipation, narrative, and sequencing to motivate learners and build growth mindset.
- Viskontas cites dopamine in the caudate driving anticipation before 'money notes' and the nucleus accumbens for reward spikes as a storytelling mechanism.
