会计学2ThemoreIthoughtaboutit,themoreIrealizedthatherewasanopportunitynottobemissed.AswellastestingwhetherIcouldimprovemytone,pitchandrhythm,perhapsIcouldalsofindoutwhatwashappeninginsidemybrainasItriedtolearnhowtosing.IhadrecentlyreadanarticlebyresearcherLarryParsonsattheUniversityofSheffield,UK,entitled"Thesongsystemofthehumanbrain",andthenmethimataconference.WiththehelpoffunctionalMRIhehadbeguntoidentifywhichareasofthebrainarerecruitedwhenweengagewithmusic.Someoftheseareasareevidentlyusedforbothmusicandotheractivitiesandsome,suchastheplanumpolare,inthetemporallobe,appeartobespecializedforprocessingmusic.Iwantedtoknowwhetherlearningtosingcouldactuallychangethewaymybrainworked.3IemailedLarryjustbeforeChristmasin2005,suggestingwecollaborateonanexperiment:Iwouldhavemybrainscannedwhilesinging,thentakeoneyearofsinginglessonsbeforehavinganotherscantoseewhetheranythinghadchanged.Larryagreed,soIfoundmyselfasingingteacher,PamChilvers,andthethreeofusmetearlyin2006todesignthestudy.WeagreedthatIwouldbetestedoneighttechnicalexercises,coveringvariousmusicaltaskssuchassustainingapitch,singingscalesandinrhythm.Iwouldalsolearntwosongs:AGaelicBlessingbyJohnRutterandLasciach'iopiangabyHandel.ListeningtoPamsingtheseremindedmeaboutmymotivationforwritingmybook:Whyshouldevolutionhavecreatedaspeciesthatcansingwithsuchremarkablebeauty?4BeforethefirstscanningsessionIhadacoupleoflessonstogetmeusedtosingingandtoprovidetherudimentsofreadingmusic.IthinkPamwasshockedatmylackofability–sheisusedtoteachingexperiencedmusiciansandprecociouschildrenandhadn'tactuallybelievedmewhenIhadsaidthatIcouldn'tsingintuneorfollowarhythm.Shesoonlearnedbetter.ThescantookplaceinJune2006andwasagruellingexperience.Forhours,Ilayflatonmyback,singingthetechnicalexercisesandsongexcerptsthatIcouldseeprojectedonascreenabove.Eachpiecehadtobesungthreetimes,withLarrytappingmytoetoletmeknowwhenIshouldstartandstop.Later,hewouldprocesstheimages,subtractingtheaverageofthosetakenduringsingingfromthoseatrest,togivesnapshotsoft