In this episode of Singing Teachers Talk, we welcome Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross – co-authors of the New York Times bestseller Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us, in which they explore how the arts are not just entertainment, but vital to human health, learning, and wellbeing.
From the calming effects of sound baths to the healing power of song in dementia care, they reveal how art physically changes the brain and body. We discuss neuroaesthetics—the science of how art impacts us—alongside practical ways teachers and creatives can use these insights in their own work. Whether you’re curious about creativity, seeking tools for wellbeing, or simply want scientific proof that the arts truly matter, this conversation will inspire and affirm the transformative role of art in our lives.
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST?
0:00 ‘Your Brain on Art’ Book Review
4 :08 What art has impacted Susan?
7:17 What art has impacted Ivy?
10:07 What is classed as ‘art?’
13:15 What’s the difference between being the beholder Vs the creator of art?
17:09 How do art and medicine work together?
25:23 What does sound and music offer?
33:53 How can teachers encourage an aesthetic mindset?
39:14 What about when art becomes your career?
If you’re in the US, get your copy of ‘Your Brain on Art’ from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or IndieBound
If you’re in the UK, get your copy of ‘Your Brain on Art’ from Amazon, Waterstones or bookshop.org
About the presenter, click HERE
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS
A Little Life by Hanya Yanigahara
Singing Teachers Talk – Ep.207 Singing at the End of Life: The Magic of Music in Hospices
Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
Connie Tomaino
Former Ballerina with Alzheimer’s Performs ‘Swan Lake’ Dance
Daisy Fancourt
Tony Bennett
David Byrne
ABOUT THE GUESTS
Susan Magsamen is the founder and executive director of the International Arts + Mind Lab (IAM Lab), Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics, a groundbreaking neuroaesthetics initiative at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Susan’s work focuses on how the arts and aesthetic experiences measurably change the brain, body and behavior and how this knowledge can be translated to inform health, wellbeing and learning programs in medicine, public health and education.
She is also the author of Impact Thinking, an interdisciplinary translational research model to enhance human potential through the use of arts and aesthetics. This model is a generative framework that applies a new scientific method to arts and aesthetics research and, at the same time, considers how the research can be scaled, disseminated and evaluated for impact. In addition to her role at IAM Lab, she is the co-director of the NeuroArts Blueprint project in partnership with the Aspen Institute. The Blueprint aims to create the field of Neuroarts where arts and aesthetics are mainstream in medicine and public health. Magsamen is also the co-author of the New York Times Bestseller, Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us written for the general public.
Ivy Ross is currently the Chief Design Officer for Consumer Devices at Google. Since 2017, she and her team have launched a family of consumer hardware products ranging from smartphones to smart speakers, earning over 240 global design awards, including Fast Company’s declaring Google the most important design company in 2018. This product portfolio established a design aesthetic for technology products that is tactile, bold, emotional, and undeniably Google. Previously, Ivy has held executive positions spanning from head of head of product design and development to CMO and presidencies with several companies, including Calvin Klein, Swatch, Coach, Mattel, Art.com, Bausch & Lomb and Gap.
In 2023, Ivy co-authored the book,Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us, which became a New York Times bestseller. She has been a contributing author to numerous books, including The Change Champion’s Field Guide and Best Practices in Leadership Development and Organizational Change. She has also been referenced in Ten Faces of Innovation, Rules of Thumb, and Unstuck, among other books. This includes being featured in 200 Women: Who Will Change The Way You See The World. Ivy was a speaker at Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women Summit and has been cited by Businessweek as “one of the new faces of leadership.” In 2019, she was ranked ninth on Fast Company’s list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business.
A renowned artist, Ivy’s innovative metal work in jewelry is in the permanent collections of 12 international museums. A winner of a National Endowment for the Arts grant, Ivy has also received the Women in Design Award and Diamond International Award for her creative designs. Ivy’s passion is human potential and relationships. Ivy believes in the combination of art and science to make magic happen and bring great ideas and brands to life.
