Embodiment, sound and visualization : a multimodal perspective in music education

Recently, many studies have emphasized the role of body movements in processing, sharing and giving meaning to music. At the same time, neuroscience studies, suggest that different parts of the brain are integrated and activated by the same stimuli: sounds, for example, can be perceived by touch and can evoke imagery, energy, fluency and periodicity. This interaction of auditory, visual and motor senses can be found in the verbal descriptions of music and among children during their spontaneous games. The question to be asked is, if a more multisensory and embodied approach could redefine some of our assumptions regarding musical education. Recent research on embodiment and multimodal perception in instrumental teaching could suggest new directions in musical education. Can we consider the integration between the activities of body movement, listening, metaphor visualization, and singing, as more effective than a disembodied and fragmented approach for the process of musical understanding

Quilting and Sharing: Promoting Lifelong Learning and Service to Others

Lynne Hall, an occupational therapist, educator, and quilter based in Kalamazoo, MI, provided the cover art for the Winter 2020 issue of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “Four Patch Posy” is a 45” x 55” quilt made from cotton. In her 50th year of occupational therapy practice, Lynne’s philosophy is rooted in lifelong learning and service to others. The quilt aesthetic provides Lynne a creative medium to serve in her community. With her person-centered approach, Lynne facilitates human potential in the clients, students, and community members she serves. Success in both occupational therapy practice and quilting require a holistic understanding that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

Local rank tests in a multivariate nonparametric relationship

Consider a multivariate nonparametric model where the unknown vector of functions depends on two sets of explanatory variables. For a fixed level of one set of explanatory variables, we provide consistent statistical tests, called local rank tests, to determine whether the multivariate relationship can be explained by a smaller number of functions. We also provide estimators for the smallest number of functions, called local rank, explaining the relationship. The local rank tests and the estimators of local rank are defined in terms of the eigenvalues of a kernel-based estimator of some matrix. The asymptotics of the eigenvalues is established by using the so-called Fujikoshi expansion along with some techniques of the theory of U-statistics. We present a simulation study which examines the small sample properties of local rank tests. We also apply the local rank tests and the local rank estimators to a demand system given by a newly constructed data set. This work can be viewed as a “local” extension of the tests for a number of factors in a nonparametric relationship introduced by Stephen Donald.nonparametric relationship, local rank, local rank estimation, kernel smoothing, consistent tests, demand systems.

Real algebraic surfaces with isolated singularities

Given a real algebraic surface S in RP3, we propose a constructive procedure to determine the topology of S and to compute non-trivial topological invariants for the pair (RP3, S) under the hypothesis that the real singularities of S are isolated. In particular, starting from an implicit equation of the surface, we compute the number of connected components of S, their Euler characteristics and the weighted 2-adjacency graph of the surface