WAMC On the Road: Communities in Conversation, “Does Music Matter?”

WAMC On the Road: Communities in Conversation — "Does Music Matter?"

Join WAMC On the Road for a special conversation recorded live at historic Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs. Our panel of experts will attempt to answer the question “Does music matter?” (spoiler: Yes, it does.) by exploring music as a path to healing, empathy, and health.

Leading the discussion will be WAMC’s Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Aaron Shellow-Lavine. Joining Aaron on the dais will be:
- Sarah Craig, Caffe Lena Executive Director
- Dr. Dominique Vuvan, Associate Professor, Psychology Department and Neuroscience Program, Skidmore College
- Dan Berggren, folk musician and educator

Topics include the role of music in making us better people, how music connects and grows communities, and the future of live music. We’ll engage these questions and more with open minds from our panel and thoughts and queries from our live audience.

Admission is free with registration through Caffe Lena.

WAMC On the Road brings WAMC Northeast Public Radio’s microphones out of the studio and into communities across WAMC’s seven-state listening region, capturing the energy and authenticity of live, on-location events.

• Aaron Shellow-Lavine — WAMC's Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief, covering politics and community news in and around the region including Saratoga Springs, Lake George, and Gloversville. He graduated from Skidmore College in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in American Studies with a minor in Black Studies. He lives in Saratoga Springs; when he's not reporting, he's taking his dog on long walks and chatting with neighbors.

• Sarah Craig — Caffe Lena Executive Director. She carries forward Lena Spencer’s dedication to community service through music, mentors emerging artists and presenters, has contributed to national music publications, and has served as a panelist at conferences in the US and Canada. She earned her BA in Psychology and Women’s Studies from the University of Vermont. She lives in rural Shushan, NY, where she gardens, runs, reads about ecology, theology, psychology and social justice, and serves on the Board of the Cambridge Food Co-Op.

• Dr. Dominique Vuvan — Associate Professor in the Psychology Department and Neuroscience Program at Skidmore College. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology with a certificate from the Program in Neuroscience at the University of Toronto in 2012 and was a postdoctoral fellow at the International Laboratory of Brain, Music, and Sound Research (BRAMS) from 2012 to 2016. She directs the Skidmore Music and Cognition Laboratory (MaCLab), which focuses on the neurocognition of music with interests in expectancy processing, language-music interaction, and individual differences.

• Dan Berggren — A tradition-based songsmith, Dan Berggren writes with honesty, humor and a strong sense of place. His songs explore the many dimensions of home, hard-working folks, taking care of our planet and each other. Raised in the Adirondacks, his music has reached audiences across the U.S. and internationally. He is an award-winning educator and musician.