Christine Beckett Ph.D.

Dr. Christine Beckett's teaching at Concordia includes ear training, keyboard skills, theory (harmony, counterpoint, analysis, etc.), and surveys of music research. Dr. Beckett has taught within Concordia's undergraduate curriculum for both Majors (Integrative Music Studies and Electroacoustic Studies); at the Faculty level in FFAR courses for non-Fine Arts students; and as a guest lecturer in graduate programs such as the Diploma in Advanced Music Performance Studies and the Certificate in Music Therapy. Previous to arriving at Concordia, Beckett taught at McGill where she was Chair of Musicianship 2001-2003, and at the Université de Sherbrooke, CEGEPs, Suzuki institutes, and in private studio. Besides teaching, Dr. Beckett enjoys organizing university events such as conferences, special concerts, the Welcome for first year students, and Concordia's annual Open House.

Dr. Beckett studied music education, composition, and piano/viola performance at the University of Toronto. She then did viola performance and graduate studies in research on ear training at McGill. In 1993, she was the first person to graduate from McGill with a Ph.D. in Music. Dr. Beckett has performed as pianist and string player in various solo and ensemble contexts in North America and Europe.

Dr. Beckett's research is in the exciting and rapidly-expanding field of music perception and cognition, with studies on: absolute pitch; music reading/dyslexia; issues in ear training; music and emotion; cross-arts studies such as creative strategies of musicians and dancers; oral heritages such as Irish traditional music; etc.

Selected Publications

2009  Beckett, C.  Perception and cognition research on traditional music: Where are the Irish? Concordia; internal working paper

2008 Hébert, S., Béland, R., Beckett, C., Cuddy, L., Peretz, I. & Wolforth, J. A case study of music and text dyslexia. Music Perception, 25(4), 369-381.

2007 Beckett, C., & Hall, M.D. (Eds.) SMPC 2007 Conference Program Book. Montreal, July. vi + 112 pp + index.

2006  Gagnon, M., S. Hebert, C. Beckett, I. Peretz.  La lecture musicale chez les musicians du haut niveau. 15th Scientific Day of GRENEC (Groupe de recherché en  neuropsychologie expérimentale et cognition), Manoir St-Sauveur, QC, Canada, April.

2005  Beckett, C.  Book review of:  Williamon, A., Ed.  Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance.  Oxford:  Oxford University Press, 2004.  In Music Perception, L. Cuddy, Ed., 23(1), Sept., 101-02.        

2005  Gosselin, N., I. Peretz, M. Noulhiane, D. Hasboun, C. Beckett, M. Baulac, & S. Samson. Impaired recognition of scary music following unilateral temporal lobe excision.  Brain, 128, 628-640.

2005  Tougas, Nadine, S. Hebert, C. Beckett, I. Peretz, V. Dalpe, and L. Cuddy. A battery for assessing music reading abilities: data from normal readers. 15th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Sciences (BBCS), Montreal, July 7.

1998 Zatorre, R. J., D. Perry, C.A. Beckett, et al.  Functional anatomy of musical processing in listeners with absolute pitch and relative pitch. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.  95, 3172-3177, March, Neurobiology.

1997 Beckett, C. A.  Directing student attention during two-part dictation. Journal of Research in Music Education (JRME).  45(4), 613-625, Winter.

1993 Beckett, C. A.  Integration of musical languages in the ear training class. Actes du Colloque: Orientations et implications du nouveau programme de musique au collegial, 5-14.  Claude Parenteau (Ed.) Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada, June.

1989 Zatorre, R. J., & C. A. Beckett.  Multiple coding strategies in the retention of musical tones by possessors of absolute pitch. Memory and Cognition.  17(5), 582-589.

Selected Presentations

2009  Beckett, C.  Temporal stability in rhythmic continuations by drummers and dancers. Oral presentation at the SMPC 2009 conference, IUPUI, Indianapolis, Aug 4.

2009  Beckett, C.  Serial Technique in Improvisations by Drummers and Dancers. Poster at the 2009 BRAMS Annual Scientific Day, Loyola campus of Concordia University, Dr. V. Penhune (Concordia, Psychology) organizer. Montreal, May.

2009  Beckett, C.  Continuations from Opening Gestures in Rhythm and Dance.  Oral
presentation at The Musical Body conference, University College London, Senate House, England, April.

2008  Hemispheric Harmonies.  A talk at Concordia Vanier Library, Loyola campus, on music, brain and mind. Oct 28. Audio and video files online at:
http://library.concordia.ca/about/events/?guid=past2008

2008  Madell, Hebert, McNabney & Beckett. Eye-motion tracking in Music Reading. Poster     presented at the Neuroscience of Music III conference, McGill, Montreal, June 28.

2007  Beckett, C.  Ear Training Intensive Workshop for professors and student tutors of Vanier College (CEGEP) Music Department. May 29, Ville St-Laurent, QC, Canada.

2007  Beckett, C. Does memory skill predict ear training ability?  Oral presentation at the SMPC 2007 conference, Jul 30 - Aug 3, Concordia University, Montreal, Aug. 1.

2007  Beckett, C. Warm-ups for Two-part Melodic Dictation?  Poster presented at the 8th conference of the Society for Music Perception & Cognition (SMPC 2007). Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada. August 2.

2007 Beckett, C. Harmonic Imagery Evoked by Implicative Melodic Intervals. Poster presented at the 8th conference of the Society for Music Perception & Cognition (SMPC 2007). Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada. August 1.

2006  Beckett, C.A. What Research Tells Singers: Haystacks, hens' teeth, and the hunt for connection.  Powerpoint presentation to 1st Vocal Summit Invitational, organized by Prof. Jeri Brown. Oct 19, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada.

2006  Hebert, S., L. Cuddy, C. Beckett & I. Peretz. Music reading deficiencies and the brain.  Oral presentation at the 9th International Conference for Music Perception and Cognition (ICMPC), Bologna, Italy, August 22-26.

Performances

Live appearances, videos and recordings with symphonic and chamber ensembles, including two European tours with Le Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal directed by Prof. Christopher Jackson; performances with the Orchestre Métropolitain de Grand Montréal (Ottawa for Canada Day events; Festival de Lanaudière with Rostropovitch); participation in the Concordia Jazz orchestra directed by Prof. Gary Schwartz; participation in the viola section of Montreal-based chamber orchestra Serenade directed by Prof. Hélène Gagné; other performances in many genres (early music, standard repertoire, contemporary, jazz, rock, folk...)