The Resonance Project (TRP) uses music (live or recorded) to set the stage for successful conflict transformations in settings ranging from local mediations to international negotiations.
The cutting edge of neuroscience is studying how brains align with each other, and what stimuli provoke a response of increased altruism. The research shows that music, most especially if it is live, can stimulate brainwave synchronization of two or more people, facilitating the creation of mutually beneficial solutions. TRP uses this potential to help open the door to new possibilities.
We encourage small ensembles of sensitive musicians who can perform carefully curated musical selections midway through negotiations or conferences, as the negotiators listen. (see our growing Playlist ideas.) The effect of this simple catalyst can change the course of a meeting, as each listener’s brain aligns its wave patterns with those of others in the space, enabling compromise.
TRP has a growing body of empirical evidence that this works. Just one example:
In several dialogue settings of Israelis and Palestinians living in California, we interjected live music (flute and piano, cello and piano) and asked for feedback.
The beneficial effects of the music on each person’s sense of calm, of connection, of heightened imagination, and of compassion were profound, immediate, and far more heartfelt than we could have hoped for.
Some went so far as to say that it changed their lives.
Read more stories about the impact of music on conflict resolution.