Bio
Robert Woody, music professor with UNL’s Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, is an international leader in the field of the psychology of music. He was one of only about 78 music researchers worldwide to be included in the August 2024 Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% Scientists List. Woody, who holds the Steinhart Foundation Distinguished Professorship of Music at UNL, believes human experience is the heart of music. His research delves into the way music shapes and is influenced by human cognition, behavior and emotion. He is co-author of “Psychology for Musicians: Understanding and Acquiring the Skills” (first edition, Oxford University Press, 2007), and sole author of the book’s second edition (Oxford University Press, 2021). Other works include: “Music Learning and Development: A Guide to Educational Psychology for Music Teachers” (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers 2024), and “Becoming a Real Musician: Inspiration and Guidance for Teachers and Parents of Musical Kids” (Rowman & Littlefiled Publishers, 2019) . He is a regular blogger on the Psychology Today website. (Updated November 2024).