The Science of Tone Deafness

In the words of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, "to the average person, if you have to be at funeral you'd rather be the one in the casket than the one doing the eulogy." Perhaps the only act more anxiety-inducing than public speaking is singing. Most feign shyness or claim tone-deafness when it comes to music, but according to journalist and author Tim Falconer, only 2.5 per cent of the population actually suffers from tone deafness, or amusia. Falconer's book "Bad Singer: The Surprising Science of Tone Deafness and How We Hear Music" examines this affliction and how it affects his passion for music. The Agenda in the Summer welcomes Falconer as well as Frank Russo, psychology professor and director of the SMART Lab at Ryerson University to discuss the science of tone deafness.