circuits as when you are hearing it. so much so when you compare the bring activation of someone in imagining music, remembering, to someone listening, it is virtually indistinguishable by looking at the brain scan. i wonder -- and brings up the question, how did it would you say your musical imagery is? when you imagine music, is it like a little tape playing in your head? >> yes, it is. and it works the other way, from the point of view from the composer, trying to compose something. i might be sitting on an airplane and i will remember some experience. let's say running with anticipation, or something you saw. maybe you saw something spectacular, an illusion of

light or something, and it creates an image. i will try to read something done quickly because i am trying to capture one that is. and of course, that stuff is very fleeting. the other thing, musicians who played the guitar, something with your fingers, they feel as if they are remembering in their fingers. oftentimes, you play a passage and you cannot think your way through it. your fingers have to play the way through it. muscle memory. from a scientific standpoint, if i were to scoop your brain out of your head, your fingers would not remember, but there is a motor cortex that remembers the sequence. there is a whole field that studies the sequence, how one movement is remembered in a succession of a sequence. >> the process of creating, trying to start creating music

is not that different for me that it is remembering music. it is revoking some kind of image or movement. -- evoking some kind of image or movement. >> can i ask, i am a musician, do you have any advice -- often have trouble losing -- moving away from my everyday and getting into music. do you have any recommendations on how to speed up that context switching? >> i am assuming that as a professional musician, he doesn't have to do with complicated problems. >> you would not want me doing that. believe me. >> still, you have the context switch of being creative, non creative. >> that is true.

sometimes you need something to wipe the slate clean. it could be taking a walk. these days, disconnecting. i have a studio. when i go there, is a place to work, i did not need to take my cell phone out there. having a physical location you can go to -- this is where i do this -- even just a quarter of your room. >> from a cognitive neuroscience standpoint, if you dedicate a place, if you are religious about it -- or clock 30 i am going to spend an hour -- 4:30 i'm going to spend an hour here or there. that contextual aspect helps. inform is now wrapping up all of our events by asking our speakers, ourselves included,

the following question. alex, what is your 60-second the idea to change the world? >> i think everybody should listen to music from other cultures. even daniel has said that, you know, we need to have that in printing when we are young to understand balinese monkey chants or something to put it into context. i travel a lot. i just came back from asia. i was given a lot of career in music, a lot of ethnic music -- a lot of korean music. even though you may not have a cultural context, if you give it a little bit of a chance, it is an opportunity to open up your mind a little bit. when you do that, it may on sub -- some subconscious level give you a better understanding of

why people are the way they are in different parts of the world and who they are. i think we should all be listening to each other's music and all try to play a little bit of music or sing. i think it is -- yeah. 60 seconds there? [applause] >> and you, daniel, what is your 60-second idea? >> as an educator and teacher, i think my 60-second idea to change the world is better education. if we could teach the next generation of kids to be critical thinkers, just not accept what they are told but to decide for themselves, to give them the tools to make informed decisions about what is right and what is not, about what has been established and what is just here say, what really has a grounding in fact versus rumor, i think the world would be a much safer, more peaceful, and more prosperous place.

[applause] >> let's get a big, final round of applause for this nice, informed foray into neuroscience and music with myself, daniel levinson, and the great guitarist and composer, alex degrassi. now, this meeting of in forum and the commonwealth club is adjourned. [applause] çççç>> want to welcome you . of course, we have former mayor willie brown joining us. we have former supervisor sophie maxwell here as well. we have charlotte, a protocol

officer. we have all the members of our board of supervisors, our current board. we have naomi's . harlon, kelly, the kids are here. naomi's mom is here bang today. thank you for being here as well. mrs. lee is here. [laughter] >> yeah. >> of all, today has been a very active day of the just wonderful announcements, of decisions being made that really reflected the values of the city. i have another one that reflects the value of this city, someone that i have spent privileged to work with for so many years, one began her career as a special assistant, worked her way up as the purchaser, director of purchasing.

before that, one of the most difficult task, kind of reminds me of my dpw day is, she had a difficult task of being the director of the taxicab administration. [laughter] so she has earned some strides there. going on to director of purchasing and becoming deputy city administrator. most recently, and acting city administrator. and now my nominee for city administrator for the next five years, naomi lelly. -- kellyl. [cheers and applause] ayman >> to first and foremost to thank her family who have been part of her life. throughout this time, she even raised a family and keep harlon and kelly out of trouble.

[laughter] but also, i want to especially thank the whole board of supervisors for just now voting unanimously to confirm her appointment. [ears and applause --years and applause] they have seen in her the leadership, integrity, putting forth that verse communities of san francisco first, all the time, making good decisions, working in our communities to lift up everybody and to find those rays of hope. she has never been about herself. she has been about everybody else. whether it has been her family or helping several layers of, including me, adopt the right engine thct or keeping is very

focused on what we need to do to make sure the city is administered well, she has been in there and she has done that. she is extremely qualified for this job. and she is one that i have interested for some time now to help me get out those jobs for people who are struggling, to find those business opportunities, people who did not have those opportunities, to focus on a community that had raised their voice to ask for help from this city for so many decades. she has been there. she has been there is part of the city family, but she has also been there as our own advocate, advocating for people to be a part of the city in some anyways. and it has been difficult. it is the one we recognized during the month of february, black history month. it is appropriate at this time. and it is also appropriate that we recognize her appointment as

part of a history of new appointments. because it is not lost on us that during the month that we celebrate black history, not only the history, but we celebrate soç much of opportuny that we haveçç in it the cityo join in with everybody else,çç african-american city administrator in the city. çççç[mççççcheersç çç] ÷-c8attorney for joining us as . çu!;ççit is the whole city ft recognizes the ra(ortance of this. ççso,çççç withoutç furthe mu$ey know naomiç get to work right

away. çzççwe all [laug&ter] the businessçç done it for everybody. fos0theççç moment,yçççi]ç the requirement of being sworn inç before this is fulfilled,t it is one that i fully enjoy t(ççdoingçç in the presencer willie brown and people who have helped naomi in her first career, her family and friends. it is my privilege to swear in ms. naomi kelly. raise your right hand and repeat after me. i --is a solemn lease where -- that i support and defend -- the constitution of the united states and the constitution that against allçw3ççfáçççç ea

domestic -- u!çthat iççç wir trueçççççç faith and alleo the constitution of theççççd çççstates and the constitutif çççsthte ofç california -- t çççsthisçw3 obalifornia -- t or purpose of evasion -- and that i will well and faithfully discharge --q which i am about to enter -- s i hold the office of -- ççóçççcity admi for theççç;ççóçç city andn ççç[cheers and applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, history in our city is being made again,

welcome the new city administrator, naomi kelly. [applause] >> thank you. w3ççñrççthank you, mr. mayof supervisors, members of the community, colleagues, and friends. i am very pleased to deliver my first remarks as your new city administrator. [applause] t(çççççthis has beenççxd. earlier today,ç i am sure you heard t, downxdç proposition 8,çç and affirming judgeççç walker's decisiní. [applause] in their ruling, the court started out that proposition 8 served no purpose and had no effect other than to lessen the statusç of gays and lesbians in çcalifornia.

this really does not have come atç a battered time as we celebrate black history month çand the civil rights movement- i]and this cannot have come at a better time. as we celebrate meeting the first african-american city administrator in san francisco. [applause] as many of you know, i hold maya angelou's words to heart. members of the means rich tapestry, and all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value. special thanks to my husband. >> whoa. [laughter] [applause] he has >> been my biggest tavon, along with my mother, my sons, my family. antiwhite to mayer brown, whose job potential in me when i was right -- and thank you to mayer brown, who saw potential in me right out of college. i would like to thank allçççu have assembdee hereççç raisee

from the beginning of my career to this juncture. you supported me. you shared with me, you laugh with me, you stood by me. and because of you, and i am committedç long ago today whats right and defied the goodçq forç the city of san francisco. çtogether weç have plenty ofxk ahead of us, and i humbly ask for yourççç help and support. forxd now, i am honored, and i wouldçñr like to askççoku!cea joyous occasion. thank you, from the bottom of my heart. çççççñrxdççç[cheçççç zçthank you,vç ççmayor brow. ççç[applause] çç

[applause]

[cheers and applause] >> they were all telling me how excited they were to do an inauguration last year.

but it was just for that local mayor of san francisco. and now -- i thought maybe when they were great, when they were old and you guys had kids and grandkids, you would talk about that inauguration you had at city hall. that's all going to be forgotten now. i'm not even an asterisk. we're here because we're proud. we're here because we're proud. [applause] by the way a lot of folks are here because they're proud. it gives me tremendous pride as a san franciscan first and foremost, as mayor of this city, that our san francisco girls chorus and our san francisco boys chorus have been picked for this historic event. it is an extraordinary privilege that we collectively

are being afforded. but all of these young men and women in the back are being afforded. and to all of families and friends, i know that this is something you will never forget. as a san franciscan to see san francisco speaker nancy pelosi up there with senior senator diane feinstein front and center in this, and our boys and girls chorus -- [applause] i know not everyone of the same political persuasion. but yes, the president that we have chosen, which we chose wisely from my humble perspective. [applause] but we are from san francisco. we can say that. this is an exciting moment. we're here because these folks are extraordinarily talented.

these are grammy winners. isn't that amazing? what have we done in our lives? these are grammy winners. albums, prince charles comes in, let's bring out the boys chorus and the girls chorus. you've got all kinds of world leaders. and we just get to show off to the rest of the nation something that we get to experience more often out here in the bay area. so i'm just here to celebrate with you. we thought we would bring you together and a nice way to kick off the preinaugural ceremonies. and just to remind ourselves how blessed we are to be out here. and the great city and county of san francisco. but first, i just wanted to recognize because it's utterly appropriate, susan, come on up here. these two very talented artistic directors that have done so much and so well. we just -- we wanted to thank

them for all their hard work. and all their sacrifice. and all their -- the commitment they have made to work with all of you. and to be here with you. not just on moments like this. and moments like tuesday. but those quiet moments, practice stress and frustration and anxiety, where ian and susan were there, just keeping your spirits up and enlivanning your senses and making you believe you can do more and better. and reminding you what it's all about. and that is working together across your differences and uniting a common goal. and that's really the spirit of what a chorus is all about, isn't it? it's the sum of its parts. and there's something special in that as well. so it's in that stead and that spirit and that light that we have two certificates of honor. one recognizing our san francisco girls chorus.

it's your day in the city and county of san francisco. [applause] we always have to start with the girls first. and then to your outstanding work and we have a lot of language to attest to that. and your contribution. and to all of you young men, this is your day as well in the city and county of san francisco. we thank you. thank you. so we're going to -- so enjoy. thank you very much. and we've got the change everybody's going to look forward to enjoying on tuesday. thank you. [applause]

>> ♪ o beautiful for spacious skies for amber waves of grain for purple mountains majesty along the fruited plain america america god shed his grace on thee and from thigh good with brotherhood -- thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea ♪ o beautiful ♪

america america ♪ ♪ o beautiful

♪ from sea to shining sea ♪ ♪ [cheers and applause]

♪

♪ ♪ ♪