Personality and music major

Abstract

Early research investigating the personality of college-aged student and professional musicians examined traits of music performers, composers, and music teachers. Subsequent research studies followed with examinations of personality in university music programs, several of which employed the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory (MBTI). The prevalence of MBTI types has not been examined amongst the diversity of music programs currently offered in many universities. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of MBTI psychological type of university music students ( N = 217) across six different music majors (i.e., Music Business, Music Composition, Music Education, Music Engineering, Music Performance, and Music Therapy). The MBTI mental function of Intuitive–Feeling was found to be highly over-represented in the total music sample as compared to national norms, while several other personality preferences significantly dominated or were sparse in the music majors. The findings extend the personality and music research literature and have practical implications for music educators, academic counsellors, college-aged music students, and students who are considering music as a study and career.