Musical Experience Research Articles

How inclusive are our music classrooms? A theoretical model and case study from a preschool class of a mainstream private nursery school in Cyprus

ABSTRACT Inclusive music classrooms in theory and in practice, within the context of Cyprus, are an under-researched area. This study wishes to address this gap in research, by proposing a Model of Musical Development in Inclusive Education (MMDIE) that could act as a valuable tool for music educators, researchers, teachers, parents and stakeholders for designing inclusive environments fostering meaningful musical experiences for all their students. The originality of the MMDIE lies in the synthesis of three theoretical frameworks: the five characteristics of inclusive music classrooms [Jellison, J. A. 2012. “Inclusive Music Classrooms and Programs.” In Vol. 2 of The Oxford Handbook of Music Education, edited by G. E. McPherson and G. F. Welch, 65–80. Oxford University Press], Sounds of Intent [Ockelford, A. 2008. Music for Children and Young People with Complex Needs. Great Britain: Oxford University Press] and Universal Design for Learning [CAST. 2018. “Universal Design for Learning Guidelines” V. 2.2. htpp://udlguidelines.cast.org]. These frameworks were mapped on Bronfenbrenner’s system theory model. The case study methodology adopted, allowed for the investigation of interactions between the various systems influencing the musical development of one autistic, ‘non-speaking’ [Botha, M., J. Hanlon, and G. L. Williams. 2023. “Does Language Matter? Identity-First versus Person-First Language Use in Autism Research: A Response to Vivanti.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 53 (2): 870–878] child six-and-a-half years old in a mainstream private preschool in Cyprus. Findings highlighted that the child’s music learning and participation experiences could become more inclusive. The use of the MMDIE allowed for the identification of behaviours, attitudes and perceptions that promoted or restricted these experiences, thus it could lead to a transformation of educational practices, views and experiences towards inclusive music education in Cyprus and internationally.

Mental Health Through Music Therapy

This project, Mental Health Through Music Therapy, focuses on leveraging the therapeutic power of music to support mental well-being while integrating a robust user management system. It offers a secure and interactive platform where users can engage with therapy-specific music tailored to their needs. The system features user registration with age verification, ensuring appropriate access, and securely stores user details in structured files and a CSV database for efficient session tracking and future analysis. Users can explore categorized music folders, read therapeutic text files, and enjoy a seamless music playback experience, fostering a relaxing and personalized environment. Designed with a neon-themed interface, the platform incorporates custom animations and error-handling mechanisms for an engaging and user-friendly experience. By combining the emotional benefits of music therapy with modern technological advancements, this project aims to provide an innovative and practical solution for improving mental health and enhancing emotional well-being

Popular music pedagogy in music teacher education: A literature review

Higher education music education programmes that prioritize Eurocentric perspectives related to the western classical canon may limit future music educators’ ability to connect students’ in-school and out-of-school music experiences. Growing interest in diverse and inclusive approaches to music education has led to increased attention on the inclusion of popular music pedagogy in music teacher education. Drawing on culturally responsive pedagogies as a theoretical framework, in this review of literature, I examined research related to popular music pedagogy in music teacher education. Researchers suggest that incorporating popular music in music classrooms may connect students’ in-school and out-of-school music experiences, resulting in greater student engagement and promoting lifelong musical involvement. Based on significant findings in this research, music educators might consider reimagining music teacher education programmes to reflect the changing landscape of music education and prepare future music educators with the skills necessary to acknowledge and value the diverse musical experiences and cultural contexts of students.

No significant relationship found between spontaneous motor tempo, heartbeat, and individual alpha frequency: an analysis of internal tempos

Many theories of time perception propose the existence of an internal pacemaker, and studies across behavioral, physiological, and neuroscience fields have explored this concept. Specifically, Spontaneous Motor Tempo (SMT), the most comfortable and natural tapping tempo for each individual, is thought to reflect this internal pacemaker’s tempo. Changes in heart rate are also linked to time estimation, while Individual Alpha Frequency (IAF), the peak in the alpha range (8–13 Hz) observed in EEG, is reported to reflect the brain’s temporal processing. Despite the associations of SMT, heart rate, and IAF with intrinsic tempo, their interrelations remain unexplored. In this pre-registered study, we measured SMT, IAF, and heart rate in 32 healthy university students aged 18–21 and examined how these variables relate to each other. During the experiment, participants sat with their eyes closed for 5 min while we recorded their EEG and heart rate. They then tapped the space key with their index finger at their most comfortable tempo, which we used to determine SMT. Participants also completed a questionnaire about their age, chronotype, and musical experience. Our results showed no significant correlations among SMT, heart rate, and IAF. Regression analysis further confirmed that SMT is not influenced by heart rate or IAF. Therefore, no significant relationships among behavioral, physiological, and neuroscience-related tempo were uncovered. Our contribution lies in measuring SMT, heart rate, and IAF within the same experimental context. All procedures, including scripts used for the analyses, were pre-registered before data collection, and we report these null results to mitigate publication bias.

From genies performing magic to sages imparting wisdom: a value-centred survey of music AI user interfaces, creative affordances and artist objectives

There are, at present, multiple fronts of debate about the ethics of Commercial Creative AI (ComCAI) product development. The issues of copyright and the right to know the AI provenance of work are dominant and well-defined. Meanwhile, a significant area of debate is trickier to define and analyse, relating to ComCAI's impact on the intrinsic values and virtues of human creative endeavour. In this paper, I analyse this impact by surveying the emerging landscape of user interfaces (UIs) in the domain of commercial music AI products. I do this through a value-centred design lens, considering how it is possible to articulate intrinsic values in the arts. Specifically, I select two artistic objectives: the need for creative artists to create works that are differentiated from others; the need for deep cognitive creative engagement with the work being created. I ask how ComCAI UIs can enable these artistic objectives, first through a survey of UI types and their combination in products, second through user feature requests. This design analysis tentatively suggests that those ComCAI tools promising to support artists increasingly need to provide greater control, in order to satisfy their creative users, and this is focussed towards either simply allowing post-generation editing, or improving generative control, which is in tension with the opaque nature of the generative systems. I propose that a value-centred design approach that highlights values such as differentiation and creative engagement helps to identify under-explored design spaces which have the potential to make better music AI experiences.

The impact of generative AI on school music education: Challenges and recommendations

The widespread application of generative artificial intelligence (AI) poses both opportunities and challenges in formal music education. Students can now effortlessly compose using simple text prompts with AI music generators, a situation which encourages innovative pedagogical approaches and democratizes creativity in the music classroom. However, concerns about cultural bias, originality, equity, and the ethical use of generative AI in school music education require careful regulation. This article highlights both the potential benefits and risks through a review of current applications of generative AI in music education, in the process proposing a set of policy recommendations that can serve to ethically and effectively guide its use. These include enhancing AI literacy among students and teachers, developing assessment frameworks that reflect the collaborative nature of AI-assisted music creation, defining acceptable boundaries in terms of ensuring equitable access to AI tools, and providing professional development opportunities for music teachers. By maintaining an awareness of technological advancements and their impact on students’ musical engagement, school music education can remain relevant to young people’s evolving musical experiences while simultaneously preparing them to engage confidently, creatively, and critically with the complex landscape of generative AI.

Audio-visual concert performances synchronize audience's heart rates.

People enjoy engaging with music. Live music concerts provide an excellent option to investigate real-world music experiences, and at the same time, use neurophysiological synchrony to assess dynamic engagement. In the current study, we assessed engagement in a live concert setting using synchrony of cardiorespiratory measures, comparing inter-subject, stimulus-response, correlation, and phase coherence. As engagement might be enhanced in a concert setting by seeing musicians perform, we presented audiences with audio-only (AO) and audio-visual (AV) piano performances. Only correlation synchrony measures were above chance level. In comparing time-averaged synchrony across conditions, AV performances evoked a higher inter-subject correlation of heart rate (ISC-HR). However, synchrony averaged across music pieces did not correspond to self-reported engagement. On the other hand, time-resolved analyses show that synchronized deceleration-acceleration heart rate (HR) patterns, typical of an "orienting response" (an index of directed attention), occurred within music pieces at salient events of section boundaries. That is, seeing musicians perform heightened audience engagement at structurally important moments in Western classical music. Overall, we could show that multisensory information shapes dynamic engagement. By comparing different synchrony measures, we further highlight the advantages of time series analysis, specifically ISC-HR, as a robust measure of holistic musical listening experiences in naturalistic concert settings.

Music in religion

This article examines the connection between religious and musical experiences and the shared elements that have contributed to their potent emotional impact. Both music and religion have improved the lives of various cultures around the world for decades because of their capacity to foster emotions of joy, clarity and escape from daily life. Several viewpoints are discussed in relation to this link, through the topic of music composed for religious ceremonies and prayers. These pieces, which are intended to bring listeners closer to their higher selves, may be beneficial for both individuals and groups in a range of favourable and unfavourable circumstances and serve as a suitable counterbalance to the solace that comes from religion. This study aims to shed more light on the similarities between music and religion and what it is about them that appeals to people.

Musical Pitch Perception and Categorization in Listeners with No Musical Training Experience: Insights from Mandarin-Speaking Non-Musicians.

Pitch is a fundamental element in music. While most previous studies on musical pitch have focused on musicians, our understanding of musical pitch perception in non-musicians is still limited. This study aimed to explore how Mandarin-speaking listeners who did not receive musical training perceive and categorize musical pitch. Two experiments were conducted in the study. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to discriminate musical tone pairs with different intervals. The results showed that the nearer apart the tones were, the more difficult it was to distinguish. Among adjacent note pairs at major 2nd pitch distance, the A4-B4 pair was perceived as the easiest to differentiate, while the C4-D4 pair was found to be the most difficult. In Experiment 2, participants completed a tone discrimination and identification task with the C4-D4 and A4-B4 musical tone continua as stimuli. The results revealed that the C4-D4 tone continuum elicited stronger categorical perception than the A4-B4 continuum, although the C4-D4 pair was previously found to be more difficult to distinguish in Experiment 1, suggesting a complex interaction between pitch perception and categorization processing. Together, these two experiments revealed the cognitive mechanism underlying musical pitch perception in ordinary populations and provided insights into future musical pitch training strategies.

Barthes Revisited: A New Perspective on Music Listening through Punctum and Studium

With the rapid development of globalization and the music industry, the subjective experience of music listening has become a focal point for researchers. Roland Barthes’ theory of “studium” and “punctum” provides a new analytical perspective for the field of musicology. However, existing research primarily focuses on visual culture, lacking a systematic analysis of the subjective experience of music listening. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring how factors influence listeners’ perception of “studium” and “punctum” in music. The research employs a literature review and a random sampling method to select university teachers and students of different age groups as participants. In-depth interviews are conducted to gather their listening experiences with various musical works, analyzing the multiple factors influencing participants’ perception. The data are summarized using qualitative analysis methods. The results indicate that the perception of music listening is influenced not only by the structural characteristics of the music itself but also by the listener’s personal background,cultural background and the historical development of the music industry. By applying Barthes’ theory to the analysis of music listening, this study provides a new theoretical framework and methodology for understanding the subjective musical experiences of listeners from different backgrounds.

뮤지컬 레미제라블의 I Dreamed a Dream과 On My Own 매쉬업을 통한 음악적·서사적 특징 분석

This study aims to analyze the musical and narrative characteristics of the mash-up technique applied to the representative songs I Dreamed a Dream and On My Own from the musical Les Misérables and to explore its artistic value. By examining how the independent narratives and emotional flows of each song are integrated and expanded through the mash-up, the study investigates whether the combined piece offers listeners a complex and multi-layered musical experience. The findings indicate that the melodic peaks and harmonic resolutions of the two songs effectively express emotional buildup and release within the mash-up structure, thereby transforming the distinct narrative flows into a unified storyline. Additionally, the mash-up technique enhances emotional transitions, serving as a critical creative strategy that deepens audience engagement. This study suggests that mash-ups are not merely a combination of songs but a meaningful tool for reinterpreting existing works and expanding their artistic value. It also hopes to encourage future research on the use of mash-up techniques in various musical theater compositions.

DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHING ACTIVITY FRAMEWORK BY USING HAN FOLK MUSIC FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Han folk music, traditional to the Han Chinese, includes instruments like guzheng, erhu, pipa, dizi, and sheng. Teaching this music to primary school students provides a rich cultural exploration. This study develops a teaching framework for using Han folk music in primary schools, employing the Design and Development Research (DDR) approach by Richey and Klein, modified by Saedah Siraj, Abdullah, and Rozkee. It involves three phases: needs analysis, design and development, and usability evaluation. The first phase used a questionnaire with 100 primary school music educators, showing strong support for music in teaching. The second phase employed the Nominal Group Technique with 9 experts, resulting in a structured framework for integrating Han folk music effectively. The third phase used the Fuzzy Delphi Method with 45 elementary school music educators, confirming the framework's usability. The results of the first phase show that there were agreement among respondents regarding the positive impacts of incorporating music into teaching practices. The results of the second phase have developed a teaching activity framework by using Han Folk Music for Primary Schools based on the expert’s opinions. While the results of the third phase show a high agreement in the usability of the framework when all usability constructs get a percentage of over 75%. Overall, this research advances educational methods by offering educators a guide to enhance learning through culturally rooted music experiences.

Exploring the role of leisure behaviour in finding identity for Chinese diasporic people: looking through the lens of music

ABSTRACT Identity has both personal and social facets, shaped by authentically answering ‘who I am’. Individual authenticity involves living according to one’s principles, values, and beliefs, influenced by self-awareness, independence, social connections, and reason. Philosophers such as Descartes and Aristotle have contributed to this concept, focusing on human awareness and eudaimonia, respectively. Existentialists like Sartre emphasise personal choice and self-definition, underscoring the role of authentic actions and decisions in shaping identity. Beyond individual authenticity, identity is also socially constructed. Social identity complements individual authenticity as individuals integrate their social roles with their personal self. Leisure activities, including music, offer opportunities for self-exploration, empowerment, and expression, allowing individuals to connect with their true selves while engaging with society. This paper explores how leisure shapes the identity of the Chinese diaspora through the first author’s music performance experiences in New Zealand. It explains how leisure activities facilitate cultural communication and identity expression through Chinese traditional music. Using an autoethnographic approach, it highlights how music helps Chinese diasporic individuals express their identity and navigate the complexities of dual or multiple identities within communities. These identities go beyond Chinese and diaspora communities, prompting individuals to balance their true self with multiple identities.

Affinity of Thought between Giacinto Scelsi and André Jolivet within the Context of Musical Societies and Esoteric Circles in 1930s Paris

The 1930s marked the transition from youth to maturity for both Scelsi and Jolivet, a crucial period both personally and artistically. At that time, Paris was a center of great musical activity, with numerous musical societies initially focused on promoting French music, but later opening up to international musical experiences. In a political context marked by the rise of nationalism, Scelsi and Jolivet opposed these trends by actively participating in the organization of concerts to spread contemporary music. Additionally, the cultural climate in Paris was also characterized by a growing interest in esotericism. Although their paths were parallel, these shared influences played a key role in shaping their human and musical development. The article focuses particularly on comparing the theoretical writings of Scelsi and Jolivet, analyzing their texts to highlight the similarities and differences in their musical approaches. This study provides a theoretical foundation for future research on the compositions of the two composers and their shared interest in a musical language distinct from dodecaphony, with a focus on the exploration of sound material.

Creating affordances for families with young children: Experiences of music education in social work

The current research examines the possibilities of music education in supporting the well-being of families living in demanding life situations. The context for the study is Family Sound Hammock, a 3-year research and development project that took place in the metropolitan area of Finland from 2020 to 2023. The project aimed at systematically supporting the well-being of families especially by strengthening their capacities for interaction in and through music education activities. This phenomenological-hermeneutic research focusses on the affordances emerging in family music activities, asking the following: What kinds of affordances can be recognised in and through music activities as part of family social work? The findings are presented in three categories: (1) Experiential environment of music education practice, (2) Social interaction and (3) Experiences of consistency that each highlight the potential of music education for redirecting agency, participation and inclusion of parents and children. The findings emphasise the professional facilitation of an inviting and safe musico-pedagogical environment applying pedagogical sensitivity.

An investigation of earworms and obsessive–compulsive traits using experience sampling and retrospective methods

Having a song ‘stuck’ in the head – an earworm – is a curious cognitive phenomenon frequently experienced among the general population. The intrusive and involuntary nature of earworms has led to recent survey studies investigating their potential link with obsessive–compulsive (OC) traits. However, those higher in OC traits may tend to self-report more earworms and evaluate their episodes less positively, simply because they are more likely to notice and be disturbed by the experience. This study employed both experience sampling methodology (ESM) and a retrospective survey to investigate earworms in relation to OC traits. Participants ( n = 131) undertook online surveys assessing past experiences of earworms, OC traits, and musical experience, followed by 3 days of experience sampling probes. Results indicated that OC traits moderated the relationship between the two measures of earworm frequency, such that consistency between the two measures became weaker at higher levels of OC traits. Ratings of earworm unpleasantness were highly correlated between retrospective and ESM measures, yet OC traits did not moderate this relationship. These findings indicate that individual differences should be considered in choosing a methodology to measure earworm experiences and that ESM may provide a more sensitive measure of earworm frequency.

When Melody and Graphics Converge: Background Music Congruency as Predictor of Video Game Enjoyment and Appreciation

ABSTRACT This article investigates how background music congruency (congruent music/incongruent music/no music) affects players’ gaming experiences using the framework of the Congruence-Association Model. Study 1 (N = 105) showed that compared to having no music or incongruent background music, having background music that is perceived to be congruent with the game content during gameplay resulted in higher levels of identification with the game character and transportation into the game, which then translated to greater gaming enjoyment. Study 2 (N = 73) extends the findings of Study 1 using a more interactively demanding video game. Results partially replicated Study 1 as having congruent background music during gameplay resulted in higher levels of transportation, enjoyment, and appreciation. The studies contribute to the lack of literature linking game music and gaming experience. Future studies should consider examining other cognitive and affective factors that impact the effect of music on the gaming experience. Implications for gaming interactivity and the gaming industry are also discussed.

Notas que ficam: uma abordagem lúdica para o ensino de violão

This article presents a different approach to learning notes, chords and musical harmony through memory games. Using dedicated games for each concept about notes and chords, players are gradually introduced to the fundamentals of music theory. As a result, to test their newly acquired knowledge, they answered questions related to the topic. This teaching methodology was tested with 102 students in the final years of elementary school, and this playful and melodic journey not only strengthened theoretical understanding, but also provided a practical and fun musical learning experience for both students and teachers. Keywords: Guitar. Memory Game. Music Education.

Music Perception in Older Adults With Hearing Loss: Protective Effect of Musical Experience.

The goal of this project was to investigate the impact of musical experience, hearing loss, and age on music perception in older adults. The authors hypothesized that older adults with a varying degree of musical experience would perform better at music perception tasks than their counterparts without musical experience while controlling for age and hearing loss. This study used a descriptive correlational cross-sectional design. Seventy-seven older adults aged 60 to 90 years were recruited and divided into two groups based on their lifetime musical experience: the group without musical experience (n = 39) and the M group (with musical experience; n = 38). Participants in the M group had either played an instrument for 5 years or more and/or taken at least 1 year of music lessons. Following a hearing screening and a musical experience questionnaire, participants completed two music perception tasks: (1) a short version of the Montreal Battery Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA) measuring melodic (scale and contour) and rhythm perception, and (2) an instrument discrimination task measuring timbre perception. Results revealed that participants of the M group had a significantly higher accuracy in both tasks compared with the group without musical experience while controlling for age and hearing loss. Moreover, a significant interaction was found between group effect and hearing loss for the MBEA, suggesting that musical experience moderates the impact of hearing loss on melodic and rhythm perception abilities. Finally, the amount of musical experience was the most important positive predictor for MBEA accuracy in the M group. These results suggest that despite age-related hearing loss, older adults with musical experience still benefit from their experience-driven enhancement in melodic, rhythm, and timbre perception. Findings from this study support the notion that music training is beneficial for music perception abilities, providing protection against the impact of presbycusis.

Harsh Noise Wall: Transformation of Sound and Space

This article describes the authentic experience of a harsh noise wall, revealing the changing relationship between space and sound. The article focuses on the listener’s experience while listening to this subgenre of music live. To identify the elements that contribute to the creation of meaning, the analysis includes paramusical factors that are semiotically related, though not structurally specific to a particular musical discourse. To investigate this issue Philip Tagg’s semiotic method of music analysis is used. It is based on video recordings of performances by noise artists The Rita (USA), Merzbow (JPN) and Vomir (FR), with accompanying listener reviews. The study examines how listening mode, listening location, listener activity and cultural location alter the listener’s experience. Harsh noise wall, which first appears to be a homogeneous genre, becomes a heterogeneous object of musical and sensory experience. This article develops the idea that not only can the performance space affect the sound and the listener’s experience, but there is also the potential for this relationship to be reversed, as sound transforms the space and changes the visual notion of it.