Musical Behavior Research Articles

Infants show enhanced neural responses to musical meter frequencies beyond low-level features.

Music listening often entails spontaneous perception and body movement to a periodic pulse-like meter. There is increasing evidence that this cross-cultural ability relates to neural processes that selectively enhance metric periodicities, even when these periodicities are not prominent in the acoustic stimulus. However, whether these neural processes emerge early in development remains largely unknown. Here, we recorded the electroencephalogram (EEG) of 20 healthy 5- to 6-month-old infants, while they were exposed to two rhythms known to induce the perception of meter consistently across Western adults. One rhythm contained prominent acoustic periodicities corresponding to the meter, whereas the other rhythm did not. Infants showed significantly enhanced representations of meter periodicities in their EEG responses to both rhythms. This effect is unlikely to reflect the tracking of salient acoustic features in the stimulus, as it was observed irrespective of the prominence of meter periodicities in the audio signals. Moreover, as previously observed in adults, the neural enhancement of meter was greater when the rhythm was delivered by low-pitched sounds. Together, these findings indicate that the endogenous enhancement of metric periodicities beyond low-level acoustic features is a neural property that is already present soon after birth. These high-level neural processes could set the stage for internal representations of musical meter that are critical for human movement coordination during rhythmic musical behavior. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: 5- to 6-month-old infants were presented with auditory rhythms that induce the perception of a periodic pulse-like meter in adults. Infants showed selective enhancement of EEG activity at meter-related frequencies irrespective of the prominence of these frequencies in the stimulus. Responses at meter-related frequencies were boosted when the rhythm was conveyed by bass sounds. High-level neural processes that transform rhythmic auditory stimuli into internal meter templates emerge early after birth.

Free rider recognition—A missing link in the Baldwinian model of music evolution

The interactions between species-specific predispositions and cultural plasticity in the development of human musical behavior have recently become the rationale for a possible Baldwinian origin of human musicality. In the previously suggested Baldwinian scenarios of music origin, social bonding has been indicated as the crucial adaptive value that became the main cause of the co-evolutionary process that led to our musicality. However, the adaptive value of social bonding does not explain the cultural variability of musical expressions that enabled the Baldwinian evolution of musicality. The main aim of this article is to show that free rider recognition, along with social bonding and signaling commitment, could have been a possible adaptive function of hominin musical rituals. In the proposed scenario, free rider recognition became a “flywheel” of the arms race between deception and cooperation. As a result, the interplay between the canalization and plasticity of musical learning became a part of music evolution. This process created a cultural niche in which hominin vocal learning was specialized in the imitation of discrete pitch and rhythm.

Content Validity and Inter-rater Reliability of the Music Interventions in Pediatric DoC Behavior Observation Record.

Aligned with best practice guidelines for patients presenting with a disorder of consciousness (DoC), music therapy interventions with this population aim to increase arousal and awareness to support emergence to consciousness. There is a significant evidence base supporting music therapy for adults with a DoC; however, there are currently no published tools that systematically capture behavioral responses of this population during rehabilitative music therapy interventions. Further, the developmentally specific response to severe brain injury in the pediatric population means pediatric-specific research is required. The Music Interventions in Pediatric DoC Behavior Observation Record (Music Behavior Record [MBR]) was developed to objectively record responses during music therapy interventions for children presenting with a DoC. To establish content validity and inter-rater reliability, a pragmatic pilot study was undertaken. Results established that the MBR has content validity with 100% agreement among participants. Overall fair-substantial inter-rater reliability in >70% of the behavioral responses recorded in the MBR indicate the MBR is an early but promising tool to objectively capture responses during music therapy interventions. The use of the MBR may ultimately support clinical advancement and intervention research to optimize consciousness recovery for the pediatric DoC population.

Relationships Between Self-Regulated Learning, Big Five Personality Traits, and Amount of Instrument Practice

The purpose of this research was to investigate the potential relationships between self-regulated learning with regard to instrument practice, amount of instrument practice time, and Big Five personality traits. Participants were 172 preservice teachers enrolled in music teaching undergraduate programs of three universities in Turkey. Data were collected via a demographics questionnaire, musical behaviors questionnaire, the Big Five Inventory (BFI), and the Self-Regulated Learning in Instrument Practice Scale (SRLIPS). BFI includes neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness dimensions, and SRLIPS has forethought, performance, and self-reflection dimensions. The results revealed that preservice music teachers’ last exam grade and daily practice hours on their main instrument and SRLIPS scores did not differ significantly by their year of study. Participants’ last exam grades correlated significantly with their scores on the dimensions of conscientiousness, forethought, performance, and self-reflection. Daily practice hours correlated with the dimensions of conscientiousness, forethought, and performance. Years of playing the main instrument correlated significantly with performance dimension. Moreover, each SRLIPS dimension correlated significantly with each dimension in the BFI. Regression analyses revealed that forethought and self-reflection were predicted by conscientiousness and performance scores were explained by openness. Finally, last exam grade was predicted by forethought and conscientiousness dimensions.

Using a polygenic score in a family design to understand genetic influences on musicality

To further our understanding of the genetics of musicality, we explored associations between a polygenic score for self-reported beat synchronization ability (PGSrhythm) and objectively measured rhythm discrimination, as well as other validated music skills and music-related traits. Using family data, we were able to further explore potential pathways of direct genetic, indirect genetic (through passive gene–environment correlation) and confounding effects (such as population structure and assortative mating). In 5648 Swedish twins, we found PGSrhythm to predict not only rhythm discrimination, but also melody and pitch discrimination (betas between 0.11 and 0.16, p < 0.001), as well as other music-related outcomes (p < 0.05). In contrast, PGSrhythm was not associated with control phenotypes not directly related to music. Associations did not deteriorate within families (N = 243), implying that indirect genetic or confounding effects did not inflate PGSrhythm effects. A correlation (r = 0.05, p < 0.001) between musical enrichment of the family childhood environment and individuals' PGSrhythm, suggests gene–environment correlation. We conclude that the PGSrhythm captures individuals' general genetic musical propensity, affecting musical behavior more likely direct than through indirect or confounding effects.

Exploring Prosocial Performance and Gender Differences in Pre-school Children Through Music Activities

Although gender difference in prosociality has been researched so far, only a very few studies examined the effect of musical methods on positive prosocial behavior. In this preliminary examination, we focused on finding the relation between music activities and prosocial behavior with respect to gender in pre-school children in line with Social Cognitive Learning Theory (SCLT). We observed sixteen pre-school children of 4–6 years, and two kids per student-teacher observer for sixteen sessions, each at a span of 45 min one session per week, and data were collected through situational tests and observational methods. Results show that music methods are positively related to mood stability, reciprocity, and interaction with peers. The findings are discussed in terms of spontaneous reciprocity and gender-specific responses to social behavior.

Cross-media usage and explorative digital music consumption: An optimum stimulation-level perspective and evidence from China

Based on a theoretical perspective of the optimum stimulation level (OSL), we investigate how the cross-media usage (multi-device and multi-app usage) of individual users influences their exploration of new music in a music-streaming platform. We also examine whether gender moderates the link between cross-media usage and new music exploration behavior. We analyze survey responses from 1116 college students in China, and our findings show a significant and positive effect of multi-device usage on new music exploration. By contrast, multi-app usage does not have any statistically significant effect. The results also indicate that being a woman positively moderates the relationship between multi-app usage and new music exploration behavior. Our study contributes to the understanding of exploratory user behavior in a new media context by linking the OSL theory to digital music consumption.

Design and Implementation of Multiple Music System Based on Internet of Things.

With the rapid development of social economy and Internet of Things, the society has entered the era of networking, digitalization, and intelligence, bringing great convenience to people's life; Internet of Things music system also has begun to get people's extensive attention. Due to the influence of such factors as strong music professionalism, complex music theory knowledge, and diverse changes, it is difficult to identify music features. In order to strengthen the user's personal experience of the music system, the multimusic systems are interconnected through information technology to realize the connection between objects and people. The system uses an embedded processor to realize the central control module and then according to network standard the sensor network is built, through radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for light, sound, infrared sensor, temperature, and other sensors for information reading. Music selection logic is designed based on the theory of music psychology and user behavior log, so as to select the best music for users to improve their mood and improve their life quality and work and study efficiency. At the same time, the system uses voice recognition technology to enhance user interaction, through the system, to provide the website to share their own music data and comments on songs and view song information, and the system runs stably and can collect high quality music signals and correctly identify the characteristics of music form and emotional characteristics.

How Do We Go About Singing a New Song About Migration?

This article provides an overview of the questions that emerged from an action research project in the centre of the Padana Plain - Cremona Province and some surrounding provinces – in which the author, together with some students and former students, has been engaged since 2014. The aim of the still ongoing project is to understand the various levels of inclusion of migrants and asylum seekers in analysing their musical behaviours. The project is threefold: to document and analyse if and how the different migrant groups can perform their rites; to organise musical workshops in middle schools in order, at the same time, to collect data about the musical listening and practices of children and to introduce them to transculturality through world and folk music; to organise musical workshops in Reception Centres for asylum seekers to understand if and how music has a role in their suspended lives and to try to use it for resilience. Considering that it is a right for migrants to be able to express their own culture and with the conviction that music is a strong tool in processes of dialogue and diversity acceptation, the project also envisages cultural events to create occasions of dialogue between the cultures that animate the area.

MIND AS A CAUSAL SYSTEM IN AL FARABI’S PHILOSOPHY OF MUSIC

Music elaborates through with a more powerful cognition system in which melodies shares some aspects with mathematics and language in general. This research reveals the basic aspects of analysis, music as a self-referential structure and transformative system, and focuses on the concept and definition of perception. There is still not many treatises in the philosophy of music about the functioning of musical emotion in the brain. Al Farabi’s Great Music Book is the first and still unique in this regard. One of the most important reasons that makes this work valuable is that Fârâbî’s work named Kitab al Musiqa brings new information to his music studies. This review details the evolutionary development of music and its cultural and psychological effects on the human mind. For centuries, philosophers queried the interaction and fundamental principles and causality of music in human life. The concept of musical perception, which is formed as a result of the relationship between perception and music, has been examined. A musical perception process was created by using general perception processes. Al Farabi illustrates the clarity of these questions from a neuroscience perspective in his Kitab al Musiqa al Kabir review. We examine with innovative results in the conditions of an intense history of intellectual research established by cognitive systems that insist on various aspects of human musical behavior. The main purpose of this article is to remember Al Farabi’s authority in music philosophy. This article claims that Farabi’s philosophy is valid in the conceptual framework of this century. Methodologically, we chose to translate from the original Arabic manuscript of Kitab al Musiqa al Kabir. The proposition in Al Farabi’s Philosophy that music is a kind of image is impressive.

Fundamental Sensory and Motor Neural Control in the Brain for the Musical Performance

Music has beneficial power physically and psychologically. Among Integrative Medicine (IM), music therapy (MT) has been useful, and authors have continued research for IM, MT, and piano-playing. Most pianists do not consider the movement of their fingers, because the memorized process is transformed into automatic action. The function may involve the neural signals from the superior parietal lobule to the primary motor area and dorsal premotor cortex, which is called the sensory-motor transformations. The supplementary motor area (SMA) in the frontal lobe seems to be involved in the function of beat-based timing, expression, and activity of musical behavior.

Relationships between musical behaviors and emotional states, humor styles, and coping humor

Learning and performing music affect the brain and cognition and have a positive impact on emotional states. Negative emotional states such as stress, anxiety, and depression are harmful for teaching. Alternative certification teachers in particular are extremely vulnerable to and suffer greatly from negative emotional states. In addition, humor and coping humor are cognitive processes depending on neural networks of the brain. Therefore, the relationships between alternative certification pre-service teachers’ musical behaviors, negative emotional states, humor styles, and coping humor were examined in order to produce knowledge that can be used to increase effectiveness in education regarding negative emotional states, humor styles, and humor. The participants were 112 pre-service teachers enrolled in the alternative certification program of a public university in Turkey ( N = 112). Responses to six psychometric scales and a musical behaviors questionnaire were collected. Results demonstrated that having music and instrument education, duration of those educations, playing a musical instrument, and being member of a musical group were related to various emotional states, humor styles, and coping humor. The findings obtained from the analyses of the relationships between 11 musical variables and negative emotional states, humor styles, and coping humor are discussed in light of the related literature.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and musical behaviour: The significance of context

Recent estimates indicate that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is prevalent in about 2.5% of adults and 5.9% of young people. Negative impacts of ADHD are often reported in academic performance, emotional and cognitive functioning, and peer relationships, but little is known about ADHD and music. Using a detailed case study approach, structured observations in contrasting settings over a period of several school terms were made of one Primary and one Secondary school-aged boy, each with a formal assessment of ADHD. Analyses of video-based observations every 30 s ( n = 5,961 in total) were related to (1) the particular core ADHD symptoms attributed to inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, together with their observed severity; and (2) tutors’ and pupils’ actions during their focus music sessions. These quantitative data enriched the qualitative analyses. The research findings indicate that, notwithstanding their ADHD-related symptoms, the affected individuals could engage successfully in music and acquire musical skills. ADHD was not a static condition, but variable according to pedagogical and musical context. Habitual ADHD symptoms were either reduced or entirely absent when participants were engaged in playing and performing music. Analyses suggest that an effective, context-sensitive and inclusive pedagogy can integrate pupils into successful individual and collective music making.

Music and consumer behavior in chain stores: theoretical explanation and empirical evidence

ABSTRACT In recent years, there has been significant growth in the number of chain stores; in this regard, the essential point is that managers should consider not only traditional marketing mix, but also other important factors that influence consumers’ shopping behavior, such as atmospheric factors. Music is one of the important factors in this domain. This study was an attempt to explain and investigate the relationship between background music and consumers’ shopping behavior in Ofogh Kourosh chain stores based on the mood-behavior model, alertness theory, and real-world chain store evidence. Genre, tempo, and volume are the elements of music that have been considered as the independent variables in this study, while consumers’ spent time and spentmoney in the stores constituted the dependent variables in this study. Moreover, age and gender have been evaluated as moderators in this relationship. This study is quasi-experimental in terms of the data collection method. All Ofogh Kourosh shoppers around Tehran city constituted the statistical population of this study, and the research sample consisted of 785 shoppers who were selected in 12 branches of Ofogh Kourosh chain stores via systematic sampling method. The background music tracks were chosen through a poll. In addition, observation and interview constituted the tools used in the experimental section. The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between music elements (genre, tempo, and volume) and spent time and money. It was also observed that gender had a considerable moderating role in the relationship between volume and spent time in stores.

Reflections on the concept of musical development

Abstract‘The Sequence of Musical Development’ by Swanwick and Tillman was published in the British Journal of Music Education (BJME) in 1986. This year marks its 35thanniversary and provides an occasion to look back on the article’s content and legacy. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the antecedents for the article’s underlying concepts, as well as how our understanding of children and young people’s musical behaviours and development has evolved. Alternate and more nuanced perspectives, both available at the time and since, draw on an expanding, diverse, multidisciplinary research base. These enable us to have a better grasp of the strengths of the original, as well as what continues to need investigation.

Etnofon. Jak udostępniać dokumentalne nagrania muzyki ludowej? Z Jackiem Jackowskim rozmawia Piotr Grochowski

Jacek Jackowski is a musician and ethnomusicologist, and the head of the Phonographic Collection at the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He specializes in the conservation, digitization and archiving of old sound recordings. He is a field researcher and author of many academic articles on traditional, Catholic and folk religious culture associated with musical behaviours. He also published numerous articles and books on early folk music recordings and their digitization (Zachować dawne nagrania, Warszawa 2014; Polska muzyka tradycyjna – dziedzictwo fonograficzne, t. 1, Warszawa 2017; t. 2, Warszawa 2019), as well as 17 CD albums of folk songs and music from Kashubia, Kurpie, Podhale, Łowicz, Orava, South Wielkopolska and many other regions of Poland. Since 2014 he has been managing the Etnofon project, the goal of which is to create, develop and maintain a central digital repository of documentary phonographic and film recordings capturing Polish traditional songs and music as well as folk dance.

Musical play in girlhood: Transgenerational oral historical accounts

Musical play is a vital aspect of children’s musical cultures. As the social and cultural experiences of children change over time, their playful engagements with music may reflect these shifts. The purpose of this oral historical research was to explore girlhood musical play experiences over the course of a span of approximately 80 years (ca. 1920–2009), as well as the influences at work in the transmission, continuity, and content of these musical play behaviors. Semi-structured interviews were implemented to illuminate the musical play experience stories of 20 female individuals spanning four generations of birth as well as the factors impacting the transmission and continuity of musical play over time through family lines and across age cohorts. Findings suggest that influences of family, temporal context and peer groups, popular culture, cultural contexts, and issues of gender identity and gender roles were all present in the transmission of musical play repertoires over time. A lack of interest in musical play was also reported, which additionally impacted transmission.

Endogenous oxytocin, cortisol, and testosterone in response to group singing

Humans have sung together for thousands of years. Today, regular participation in group singing is associated with benefits across psychological and biological dimensions of human health. Here we examine the hypothesis that a portion of these benefits stem from changes in endocrine activity associated with affiliation and social bonding. Working with a young adult choir (n = 71), we measured changes salivary concentrations of oxytocin, cortisol, and testosterone from before and after four experimental conditions crossing two factors: vocal production mode (singing vs. speaking) and social context (together vs. alone). Salivary oxytocin and cortisol decreased from before to after the experimental manipulations. For oxytocin the magnitude of this decrease was significantly smaller after singing compared to speaking, resulting in concentrations that were significantly elevated after singing together compared to speaking together, after controlling for baseline differences. In contrast, the magnitude of the salivary cortisol decreases was the same across experimental manipulations, and although large, could not be separated from diurnal cycling. No significant effects were found in a low-powered exploratory evaluation of testosterone (tested only in males). At a psychological level, we found that singing stimulates greater positive shifts in self-perceived affect compared to speaking—particularly when performed together—and that singing together enhances feelings of social connection more than speaking together. Finally, measurements of heart rate made for a subset of participants provide preliminary evidence regarding physical exertion levels across conditions. These results are discussed in the context of a growing multidisciplinary literature on the endocrinological correlates of musical behavior. We conclude that singing together can have biological and psychological effects associated with affiliation and social bonding, and that these effects extend beyond comparable but non-musical group activities. However, we also note that these effects appear heavily influenced by broader contextual factors that shape social dynamics, such as stress levels, the intimacy of interactions, and the status of existing relationships.

Musical Development of Children in a Family Environment from the Research Perspective. Application of Elements of E.E. Gordon’s Music Learning Theory

The article focuses on the musical interactions of parents with children based on elements of E.E. Gordon’s music learning theory which intensify their musical development in different periods of their life. The individual case method and the interview technique were used in the research. The description of the results was generalised and synthesised by analysing interviews with nine family members. The research showed that almost all parents included intentional and varied activities to support their children’s musical development in the prenatal period. They also undertook them at later stages of their lives. These activities often focused on presenting diverse music in terms of style, dynamics, pace, tonality and meter, moving to it, singing for a child and with a child, and performing tonal and rhythmic patterns. It resulted in a wide variety of musical behaviours in the children, conditioned by their age and stage of musical development. It proves that early musical support is an important foundation for the proper course of this process and further musical education.

Exploration of Music Preferences among the Socioeconomic Stereotypes: A Cross-Sectional Study

Music preference is being influenced by various sociological factors. This study was undertaken to investigate music preferences across five different socio-economic classes in selected urban and suburban areas of Sri Lanka. Ten music tracks representing the correspondent musical genres were selected. The single most preferred and the weighted hedonic mean score for the genres in each class were obtained as upper class: jazz, upper middle class: nature music, middle class: popular instrumental, working class: popular instrumental and poor class: rock. The interaction between socio-economic classes and genres was significant (p&lt;0.05). Compelling associations for folk, jazz, and popular instrumental genres were found with the upper-middle class while the upper class has shown a significant association for popular instrumental music. Despite the socio-economic status, the highest preference and the highest weighted hedonic mean score were recorded with popular instrumental. Thus, understanding music preference behaviour is vital for music education and research.