ABSTRACT. A fitting metaphor for my academic life is the River Meander in southwest Turkey, which formed a pivotal part of the Hellenic world in the 7th century BCE. It was also the birthplace and home of Thales of Miletus, a philosopher renowned as one of the legendary Seven Wise Men, or Sophoi, of antiquity and honored with the title, Father of Science. Although I make no claim to such exalted wisdom, I have endeavoured in my academic life to find meaning in the complexities and imponderables of our human existence, and like the river, have meandered far and wide over the disciplines of education, music, and psychology to advance our understanding, in some small way, of why we think and behave as we do. In this presentation, I will highlight some of the special moments in my 40 year career and honour my students and collaborators who have meandered with me over this terrain.

ABSTRACT. While several studies have investigated the biological correlates of neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia, less is known about brain functioning changes in elderly individuals with no cognitive decline manifestations. This is especially true in relation to encoding and recognition of sound information organized in temporal sequences. Here, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to characterise the brain dynamics underlying recognition of previously memorized versus novel musical melodies in elderly (older than 60) and young (18-25 years old) participants. Elderly individuals presented decreased brain activity indexing prediction error and recognition of previously learned melodies. Such reduction was localized in the right hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. In addition, we assessed participants’ working memory (WM) and short-term memory using a same-different musical paradigm which involved both rhythm and pitch discrimination. Elderly individuals showed a reduced behavioral performance, especially for rhythm judgements. Altogether, our study revealed the neural and behavioral correlates of healthy ageing using musical paradigms. Although our results were obtained in two healthy populations, this work highlights the potential benefit of using music in connection to MEG to design protocols for screening and prevention of elderly people at risk of developing memory disorders.

ABSTRACT. Background: Brazil was the last Western country to abolish slavery (1888), and did so without social planification. Former enslaved fled to large cities, concentrating in favelas. Although favelas have their own cultural expressions, opportunities for leisure, musical and artistic development in youth are often lacking. The 1990s saw the emergence of extracurricular programs, when dwindling action from the state gave prominence to actions by the third-sector. Music education programs have been implemented to strengthen solidarity and citizenship, professionalize artists, and change prevailing images of youth. In this project, we used in-depth interviews to examine the lived experiences of 30 young musicians, who learned music in community programs and universities. Research questions: Has participation in music programs assisted poor youth in terms of identity, education, and social mobility? Aims: To document musical experiences of musicians from underprivileged backgrounds who attended sociomusical and university programs in Brazil. Summary of content and significance: In this presentation we share findings on the emergent themes of violence and student resilience. Interviewees experienced different forms of violence: explicit, implicit/symbolic, and microaggressions related to race, gender, social class, physical ability and musical repertoire. Although responses to these forms of violence varied, interviewees relied on social networks and cultural capital to stay resilient and fulfill their dreams.

ABSTRACT. Ethnic discrimination (ED) is associated with mental and physical health impairments. As a cause, a dysregulation of psychobiological stress systems can be assumed. Recognizing the beneficial effects of music listening on psychobiological stress levels, we investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of an ecological momentary music intervention to reduce stress in the everyday life of Turkish immigrant women. Using a smartphone-based app, participants (N = 20) answer items regarding acute stress, perceived ED, and further variables four times a day for 35 days. Additionally, they report every stressful and/or discriminatory event. To examine biological reactions, participants collect saliva samples as part of every report. Using an intraindividual-randomized design, we determine the effects of music listening after stressful and/or discriminatory events on psychobiological stress levels. At the time of abstract submission, 13 participants completed study participation (Mage = 24.9, SD = 3.9). High usage rates of the app and participants’ positive self-reports indicate feasibility of the intervention. Furthermore, music listening after stressful/discriminatory events was associated with lower subjective stress levels compared to no music listening. Preliminary results of our innovative pilot study indicate that music listening is feasible and effective in reducing stress levels in the everyday life of discriminated individuals.

ABSTRACT. This presentation provides a summary of some of the research issues that have inspired my thinking and my research across the 40+ years in which I have been a musician, academic and researcher. Included will be comments on the context of research in the late 1980s and early 1990s and some of the contradictions and issues that shaped my early research agenda. I will summarize some of my main findings related to how learners from beginner to advanced levels of development acquire music performance skills. The bulk of my talk will focus on the two main theoretical perspectives that have most influenced my research: Self-Determination Theory and Self-Regulated Learning. Two key points will emerge from this discussion. The first will show how learners thrive when exposed to an autonomy supportive learning environment in which they are encouraged to take control of their learning and make choices. The second will show how students are unlikely to continue their participation in music if they are unable to imagine themselves as ‘musical’ into the future. In the final part of my presentation, I will explain recent research I am undertaking with colleagues in psychology and neuroscience that examines the genetic basis of musical abilities. I feel confident that the coming decades will see major breakthroughs that will force us to reconceptualize musical ability and many of the ideas that have underpinned professional practice across the last century or more.

ABSTRACT. Understanding motivation is important for exploring questions of how and why people take up learning music, how they persist through the challenges of learning and practice, and how they become successful or cease to learn (Tuan, Chin& Shieh, 2005). This study investigates the contribution of gender and Big Five Personality traits (extraversion, openness to experiences, neuroticism, conscientiousness, and agreeableness) in understanding Chinese primary students’ motivation in musical learning. A total of 464 primary students, aged 10-13, taking part in a range of musical activities were selected for this study. Participants were required to indicate their gender, personality traits and motivation levels through a self-reported questionnaire. The personality traits scale and motivation scale adopted in this study were taken from Susan Hallm et al’s (2016) study and Maćkiewicz and Cieciuch’s (2016) Picture-Based Personality Survey. The results show that there are significant differences between girls and boys in five personality traits and motivation levels. Girls have higher scores in neuroticism and conscientiousness while boys have higher scores in extraversion, openness to experiences and agreeableness. In addition, compared to boys, girls represented higher motivation in musical learning. Furthermore, correlation results determined that neuroticism and conscientiousness are highly positively correlated with students’ motivation, whereas extraversion and openness to experiences are negatively associated with students’ motivation. Gender was also confirmed as a moderator of relationships between personality traits and motivation levels.

ABSTRACT. Despite spending a tremendous amount of time on individual practice, many tertiary music students do not know how to practise effectively. In response, studies have tested interventions designed to equip students with the skills required for effective practice. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of such interventions to see what types of interventions have been conducted, their effects, and their strengths and limitations. The review was conducted following the guidelines of PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses). Thirty publications were initially identified for inclusion. After preliminary coding, it appeared that the identified studies could be categorised into two types: one-off experiments that tested the effect of a specific strategy, and multicomponent interventions that delivered a more comprehensive programme. This study reviewed the multicomponent interventions, for which 12 studies were included in the final analysis. While the identified studies generally reported positive outcomes, they often lacked control groups, used unvalidated scales, and did not provide detailed descriptions of the intervention content. Recommendations are made that could lead to better support for musicians in the future, such as detailed reporting of intervention content and the use of psychometrically sound scales.

ABSTRACT. Recent research has demonstrated the extent to which audiences are active participants in live performances (Burland & Pitts, 2014), and has identified a range of strategies for enhancing and encouraging audience engagement (O’Neill & Sloboda, 2017). At the same time, there is a wealth of literature highlighting the ways in which musicians employ strategies to communicate and express themselves in performance (Fabian et al., 2014). However, there is limited research on the ways in which audiences can influence the creative process during performance, as well as in its preparation and evaluation. This paper explores musicians’ perceptions of their audiences, presenting new empirical data collected from practitioners working across a range of musical traditions. Drawing on scholarship on domains including sport, theatre, comedy and dance, we draw out key themes from the data, including: expectations and personal values; the role of co-performers; creating an atmosphere and a sense of belonging; ‘reading the room’; use of technology; and the impact of performers’ perceptions of the audience relationship on their wellbeing. We conclude by suggesting a framework for understanding the performer-audience dynamic, and set out steps for future empirical research. As well as contributing to an understanding of the performer-audience dynamic as active, embodied, and reciprocal, the paper sheds light on what makes live music special––for performers and audiences alike––and has potentially valuable applications for musicians’ wellbeing.

References

Burland, K., & Pitts, S. (Eds.). (2014). Coughing and clapping: Investigating audience experience. Routledge.

Fabian, D., Timmers, R., & Schubert, E. (Eds.). (2014). Expressiveness in music performance: Empirical approaches across styles and cultures. Oxford University Press.

O’Neill, S., & Sloboda, J. (2017). Responding to performers. In J. Rink, H. Gaunt, & A. Williamon (Eds.), Musicians in the making: Pathways to creative performance (pp. 322–340). Oxford University Press.

ABSTRACT. Four decades of research in performing arts medicine have mapped the extent of performance-related problems (PRP) in musicians; however, intervention studies are yet to produce consistent evidence of a protocol that successfully addresses the complexities of musicians’ psychological and physical wellbeing. Our initial step in developing a wellbeing protocol for musicians at a selective professional training academy was to formulate recommendations for wellbeing program design from the interdisciplinary literature.

The literature across performing arts medicine, performance science, sports psychology, behaviour change, educational theory, safety science, health promotion, and occupational and public health indicates that successful health promotion needs to capture and manage complexity, is context-appropriate, and responsive to program recipients’ lived experience.

Key principles guiding effective program delivery include consultation with all levels of the organisation at every stage; engaging learning experiences; supportive social, physical and digital information environments; community awareness and actions; development of mental health knowledge and self-regulatory skills; access to effective services; and ongoing evaluation and program adjustment to ensure program relevance and effectiveness.

We elaborate on these principles that underpin successful wellness initiatives, and present preliminary data showing how we are translating these principles into a context-specific wellness program for musicians in a professional training context.

ABSTRACT. Since music is sometimes taught as a set of abstractions, music performance is often presented in terms of a kind of Cartesian dualism, involving a disconnect between musicians’ minds and bodies, as well as between ensemble performers. This separation not only creates performance problems for the individual performer, but also interpretation and connection problems within the ensemble. This collaborative autoethnography aims to explain Laban’s effort-actions as a trio rehearsal strategy to create an “Ecology of Practice” (Harlow, 2018, p. 215). Therefore, the research question that guided this inquiry is: How can Laban’s effort-actions be used as a trio rehearsal strategy to create an “Ecology of Practice”? In this collaborative autoethnography, the co-participants are the members of Trio Joie de Vivre. We engaged in full concurrent collaboration, collecting personal memories as well as archival, self-reflective and self-analytical data. Most data were dialogic data, collected during and after rehearsals in preparation for a concert consisting of dance music. We used ATLAS.ti 22 to facilitate collaborative thematic data analysis. Preliminary findings indicated that using Laban’s effort-actions as a rehearsal strategy afforded collective interactivity, a symbiotic relationship between perception, action and embodied cognition. Shared intentions created clear interpretation goals and roles during the rehearsal process. This “Ecology of Practice” had constructive outcomes, such as collective effervescence, mindfulness, reduced performance anxiety, enhanced connection, communication and remaining in sync with each other. We argue that the use of Laban’s effort-actions as a rehearsal strategy not only led to a more coherent interpretation of the music, but also created an “Ecology of Practice”, dissolving the mind-body dualism in music performance, which has important implications for embodied music education.

References Harlow, R. (2018). Ecologies of Practice in Musical Performance. MUSICultures, 45(1–2), Article 1–2. https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/MC/article/view/28942

ABSTRACT. Music therapy (MT) and Music Training (MTr) are interventions suitable for social-prescribing that can provide significant social-cognitive and behavioural benefits for individuals with cognitive decline (Hsu et al., 2015; Zhang et al., 2017). However, controlled studies on the effectiveness of these interventions are scarce and methodologically limited (Fusar-Poli, et al., 2018; Petrovsky et al., 2015). Three pre/post-RCT studies will be presented. The first investigated the effects of a 3-month bi‐weekly MTr intervention on depressed mood symptoms and cognition in older individuals with mild-moderate cognitive impairment or healthy. The second study focussed on the cognitive, behavioural, well-being and physiological (salivary cortisol/DHEA & Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia) effects of a 4-month, one-to-one MT intervention, compared to matched story-telling activities. Both studies found significant advantages in the MT/MTr groups. Finally, the ongoing MusiCare study is using a three-arm RCT-design to compare two types of 5-month weekly sessions, i) one2one MT, ii) small-group MT, iii) large group music-listening (control), with three participant groups: healthy older adults, and participants with mild and moderate cognitive impairment. A final project will investigate the benefits of a 2-month MT intervention combined with robotic-assistive technology (QTrobot–LuxAI) in participants with mild cognitive impairment living in care-homes. Results will elucidate the relationship between different types of measures in monitoring the effectiveness of MT treatment to reduce speed and magnitude of cognitive decline, also highlighting how MT & MTr could be adapted for prevention community work for healthy ageing.

Fusar-Poli et al., (2018); https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2017.1348474 Hsu et al., (2015); https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-015-0082-4 Petrovsky et al., (2015); https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610215000393 Zhang et al., (2017); https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ARR.2016.12.003

ABSTRACT. UK brass playing is a historically masculine pursuit, and men remain the dominant group in all brass-playing contexts. As part of a wider project looking at issues of gender in brass playing, this study investigates the culture of UK brass playing by means of an online questionnaire. It seeks to answer the following research question: To what extent does the UK brass-playing culture contribute to the ‘leaky pipeline’ for women brass musicians? Following on from a quantitative survey that established continuing low numbers of women in many brass-playing contexts, participants of all genders were invited to answer a selection of open and closed questions about their experiences in brass playing. Analysis found several aspects of the UK brass-playing culture that could be discouraging to women musicians and includes participants’ reflections on the evolving musical environment. Inclusivity in brass playing is discussed, as well as reported instances of bullying and harassment. Implications and interventions will be suggested for music education and for the brass-playing world more generally.

ABSTRACT. This qualitative study explores the experiences of individuals with learning difficulties who participate in Makaton choirs. There has been a significant growth in the number and range of community singing groups, alongside a growing interest in the relationship between singing, health and well-being (Reagan et al. 2016). This includes Makaton choirs, which utilize a form of sign language known as Makaton as their main mode of performance. The study aimed to investigate the social and musical experiences of individuals with learning difficulties who participate in Makaton choirs as well as the relationship between Makaton and the experience of emotion through music. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five choir members and a leader. Thematic analysis revealed that participants reported increased opportunities for social connection with others. Participants also reported that performing sign language to song supported the acquisition of Makaton, leading to improvements in communication. Through providing a space for the development of communication and increased social interaction, Makaton choirs present opportunities for creating social relationships and for accessing and participating in new social contexts. In addition, an improved ability to use and understand Makaton sign language allows participants to access the lyrical content of songs, leading to an enhanced understanding of the experience of emotion through music. It is argued that participation in such a group may promote health and well-being by providing participants with a number of psychological and social benefits.

References: Reagan, Carly, Gale, Nichola, Enright, Stephanie, Mann, Mala and Deursen, Robert van (2016), ‘A mixed method systematic review to investigate the effect of group singing on health related quality of life’, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 27, pp. 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1016/j. ctim.2016.03.017. Accessed 15 November 2020

ABSTRACT. The musical interests and abilities of autistic children in early childhood have been widely observed by caregivers and researchers alike and providing opportunities for creative expression has been linked to improved social and verbal communication, parent-child relationships and joint play (Kim et al., 2008; Lim & Draper, 2011; Sharda et al., 2018; Thompson & McFerran, 2015). Recent studies have identified the importance of wider environments including training family members and educators to be able to properly support autistic children’s musical interests and development (Lisboa et al, 2021; Shaughnessy, 2022). However, developing accessible resources for this population remains challenging, as communication and care needs vary between children, with many caregivers reporting the strong self-directness of their children’s musical explorations. This pilot project explored the efficacy of a new suite of animated resources of a musical instrument family, ‘bringing to life’ a set of handheld musical instruments to promote skill acquisition and musical engagement. Trialled in the home and nursery environments of 10 families with autistic children in the early years, qualitative synthesis of their experiences highlighted the how animations were able to bridge the gap between the physical attributes of the instruments held by the children and their animated counterparts. Through these animations, the children’s musical development was able to be supported, alleviating the barriers that can be experienced through directed, joint play and enabling the children to explore their musical potential more independently. This project highlights the possibilities of child-directed resources for autistic children, allowing them to explore musical interests on their own terms and reduces the burden of caregiver mediated musical programs and interventions. It further highlights the potential of musically-orientated animations more widely for children in the early years, providing an accessible model for caregivers, educators to support children’s musical development in everyday life.

ABSTRACT. Ensemble work is a key component of any performance degree in Higher Music Education. Empirical research on students’ experiences of these collaborative engagements, however, is scarce. This multiple-case study explores the interplay between social interaction and joint musical participation among students during rehearsal time. The specific aims are to investigate socioemotional challenges in collaboration, and students’ regulatory processes to overcome them. The study relates group-level video observations of three ensembles (classical (2); jazz/folk/rock) with students’ self-reported experiences (n=11). The data were qualitatively analysed using theory-informed thematic and interactional analyses. The results showed differences between the ensembles with respect to the quantity and the quality of challenges experienced. Cross-case analysis suggested that the quality of interaction (i.e., positive vs. negative) had a direct impact on the wellbeing of the groups’ socioemotional climate and shared regulation. Positive interaction not only increased music students’ likelihood of enjoying ensemble work, but also had an influence in shaping their collective-oriented strategy use and creative output. In contrast, prolonged negative interaction was linked to lower motivation and a decreased collaborative effort among group members.

ABSTRACT. A three-year international research project is examining musician experience of working in socially engaged participatory contexts in Belgium, Colombia, Finland, and the UK (1). The project examines how musicians conceive their contributions to this type of work, acquire the needed skills and motivation, and assess their effectiveness. One specific research question is how musicians feel empowered to continue work which is often challenging and underfunded. Primary project data is qualitative and is being reported elsewhere. This paper presents statistical analyses of quantitative data.

An online survey of 318 practitioners across the four countries included likert-type scale questions rating the degree of importance practitioners place on this kind of work they do; and how well-equipped they feel to deliver this work. Contextual factors (specific training received, size of project, perceived support for the work from different sectors of society) were also rated. Preliminary analysis of the UK data suggests that those with higher levels of commitment and judged competence experience a higher level of support coming from music higher education, but not other sectors. The paper will extend the analysis by cross-country comparison, seeking to uncover and understand local inflections of this increasingly global practice.

(1) Sloboda, J., Baker, G., De bisschop, A., Karttunen, S., Mazzola, A., Rojas, J. S., Van Zijl, A., Westerlund, H., & Zapata Restrepo, G. (2020). Music for Social Impact: An overview of context, policy and activity in four countries, Belgium, Colombia, Finland, and the UK. Finnish Journal of Music Education, 23 (1 & 2), 116-143.

ABSTRACT. Purpose: The purpose is to improve and enhance the quality and accessibility of instrumental music teaching for dyslexic students. Nurturing and empowering the student’s voice in the learning process is prioritised in order to counteract risk factors of ‘learned helplessness’, low motivation and challenges posed by potential co-occurring differences. With a focus on examining how to utilise dyslexic strengths through the use of technological applications, alternative notation systems, evidence-based strategies and the learning environment, the aim is to generate a robust evidence base and resources for music educators, music exam boards, parents and students.

Methods: A combined analysis of the latest findings from neurobiological, cognitive and pedagogical studies with evidence-based analysis of piano lessons and collaboration between student, teacher and parents allowed for a convergence of theory and informed practice. Qualitative data was obtained through cyclical action research with multiple case studies investigating teaching diaries, video recorded lessons, in addition to interviews with music educators, dyslexia specialists, students and parents.

Results/ Conclusions: Music education research with dyslexic students has largely focused on deficits and remedial strategies, despite an awareness of patterns of dyslexic strengths and capabilities emerging in other areas of research. My focus in this presentation will be to demonstrate how the teacher and student might collaborate in an instrumental music lesson context to identify dyslexic students’ strengths thus informing the teacher of the student’s specific learning style and most importantly, to map their strengths in a way that will enhance their educational experience. A focus on strengths may prove an effective method of putting the student at the centre of the learning process, increasing self-determination and confidence, and informing the lesson planning and structure with the ultimate goal of making music education more accessible to the dyslexic student.

ABSTRACT. This research investigates the relationship between handedness and abilities in secondary school students, specifically analysing the effect of handedness on subjective and objective musical abilities and academic performance. Previous research on the association between handedness and musical abilities yields mixed conclusions. On the one hand, some studies have found a relationship between musical abilities and non-right-handedness, alongside a number of studies showing a higher incidence of non-right-handedness in musicians. On the other hand, some studies have found no relationship between handedness and musicianship. Here we aim to resolve some of the uncertainty, using a considerably larger participant group and diversity of relevant musical and non-musical covariates than previous research. The dataset was taken from the current international longitudinal study of educational development in secondary school students, the LongGold project. Measures from the LongGold test battery constituted the musical and academic variables. Using quantitative analysis such as multiple linear regression, we show no relationship between musicality and handedness in the dataset, but a marginal association between right-handedness and higher academic ability. Our results provide a clearer perspective on the nature of handedness and its relationship to abilities, as well as highlighting changing dexterity as an area for future research.

ABSTRACT. UK music therapy trainings include a musical assessment in their selection processes, supporting Alvin’s view that ‘the music therapist must first be a fully trained and experienced musician’ (Alvin 1975:158). However, little research exists about the musical skills being assessed and their relationship to training (Wigram et al. 1999). This study investigated selection for music therapy training to discover what it reveals about musicianship in music therapy, and about the wider music education context from which applicants come.

The study followed one admissions cycle of the Guildhall School MA Music Therapy programme, including candidate, assessor and institutional perspectives. It used focused ethnography and discourse/dispositive analysis approaches (Knoblauch 2005; Jager and Maier 2016) to understand how musicianship is manifested through the language, practices (open days, auditions, interviews) and materialisations (application forms, audition reports etc.) involved in the selection process.

While performance skills remain significant, skills such as instrumental/vocal versatility, creative/responsive fluency, and capacity to cope with the unexpected, were also given prominence. Assessors actively shaped parts of the selection process to test individuals’ capacity in these areas, and candidates showed awareness of these expectations. A ‘music therapy musicianship’ is proposed, and its implications for wider music education practice are discussed.

REFERENCES

Alvin, J. (1975) Music Therapy. London: Hutchinson and Co. Ltd.

Jager, S. and Maier, F. (2016) ‘Analysing Discourses and Dispositives: A Foucauldian approach to theory and methodology’. In Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis. Edited R. Wodak and M. Meyer. London: Sage.

Knoblauch, H. (2005) ‘Focused Ethnography’. Qualitative Social Research 6/3.

Wigram, T., De Backer, J. and Van Camp, J. (1999) ‘Music therapy training: A process to develop the musical and therapeutic identity of the music therapist’. In Clinical Applications of Music Therapy in Paediatrics, Developmental Disability and Neurology. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

ABSTRACT. Music performance assessment is usually approached based on our ability to control music’s intrinsic aspects, but technical abilities are not the only elements that affect the final result of the evaluation. Other areas of our cognitive perception and social environment take part as biases at this moment. Dissident bodies, as women’s bodies, are expected to behave in specific ways. The performativity argued by Butler can explain how Lucy Green’s theory on the relation between the onlooker and the female body performer make the body in question turn into a clatter, a noise in her music discourse; studies in psychometry and embodied music cognition as well as data on the interference of blind auditions with the presence of women in orchestras show us that what we see when we hear music is vital to our judgement of excellency. When we theorise all the problems women are exposed to in the music field through different areas of study, we cannot forget that the final product –music performance– must be understood as permeated by what we see when she performs, and what we see is linked to our expectations of the ideal body for music performance and what a woman should be like when taking this position. Addressing the presence of women in the music field should account for the reception of their discourse and bodies, and although we have several researches regarding these problems, it is rarely approached as an issue in the music language and its hierarchical structure that privileges the same hegemonic discourses.

ABSTRACT. Music education in the UK has long been centered around the study of historic European classical music. Many studies within the field of Music Psychology have investigated the various ways in which people respond to Western Art Music, and how those responses may differ in accordance with the listening context, but very few have examined the effect of music by specific composers. Bach's music is still performed regularly around the world - arguably more so than any other composer - and continues to be regarded as essential repertoire by instrumental teachers across many disciplines. Using a combination of semi-structured interviews and a listening experiment in which participants rate their emotional responses to the pieces they hear, this study seeks to examine the hypotheses that musicians find Bach’s music more rewarding to learn than that of other composers, and that his music elicits a stronger response from listeners when compared to that of other similarly well-known composers. The findings could help determine whether there is an argument for the continued hagiolatry of J. S. Bach, even despite the welcome drive towards the diversification of music education.

ABSTRACT. In recent years, much progress has been made in understanding both the musical potential of learning-disabled children and their musical development. Despite this, these pupils remain disadvantaged in relation to their peers with inconsistent access to regular, high- quality music learning opportunities; the Covid-19 pandemic has further exacerbated this inequity. Meanwhile, special school staff, who tend to know their own learners best, have the potential to be able to support these pupils in accessing meaningful music learning opportunities as part of their daily activities; however, these staff often lack the necessary music facilitation skills or confidence to take advantage of these opportunities. Working closely with special school staff and music leaders, the SMILE project (‘Strategies for Music teaching and learning In Learning-difficulties Education’) addresses this equality gap in music provision by developing a pedagogical approach and a new video-based online resource to support non-music-specialist teachers in acquiring the skills and confidence to facilitate meaningful music learning activities with their pupils.

This paper will report the findings of an interview study from the first phase of the SMILE project. The study’s aims were to understand: 1) the current state of music provision in special schools around the UK; 2) how best to support non-music-specialist staff through the creation of a novel training resource. Sixteen special school staff and music leaders were interviewed about their experiences of facilitating music learning in their settings. Participants reported various challenges around quality and/or lack of resources, as well as low confidence and a perceived lack of music-specific teaching skills among non-specialist staff. Interestingly, music tended to be conceptualised narrowly by non-specialist teachers. We argue that the way that music is conceptualised may influence musical self-efficacy, which in turn may shape both facilitation confidence and approach. Implications for the development of the SMILE resource are discussed.

ABSTRACT. Recent work has shown strong evidence that difficulties with motor planning, control and timing may underlie many of the core symptoms of autism. However, although music can have a powerful influence on bodily movement—and in turn, rhythmic movement with others positively influences social functioning—research into music therapy for children with autism has focused almost exclusively on emotional aspects of musical engagement, rooted in models of autism which are contested and now arguably outdated. To address this, a naturalistic research paradigm was devised in which children (n =7) diagnosed with autism received four individual music therapy sessions while undergoing markerless motion capture recording using 16 Qualisys 3D Miquis video cameras. Data were collected in spring of 2022 with additional data to be collected in autumn 2022. 3D markerless motion capture data is being pre-processed using Theia Markerless software, and kinematic features are being analyzed using the MoCap Toolbox (Burger & Toiviainen 2013). The presentation will describe the theoretical framework for this paradigm, provide insights from researcher and therapist perspectives on the feasibility of the paradigm, and include preliminary results as to the applicability of previously developed metrics of embodied interaction to this data, including methods for assessing entrainment and interaction in spatial and frequency domains (Toiviainen & Carlson, 2022; Toiviainen & Hartmann 2022).

Burger, B. & Toiviainen, P. (2013). MoCap Toolbox - A Matlab toolbox for computational analysis of movement data. In 10th Sound And Music Computing Confernces, SMC 2013, Stockholm, Sweden. Logos Verlag Berlin.

Toiviainen, P., & Carlson, E. (2022). Embodied meter revisited: Entrainment, musical context and genre in music-induced movement. Music Perception 39(3), 249-267.

Toiviainen, P. & Hartmann, E. (2022). Analyzing multidimensional movement interaction with generalized cross-wavelet transform. Human Movement Science 81(2022): 102894.

ABSTRACT. There are around 6,000 deaf children in the early years in England. All too often, their musical abilities and interests are underestimated and they face barriers to musical inclusion. The IMAGINE: Deafness and Hearing Loss project, discussed in this paper, investigates strategies for promoting musical participation in young deaf children (aged 0 – 7) through the research, development and piloting of a set of new music resources. First, Deaf musician, music teacher, and researcher Ruth Montgomery will discuss the impact(s) of deafness on musical development in young deaf children. She will also outline the role of music in promoting cognitive skills, speech and language acquisition, social skills and wellbeing. Dr Hannah Marsden will then give an overview of the IMAGINE project. The main research questions; 1. What are the most appropriate musical activities for deaf children in the early years to promote musical engagement, wider development and wellbeing; 2. What can parents do to support their child’s engagement with music; 3. Can parents be supported by activity booklets, interactive music videos, and visits from a music practitioner; will be discussed, the resources developed so far introduced, and key findings summarized. Finally, Ruth Montgomery will layout a roadmap for the next phase of the IMAGINE project.

ABSTRACT. Stroke is a leading cause of mortality and disability and it is associated with significant costs for health services, social care, patients and carers (Xu et al. 2018). Existing studies have shown that music can have positive impacts on recovery after stroke and can promote enjoyment, motivation, social and psychological benefits (Magee et al. 2017; Särkämö 2018; Le Perf et al. 2019), yet a stronger and more nuanced evidence base is necessary. STROKESTRA is a music rehabilitation programme for stroke patients and their carers pioneered by musicians from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) and clinicians from the Hull and East Riding Community Stroke Services (HERCSS). The programme is offered across two settings (in-patient stroke unit and community venue) and is delivered through tailored group music workshops led by RPO musicians and stroke practitioners. Our research aims to identify how STROKESTRA is implemented, experienced and facilitated; and to question its impact on the wellbeing and post-stroke recovery of patients and carers. Although STROKESTRA was suspended due to COVID-19, initial interviews from the first term yielded valuable insights. Using framework analysis, key themes were identified in relation to three aspects of STROKESTRA: practicalities; the people involved; and the function of music. The two most highly reported experiences were enjoyment and confidence, the latter relating not just to patients and carers, but also to clinicians and musicians. When completed, the research will provide ground-breaking evidence into best practice for joint delivery of arts-based rehabilitation by health professionals and creative practitioners; and it will shed vital light on the impact of this kind of programme on the quality of life of patients, carers and facilitators, contributing to the evidence base about the role of music in stroke recovery.

ABSTRACT. My focus is on musicality in infancy, musicality referring to the skills that underlie our ability to perceive, appreciate, and produce music. Infants have an impressive array of music-related skills as part of their biological heritage. They can detect the smallest pitch and timing differences that are relevant to any musical culture. In general, however, they attend to global or relational features such as melodic contours and rhythms, much like their adult counterparts. They remember melodies several days, even months, after hearing them, especially if their exposure to such melodies occurs at home. Caregivers around the world provide infants with rich musical experiences. They sing to soothe or engage infants, often moving while doing so. There are notable cross-cultural differences in infant-directed singing, which likely stem from differences in caregiving practices, especially infant carrying and holding. Infants’ musical experiences, regardless of culture, are typically multimodal. For Western caregivers, who usually sing to infants in face-to-face contexts, feedback from infants contributes to the expressiveness of performances. Infant-directed singing is highly effective in capturing and holding infants’ attention, regulating their arousal levels, and ameliorating distress. Song familiarity increases its efficacy in distress reduction. Although infants’ responsiveness to music has been the principal focus of systematic research, it is becoming increasingly clear that infants are music-makers as well as music listeners. By 6 months of age, infants engage in rudimentary dancing, involving rhythmic (but not synchronous) movement to rhythmic music. There are large individual differences in the age of onset such dancing, which becomes increasingly frequent and complex over successive months. The familiarity of the music also increases infants’ propensity to dance and their likelihood of smiling while dancing. Rudimentary singing, another neglected realm of study, emerges considerably later than rudimentary dancing. Moreover, individual differences are even larger than those reported for dancing. Neither realm is well suited to laboratory study, so future gains are likely to come from systematic data collection in familiar home surroundings. One of many unresolved issues is the influence of early musical exposure on the emergence of various musical skills in infancy and early childhood. Exposure differences are greatest across cultures. For example, infants in “carrying” cultures where mother and infant are in almost constant physical contact experience a wide range of music, not only music intended for them. The timing of musical milestones in these infants and young children could shed light on the malleability of early musical development.