Hi, I am interested in collaborative research in topics surrounding (social) psychology of music. Music seems to be telling about us as humans, in general, and about the human brain, in particular. We all appear to be musical in some sense. How can that be? There is no survival value, nor any obvious functional specialization (no music module in the brain, or is there?). So what makes a musical mind and musical emotions?
ABSTRACT We investigated the associations between parent-child leisure activities and perceived r... more ABSTRACT We investigated the associations between parent-child leisure activities and perceived relationships longitudinally during the transition from childhood to adolescence. The German Family Panel (pairfam) covering four biannual waves (N = 1,816 children; age range: 8–15 years; 48.4% female) between 2009 and 2015/16 served as our data base. Frequencies of engaging in book reading (Reading), singing or playing music (Music), and playing computer games (Computer), were entered as independent measures, and children’s views on Intimacy, Prosocial Behaviour and Conduct Problems in their relationships with parents were entered as dependent measures in a series of regression analyses. The results revealed complex associations between parent-child leisure activities and parent-child relationships across waves. Specifically, Reading and Music were found positively associated with Prosocial Behaviour, and Computer was found negatively associated with this variable, and positively associated with Conduct Problems. Gender differences and influences of socioeconomic variables were noted. These findings suggest important and continued roles of parent-child leisure activities to regulate intrafamilial relationships during later childhood and the early stages of puberty. Further research is required to investigate the moderators of these associations and underlying mechanisms.
The value of ensemble music-making for wellbeing is addressed in this chapter, with an emphasis o... more The value of ensemble music-making for wellbeing is addressed in this chapter, with an emphasis on amateur musicians. Previous research on musical development over the lifespan suggests that long-term engagement might be motivated by individual wellbeing benefits. Although negative health implications are also noted, amateur musicians report fewer adverse health effects associated with musical participation compared with their professional counterparts. However, the research literature on amateur musicians has tended to focus on choir members, raising questions as to whether the predominantly positive implications of choral singing also apply to instrumental ensemble performance. Recent studies have begun to fill this research gap, but there is still uncertainty with respect to the specific factors contributing to wellbeing and health in amateur ensembles. In conclusion, tentative models to foster hypothesis-driven research are needed as well as a better understanding of the underly...
Patienten mit chronischen Erkrankungen wie Diabetes mellitus können vom Singen oder Spielen eines... more Patienten mit chronischen Erkrankungen wie Diabetes mellitus können vom Singen oder Spielen eines Musikinstruments in vielerlei Hinsicht profitieren. Allerdings müssen bei der Wahl des Musikinstruments, beim Planen des Unterrichts, von Proben oder einer Orchesterfreizeit einige Besonderheiten der Erkrankung berücksichtigt werden.
Previous research has identified families as hubs for musical development, but little is known ab... more Previous research has identified families as hubs for musical development, but little is known about the reciprocal effects on familial dynamics. Here, we address the long-term associations between familial music and parental perceptions of their children’s personality. To these ends, we analysed a subset of data from the German Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics study, a longitudinal cohort study. A total of 839 data sets from parents with their children, covering four waves over a period of six years, served as our database. The frequency of engagement in Singing and Playing Musical Instruments, Reading Books or Storytelling and Shopping represented independent measures, whereas the ratings of Prosocial Behaviour, Intimacy, Admiration, and C onflicts served as dependent measures in the panel regression models. A substantial decline in everyday activities was noted as children grew older, with the exception of Shopping. Parental education, but not family n...
We investigated the effects of familiarity, level of musical expertise, musical tempo, and struct... more We investigated the effects of familiarity, level of musical expertise, musical tempo, and structural boundaries on the identification of familiar and unfamiliar tunes. Healthy Western listeners ( N = 62; age range 14–64 years) judged their level of familiarity with a preselected set of melodies when the number of tones of a given melody was increased from trial to trial according to the so-called gating paradigm. The number of tones served as one dependent measure. The second dependent measure was the physical duration of the stimulus presentation until listeners identified a melody as familiar or unfamiliar. Results corroborate previous work, suggesting that listeners need less information to recognize familiar as compared to unfamiliar melodies. Both decreasing and increasing the original tempo by a factor of two delayed the identification of familiar melodies. Furthermore, listeners had more difficulty identifying unfamiliar melodies when tempo was increased. Finally, musical ex...
were also-with Aaron Williamon-the organisers of this conference, and we invited speakers to subm... more were also-with Aaron Williamon-the organisers of this conference, and we invited speakers to submit articles based on their presentations for publication. These are the five that were eventually selected, and they are pleasingly representative of the conference as a whole. They report research carried out using a variety of methods, addressing a range of topics including psychological as well as physical health, solutions as well as problems, for amateur and student as well as professional musicians. Briefly, Kristie Kava and her colleagues evaluated two kinds of exercise for enhancing the performance of student instrumentalists, and Christian Bernhard investigated music students' experience of burnout. Melissa Dobson interviewed jazz and classical musicians to find out how they differed in terms of autonomy and self-expression, and Lili Allsop and Tim Ackland looked at pianists' playing-related musculoskeletal disorders in relation to technique and practice strategy. Stephe...
Contemporary microtonal music poses considerable challenges to professional performers. Here, we ... more Contemporary microtonal music poses considerable challenges to professional performers. Here, we investigate five renditions of Klaus Huber’s “…Plainte…” for viola d’amore in third-tone tuning with respect to pitch accuracy at the acoustic level. The analysis also includes examining tones on open strings, which were played on the composer’s instrument. Significant differences between intended and realized fundamental frequency values were observed. The tuning of instruments deviated 14 to 42.5 cents from theoretical values. Influences of sound production on fundamental frequencies in performances were analysed, supplemented by additional analyses using the composer’s instrument. In each performance, the range of fundamental frequency deviations of tones played on open strings was considerably narrower than when tones were played with fingerboard stopping. In latter case, the range of deviations exceeded a third-tone interval (67 cents) in all performances and was larger than reported on tonal music in twelve-tone equal temperament. These results suggest specific limitations in the realization of third-tone music as performed on a fretless string instrument by highly-trained professional performers. The fact that three of the analysed recordings are commercially available further suggests that rather large deviations of fundamental frequencies from values described by music theory are accepted aesthetically.
Previous work suggests that musical training can enhance acculturation processes. This study exam... more Previous work suggests that musical training can enhance acculturation processes. This study examined this assumption among third-graders with migrant backgrounds within a longitudinal framework. A total of 54 children (31 females; 23 males; mean age: 8.85 years) were assigned to one of three groups in a quasi-randomized procedure: (a) music training (singing or instrumental), (b) game-based mathematical training (board and card games), and (c) controls (do-nothing). We assumed that the music children showed increases in host culture orientation, perceived school integration, and in their individual self-concept in comparison to their peers with alternative or without additional training. Music children received weekly 45 min sessions over a period of 10 months. Data were collected at baseline, after one school year, and at a follow-up about six months after intervention. Results showed no advantages for music children across dependent measures. Increases of perceived school integration and self-concept were significant across groups. In sum, our results failed to replicate the main findings from previous studies. They suggest that weekly musical training over a period of 10 months might not be sufficient to improve the acculturation process or to enhance the self-concept of primary school children with a migration background.
The present study examines psychophysiological responses to ascending melodic intervals and the s... more The present study examines psychophysiological responses to ascending melodic intervals and the specific influences of bodily movement. A total of 15 adult listeners were assessed in 2 conditions with and without voluntary bodily movements during listening to major third ...
ABSTRACT We investigated the associations between parent-child leisure activities and perceived r... more ABSTRACT We investigated the associations between parent-child leisure activities and perceived relationships longitudinally during the transition from childhood to adolescence. The German Family Panel (pairfam) covering four biannual waves (N = 1,816 children; age range: 8–15 years; 48.4% female) between 2009 and 2015/16 served as our data base. Frequencies of engaging in book reading (Reading), singing or playing music (Music), and playing computer games (Computer), were entered as independent measures, and children’s views on Intimacy, Prosocial Behaviour and Conduct Problems in their relationships with parents were entered as dependent measures in a series of regression analyses. The results revealed complex associations between parent-child leisure activities and parent-child relationships across waves. Specifically, Reading and Music were found positively associated with Prosocial Behaviour, and Computer was found negatively associated with this variable, and positively associated with Conduct Problems. Gender differences and influences of socioeconomic variables were noted. These findings suggest important and continued roles of parent-child leisure activities to regulate intrafamilial relationships during later childhood and the early stages of puberty. Further research is required to investigate the moderators of these associations and underlying mechanisms.
The value of ensemble music-making for wellbeing is addressed in this chapter, with an emphasis o... more The value of ensemble music-making for wellbeing is addressed in this chapter, with an emphasis on amateur musicians. Previous research on musical development over the lifespan suggests that long-term engagement might be motivated by individual wellbeing benefits. Although negative health implications are also noted, amateur musicians report fewer adverse health effects associated with musical participation compared with their professional counterparts. However, the research literature on amateur musicians has tended to focus on choir members, raising questions as to whether the predominantly positive implications of choral singing also apply to instrumental ensemble performance. Recent studies have begun to fill this research gap, but there is still uncertainty with respect to the specific factors contributing to wellbeing and health in amateur ensembles. In conclusion, tentative models to foster hypothesis-driven research are needed as well as a better understanding of the underly...
Patienten mit chronischen Erkrankungen wie Diabetes mellitus können vom Singen oder Spielen eines... more Patienten mit chronischen Erkrankungen wie Diabetes mellitus können vom Singen oder Spielen eines Musikinstruments in vielerlei Hinsicht profitieren. Allerdings müssen bei der Wahl des Musikinstruments, beim Planen des Unterrichts, von Proben oder einer Orchesterfreizeit einige Besonderheiten der Erkrankung berücksichtigt werden.
Previous research has identified families as hubs for musical development, but little is known ab... more Previous research has identified families as hubs for musical development, but little is known about the reciprocal effects on familial dynamics. Here, we address the long-term associations between familial music and parental perceptions of their children’s personality. To these ends, we analysed a subset of data from the German Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics study, a longitudinal cohort study. A total of 839 data sets from parents with their children, covering four waves over a period of six years, served as our database. The frequency of engagement in Singing and Playing Musical Instruments, Reading Books or Storytelling and Shopping represented independent measures, whereas the ratings of Prosocial Behaviour, Intimacy, Admiration, and C onflicts served as dependent measures in the panel regression models. A substantial decline in everyday activities was noted as children grew older, with the exception of Shopping. Parental education, but not family n...
We investigated the effects of familiarity, level of musical expertise, musical tempo, and struct... more We investigated the effects of familiarity, level of musical expertise, musical tempo, and structural boundaries on the identification of familiar and unfamiliar tunes. Healthy Western listeners ( N = 62; age range 14–64 years) judged their level of familiarity with a preselected set of melodies when the number of tones of a given melody was increased from trial to trial according to the so-called gating paradigm. The number of tones served as one dependent measure. The second dependent measure was the physical duration of the stimulus presentation until listeners identified a melody as familiar or unfamiliar. Results corroborate previous work, suggesting that listeners need less information to recognize familiar as compared to unfamiliar melodies. Both decreasing and increasing the original tempo by a factor of two delayed the identification of familiar melodies. Furthermore, listeners had more difficulty identifying unfamiliar melodies when tempo was increased. Finally, musical ex...
were also-with Aaron Williamon-the organisers of this conference, and we invited speakers to subm... more were also-with Aaron Williamon-the organisers of this conference, and we invited speakers to submit articles based on their presentations for publication. These are the five that were eventually selected, and they are pleasingly representative of the conference as a whole. They report research carried out using a variety of methods, addressing a range of topics including psychological as well as physical health, solutions as well as problems, for amateur and student as well as professional musicians. Briefly, Kristie Kava and her colleagues evaluated two kinds of exercise for enhancing the performance of student instrumentalists, and Christian Bernhard investigated music students' experience of burnout. Melissa Dobson interviewed jazz and classical musicians to find out how they differed in terms of autonomy and self-expression, and Lili Allsop and Tim Ackland looked at pianists' playing-related musculoskeletal disorders in relation to technique and practice strategy. Stephe...
Contemporary microtonal music poses considerable challenges to professional performers. Here, we ... more Contemporary microtonal music poses considerable challenges to professional performers. Here, we investigate five renditions of Klaus Huber’s “…Plainte…” for viola d’amore in third-tone tuning with respect to pitch accuracy at the acoustic level. The analysis also includes examining tones on open strings, which were played on the composer’s instrument. Significant differences between intended and realized fundamental frequency values were observed. The tuning of instruments deviated 14 to 42.5 cents from theoretical values. Influences of sound production on fundamental frequencies in performances were analysed, supplemented by additional analyses using the composer’s instrument. In each performance, the range of fundamental frequency deviations of tones played on open strings was considerably narrower than when tones were played with fingerboard stopping. In latter case, the range of deviations exceeded a third-tone interval (67 cents) in all performances and was larger than reported on tonal music in twelve-tone equal temperament. These results suggest specific limitations in the realization of third-tone music as performed on a fretless string instrument by highly-trained professional performers. The fact that three of the analysed recordings are commercially available further suggests that rather large deviations of fundamental frequencies from values described by music theory are accepted aesthetically.
Previous work suggests that musical training can enhance acculturation processes. This study exam... more Previous work suggests that musical training can enhance acculturation processes. This study examined this assumption among third-graders with migrant backgrounds within a longitudinal framework. A total of 54 children (31 females; 23 males; mean age: 8.85 years) were assigned to one of three groups in a quasi-randomized procedure: (a) music training (singing or instrumental), (b) game-based mathematical training (board and card games), and (c) controls (do-nothing). We assumed that the music children showed increases in host culture orientation, perceived school integration, and in their individual self-concept in comparison to their peers with alternative or without additional training. Music children received weekly 45 min sessions over a period of 10 months. Data were collected at baseline, after one school year, and at a follow-up about six months after intervention. Results showed no advantages for music children across dependent measures. Increases of perceived school integration and self-concept were significant across groups. In sum, our results failed to replicate the main findings from previous studies. They suggest that weekly musical training over a period of 10 months might not be sufficient to improve the acculturation process or to enhance the self-concept of primary school children with a migration background.
The present study examines psychophysiological responses to ascending melodic intervals and the s... more The present study examines psychophysiological responses to ascending melodic intervals and the specific influences of bodily movement. A total of 15 adult listeners were assessed in 2 conditions with and without voluntary bodily movements during listening to major third ...
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