PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC

Lecturer: Dr Peter Keller

Consultation time: Friday 12:00-13:00

(or by appointment: [e-mail])

Office: Room 225

PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC

MONDAY

Room 13

7, 14, 21 March, 4, 18, 25 April, 9, 16, 23, 30 May

Pt

Time

1.

12.45 - 13.30

2.

13.55 - 14.40

3.

14.50 - 15.35

PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC

FRIDAY

Room 13

11, 18, 25, March, 8, 22, 29 April, 13, 20 May, 3, 10 June

Pt

Times

1.

8.00 - 8.45

2.

8.55 - 9.40

3.

9.50 - 10.35

PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC

SUNDAY

Room 57

6 & 20 March, 10 & 24 April, 15 & 29 May

Pt

Times

1.

10.40 - 11.25

2.

11.45 - 12.30

3.

12.40 - 13.25

PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC

SUNDAY

Room 57

6 & 20 March, 10 & 24 April, 15 & 29 May

Pt

Times

1.

13.35 - 14.20

2.

14.30 - 15.15

3.

15.35 - 16.20

COURSE OUTLINE

3. Applications of research in music psychology to music education and

music therapy.

Introduction to:

1. The scientific study of music perception and performance –

Music Cognition

2. Theory and research methods addressing topics ranging from to
auditory physiology to memory for music and emotional responses to
music;

How does a listener’s brain organise musical sounds?

How does a performer’s brain get his or her body to produce
musical behaviour?

Interdisciplinary: Cognitive psychology + neuroscience + psychophysics
+ acoustics + physiology + musicology + pedagogy + anthropology
+ archeology + ethology + medicine etc.

REQUIREMENTS

1. Basic (‘conversational’) English language skills.

Technical language skills NOT necessary!

2. Musical training NOT necessary (though helpful).

An artistic form of auditory communication incorporating
instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous
manner

www.cogsci.princeton.edu

The art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a
continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as
through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre.

www.dictionary.com

What is Music?

„I could not accept the academic idea that the purpose of music
was communication, because I noticed that when I
conscientiously wrote something sad, people and critics were
often apt to laugh.

I determined to give up composition unless I could find a better
reason for doing it than communication.

…the responsibility of the artist is to imitate nature in her
manner of operation.”

4'33" (1952)

John Cage (1912-1992)

1

Origins of music

2

Sensorimotor synchronization

3

Rhythm perception and production

4

Pitch and timbre perception

5

Perception of melody, harmony and musical

structure

6

Musical memory

7

Music and emotion

8

Music performance

9

Music research in cognitive psychology

10

Practical applications in education and

therapy

Topics

Course Materials

Recommended reading:

Robert Jourdain. Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy:
How Music Captures Our Imagination. New York:
William Morrow and Company, 1997.

Diana Deutsch (editor). The Psychology of Music.
Second edition. San Diego: Academic Press, 1999.

Topic 1: Origins of music

When, why, and how did musical abilities evolve in humans?

The relationship between music and animal vocal
communication (birdsong and primate vocalizations).

Archeological finds that provide evidence for early music
making in humans.

The relationship between music and language in human
evolution.

Topic 2: Sensorimotor synchronization

Laboratory studies of sensorimotor synchronization with
metronomes:

History, methodologies, and main findings.

Synchronization between individuals in musical groups.

Topic 3: Rhythm perception and production

What is rhythm?

Metric frameworks as rhythmic schemas.

The perception and production of simple rhythm patterns.

The perception and production of complex rhythm patterns, such as
the polyrhythms of West African music and the syncopated rhythms
of jazz.

Topic 4: Pitch and timbre perception

The basic physics of sound.

Introduction to auditory physiology.

Pitch perception.

Absolute pitch.

What is timbre and how is it perceived?

Topic 6: Musical memory

Types of memory relevant to music: echoic memory, working
memory, short-term memory, long-term memory, and episodic
memory.

Experimental paradigms used to study musical memory.

The interaction of pitch and rhythm in memory.

The effects of musical expertise on musical memory.

Topic 5: Perception of melody, harmony and musical
structure

The Gestalt laws of organization applied to music.

The role of intervals and contours in melody perception.

Theories of how pitches are combined to perceive harmony.

The perception of large-scale musical form.

Topic 7: Music and emotion

Methods for measuring emotional response to music.

The relationship between emotional response and musical
parameters such as rhythm, tempo, loudness, timbre, key, pitch
intervals, and pitch contours.

Topic 8: Music performance

Motor control in music performance.

Performance anxiety.

The psychological processes involved in preparing a musical
performance.

Conveying emotions through musical performance.

Topic 9: Music research in cognitive psychology

What do studies in music psychology tell us above human cognition in
general?

The nature of mental representation.

Time perception.

Musical illusions.

Topic 10: Practical applications in education and therapy

Developmental psychology of music.

Music in the mainstream education system.

Teaching musical skills.

Music in therapy.

Assessment

1. Multiple choice exam (55%)

2. Short (350-500 word) written summary of a target article (20%)

3. Brief (10 minute) oral presentation of the aims, methods, and

results of an experiment reported in the target article (15%)

4. Participation (10%)