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Purpose: This study was designed based on the need to verify the effectiveness of education in the vocology area concerning refining perceptual auditory skills. The purpose of the project described in this paper was to examine the effect of knowledge and skills training during a 2‐week voice disorders graduate course on auditory‐perceptual skills of pre‐professional speech‐language pathologists. The training effect was evaluated by comparing pre‐ and post‐course results of ratings of voice quality using auditory‐perceptual measures. Method: A cohort of 24 graduate students in speech‐language pathology participated in this study. Each student rated a total of 24 voice samples of typical and disordered voice quality from a database using Consensus Auditory‐Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE‐V). The same voice samples were rated before and after the training, in randomised order. The speakers ranged in age from 35 to 80 years; 16 identified as females and 8 as males. A total of 16 samples were associated with various degrees of dysphonia of organic and functional aetiologies; the remaining 8 voice samples included in the study were classified as normal. The training involved different components including knowledge and auditory‐perceptual skills as part of a voice class offered as an intensive 2‐week course with daily blocks of 4 h sessions. Exploratory comparisons of results to objective outcomes were conducted through comparisons with computer‐generated indicators of the Cepstral Spectral Index of Dysphonia (CSID), a component of the Analysis of Dysphonia in Speech and Voice (ADSV) software from Pentax for capturing the CSID. Results: There was a significant increase in ratings of roughness, breathiness, loudness, pitch and overall severity after the course. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in the intra‐ and interrater reliability post training. Statistically significant positive indications were found in correlations between mean perceptual ratings and the acoustic measure of CSID. Reliability of data was measured by using Pearson's correlations. Intrarater reliability resulted in values of ≥0.90 in all parameters. Similar findings were demonstrated by intraclass coefficients used to estimate interrater consistency: all values were >0.90 but in the Loudness parameter [r (22) = 0.60]. Conclusion: Effectiveness of the training in improving the auditory perceptual skills of students was based on the increased reliability of ratings. Indications of successful implementation and outcomes on auditory‐perpetual training procedures in classroom environments will support the development of effective educational methods, which will in turn lead to increased efficacy of service delivery in voice disorders. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject: The effects of training on perceptual assessment performance have been indicated in the literature. Past evidence has demonstrated that various types of training produce a significant impact on auditory perceptual skills. Although dedicated research has been advancing over the past decade, further aspects of auditory‐perceptual reliable assessment include queries about specific training approaches, optimal duration, and interval time for recalibration. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: While past research suggests that increased exposure in identifying voice characteristics impacts assessment skills, there are limited published data on the relationship of knowledge and skill in association with teaching and learning environments, particularly at the pre‐professional stage. Practical data from actual classroom application constitute an ideal scenario for inspecting effectiveness of graduate training in voice disorders involving acquiring knowledge and applied skills, including auditory‐perceptual voice evaluation. This study is an attempt to expand on previous literature, particularly by examining effects of auditory‐perceptual skills training in graduate students following teaching and learning in a systematic 2‐week voice disorders course. What are the clinical implications of this work?: Outcomes indicative of successful training procedures in a classroom environment will support the development of effective educational methods to increase efficacy of service delivery in voice disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present longitudinal study investigated the hypothesis that early musical skills (as measured by melodic and rhythmic perception and memory) predict later literacy development via a mediating effect of phonology. We examined 130 French‐speaking children, 31 of whom with a familial risk for developmental dyslexia (DD). Their abilities in the three domains were assessed longitudinally with a comprehensive battery of behavioral tests in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. Using a structural equation modeling approach, we examined potential longitudinal effects from music to literacy via phonology. We then investigated how familial risk for DD may influence these relationships by testing whether atypical music processing is a risk factor for DD. Results showed that children with a familial risk for DD consistently underperformed children without familial risk in music, phonology, and literacy. A small effect of musical ability on literacy via phonology was observed, but may have been induced by differences in stability across domains over time. Furthermore, early musical skills did not add significant predictive power to later literacy difficulties beyond phonological skills and family risk status. These findings are consistent with the idea that certain key auditory skills are shared between music and speech processing, and between DD and congenital amusia. However, they do not support the notion that music perception and memory skills can serve as a reliable early marker of DD, nor as a valuable target for reading remediation. Research Highlights: Music, phonology, and literacy skills of 130 children, 31 of whom with a familial risk for dyslexia, were examined longitudinally.Children with a familial risk for dyslexia consistently underperformed children without familial risk in musical, phonological, and literacy skills.Structural equation models showed a small effect of musical ability in kindergarten on literacy in second grade, via phonology in first grade.However, early musical skills did not add significant predictive power to later literacy difficulties beyond phonological skills and family risk status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music is ubiquitous, both in its instrumental and vocal forms. While speech perception at birth has been at the core of an extensive corpus of research, the origins of the ability to discriminate instrumental or vocal melodies is still not well investigated. In previous studies comparing vocal and musical perception, the vocal stimuli were mainly related to speaking, including language, and not to the non‐language singing voice. In the present study, to better compare a melodic instrumental line with the voice, we used singing as a comparison stimulus, to reduce the dissimilarities between the two stimuli as much as possible, separating language perception from vocal musical perception. In the present study, 45 newborns were scanned, 10 full‐term born infants and 35 preterm infants at term‐equivalent age (mean gestational age at test = 40.17 weeks, SD = 0.44) using functional magnetic resonance imaging while listening to five melodies played by a musical instrument (flute) or sung by a female voice. To examine the dynamic task‐based effective connectivity, we employed a psychophysiological interaction of co‐activation patterns (PPI‐CAPs) analysis, using the auditory cortices as seed region, to investigate moment‐to‐moment changes in task‐driven modulation of cortical activity during an fMRI task. Our findings reveal condition‐specific, dynamically occurring patterns of co‐activation (PPI‐CAPs). During the vocal condition, the auditory cortex co‐activates with the sensorimotor and salience networks, while during the instrumental condition, it co‐activates with the visual cortex and the superior frontal cortex. Our results show that the vocal stimulus elicits sensorimotor aspects of the auditory perception and is processed as a more salient stimulus while the instrumental condition activated higher‐order cognitive and visuo‐spatial networks. Common neural signatures for both auditory stimuli were found in the precuneus and posterior cingulate gyrus. Finally, this study adds knowledge on the dynamic brain connectivity underlying the newborns capability of early and specialized auditory processing, highlighting the relevance of dynamic approaches to study brain function in newborn populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Musical engagement can be conceptualized through various activities, modes of listening and listener states. Recent research has reported that a state of focused engagement can be indexed by the inter‐subject correlation (ISC) of audience responses to a shared naturalistic stimulus. While statistically significant ISC has been reported during music listening, we lack insight into the temporal dynamics of engagement over the course of musical works—such as those composed in the Western classical style—which involve the formulation of expectations that are realized or derailed at subsequent points of arrival. Here, we use the ISC of electroencephalographic (EEG) and continuous behavioural (CB) responses to investigate the time‐varying dynamics of engagement with functional tonal music. From a sample of adult musicians who listened to a complete cello concerto movement, we found that ISC varied throughout the excerpt for both measures. In particular, significant EEG ISC was observed during periods of musical tension that built to climactic highpoints, while significant CB ISC corresponded more to declarative entrances and points of arrival. Moreover, we found that a control stimulus retaining envelope characteristics of the intact music, but little other temporal structure, also elicited significantly correlated EEG and CB responses, though to lesser extents than the original version. In sum, these findings shed light on the temporal dynamics of engagement during music listening and clarify specific aspects of musical engagement that may be indexed by each measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time discrimination, a critical aspect of auditory perception, is influenced by numerous factors. Previous research has suggested that musical experience can restructure the brain, thereby enhancing time discrimination. However, this phenomenon remains underexplored. In this study, we seek to elucidate the enhancing effect of musical experience on time discrimination, utilizing both behavioral and electroencephalogram methodologies. Additionally, we aim to explore, through brain connectivity analysis, the role of increased connectivity in brain regions associated with auditory perception as a potential contributory factor to time discrimination induced by musical experience. The results show that the music‐experienced group demonstrated higher behavioral accuracy, shorter reaction time, and shorter P3 and mismatch response latencies as compared to the control group. Furthermore, the music‐experienced group had higher connectivity in the left temporal lobe. In summary, our research underscores the positive impact of musical experience on time discrimination and suggests that enhanced connectivity in brain regions linked to auditory perception may be responsible for this enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global ageing of populations calls for effective, ecologically valid methods to support brain health across adult life. Previous evidence suggests that music can promote white matter (WM) microstructure and grey matter (GM) volume while supporting auditory and cognitive functioning and emotional well‐being as well as counteracting age‐related cognitive decline. Adding a social component to music training, choir singing is a popular leisure activity among older adults, but a systematic account of its potential to support healthy brain structure, especially with regard to ageing, is currently missing. The present study used quantitative anisotropy (QA)‐based diffusion MRI connectometry and voxel‐based morphometry to explore the relationship of lifetime choir singing experience and brain structure at the whole‐brain level. Cross‐sectional multiple regression analyses were carried out in a large, balanced sample (N = 95; age range 21–88) of healthy adults with varying levels of choir singing experience across the whole age range and within subgroups defined by age (young, middle‐aged, and older adults). Independent of age, choir singing experience was associated with extensive increases in WM QA in commissural, association, and projection tracts across the brain. Corroborating previous work, these overlapped with language and limbic networks. Enhanced corpus callosum microstructure was associated with choir singing experience across all subgroups. In addition, choir singing experience was selectively associated with enhanced QA in the fornix in older participants. No associations between GM volume and choir singing were found. The present study offers the first systematic account of amateur‐level choir singing on brain structure. While no evidence for counteracting GM atrophy was found, the present evidence of enhanced structural connectivity coheres well with age‐typical structural changes. Corroborating previous behavioural studies, the present results suggest that regular choir singing holds great promise for supporting brain health across the adult life span. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents interdisciplinary research exploring the development of inclusive multisensory science books, communicating immunology data for blind, low‐vision and diverse‐needs audiences. The research adopted an inductive theory‐building approach, practice‐based art methods and music and design methods, leveraging the lived experience of a legally blind artist. The research also involved designers and scientists in a cocreation process, producing books that incorporate tactile artworks, Braille‐inspired protein models, image sonification and interaction. Two multisensory book titles, "The Heroes Within You: A Multisensory Exploration of Infection and Immunity" and "My Goodness: A Multisensory Exploration of Nutrition and Immunity", were developed for the Monash Sensory Science 2023 Exhibition Day. The books offer an innovative way to make science and art more accessible and engaging, addressing the limitations of traditional museum methods. Feedback from audiences has been positive, emphasizing the fascination, sensory engagement and ease of understanding. This paper highlights the potential for an interdisciplinary and inclusive approach to science and art, demonstrating the value of multisensory books as tools for science communication. The findings highlight the positive reception of this novel approach and suggest its potential for broader applications, promoting inclusivity and accessibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human musicality (the capacity to make and appreciate music) is difficult to explain in evolutionary terms, though many theories attempt to do so. This paper focuses on musicality's potential adaptive precursors, particularly as related to rhythm. It suggests that pace setting for walking and running long distances over extended time periods (endurance locomotion, EL) is a good candidate for an adaptive building block of rhythmic musicality. The argument is as follows: (1) over time, our hominin lineage developed a host of adaptations for efficient EL; (2) the ability to set and maintain a regular pace was a crucial adaptation in the service of EL, providing proximate rewards for successful execution; (3) maintaining a pace in EL occasioned hearing, feeling, and attending to regular rhythmic patterns; (4) these rhythmic patterns, as well as proximate rewards for maintaining them, became disassociated from locomotion and entrained in new proto‐musical contexts. Support for the model and possibilities for generating predictions to test it are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cognitive preparation of an operation without overt motor execution is referred to as imagery (of any kind). Over the last two decades of progress in brain timing studies, the timing of imagery has received little focus. This study compared the time perception of ten professional violinists' actual and imagery performances to see if such an analysis could offer a different model of timing in musicians' imagery skills. When comparing the timing profiles of the musicians between the two situations (actual and imagery), we found a significant correlation in overestimation of time in the imagery. In our fMRI analysis, we found high activation in the left cerebellum. This finding seems consistent with dedicated models of timing such as the cerebellar timing hypothesis, which assigns a "specialized clock" for tasks. In addition, the present findings might provide empirical data concerning imagery, creativity, and time. Maintaining imagery over time is one of the foundations of creativity, and understanding the underlying temporal neuronal mechanism might help us to apprehend the machinery of creativity per se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music listening is a dynamic process that entails complex interactions between sensory, cognitive, and emotional processes. The naturalistic paradigm provides a means to investigate these processes in an ecologically valid manner by allowing experimental settings that mimic real‐life musical experiences. In this paper, we highlight the importance of the naturalistic paradigm in studying dynamic music processing and discuss how it allows for investigating both the segregation and integration of brain processes using model‐based and model‐free methods. We further suggest that studying individual difference‐modulated music processing in this paradigm can provide insights into the mechanisms of brain plasticity, which can have implications for the development of interventions and therapies in a personalized way. Finally, despite the challenges that the naturalistic paradigm poses, we end with a discussion on future prospects of music and neuroscience research, especially with the continued development and refinement of naturalistic paradigms and the adoption of open science practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reviews the growing body of interdisciplinary research on music cognition, using biomechanical, kinesiological, clinical, psychosocial, and sociological methods. The review primarily examines the relationship between temporal elements in music and motor responses under varying contexts, with considerable relevance for clinical rehabilitation. After providing an overview of the terminology and approaches pertinent to theories of rhythm and meter from the musical‐theoretical and cognitive fields, this review focuses on studies on the effects of rhythmic sensory stimulation on gait, rhythmic cues' effect on the motor system, reactions to rhythmic stimuli attempting to synchronize mobility (i.e., musical embodiment), and the application of rhythm for motor rehabilitation for individuals with Parkinson's disease, stroke, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, and other neurodegenerative or neurotraumatic diseases. This work ultimately bridges the gap between the musical‐theoretical and cognitive science fields to facilitate innovative research in which each discipline informs the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Atypical speech prosody has been commonly found among autistic children. Yet it remains unknown whether prosody impairment originates from poor pitch ability in general or whether it is the result of the difficulty in understanding and using prosody for communicative purposes. Aims: To investigate whether native Mandarin Chinese‐speaking autistic children with intellectual impairment were able to accurately produce native lexical tones, which are pitch patterns that distinguish word meaning lexically and serve little social purpose. Methods & Procedures: Using a picture‐naming task, thirteen 8–13‐year‐old Mandarin Chinese‐speaking autistic children with intellectual impairment were tested on their production of Chinese lexical tones. Chronical age‐matched typically developing (TD) children were included as the control group. Perceptual assessment and phonetic analyses were conducted with the produced lexical tones. Outcomes & Results: The majority of the lexical tones produced by the autistic children were perceived as accurate by adult judges. Phonetic analysis of the pitch contours found no significant difference between the two groups, and the autistic children and TD children used the phonetic features in comparable ways when differentiating the lexical tones. However, the lexical tone accuracy rate was lower among the autistic children than among the TDs, and the larger individual difference was observed among the autistic children than the TD children. Conclusions & Implications: These results indicate that autistic children are able to produce the global contours of the lexical tones, and pitch deficits do not seem to qualify as a core feature of autism. What this paper adds: What is already known on the subject: Atypical prosody has been considered a maker of the speech of autistic children, and meta‐analysis found a significant difference in mean pitch and pitch range between TD children and autistic children. Yet it remains unknown whether the pitch deficits are the result of impaired perceptual–motoric ability or if they reflect failure in learning sentential prosody, which requires an understanding of the interlocutors' mind. In addition, research on pitch ability of autistic children with intellectual disabilities has been scarce, and whether these children are able to produce pitch variation is largely unknown. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: We tested native Mandarin Chinese autistic children with intellectual impairment on their production of native lexical tones. The lexical tones in Chinese are pitch variations realized on individual syllables that distinguish lexical meaning, but they do not serve social pragmatic purposes. We found that although these autistic children had only developed limited spoken language, the majority of their lexical tones were perceived as accurate. They were able to use the phonetic features in comparable ways with the TD children when distinguishing the lexical tones. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: It seems unlikely that pitch processing at the lexical level is fundamentally impaired in autistic children, and pitch deficits do not seem to qualify for a core feature of their speech. Practitioners should be cautious when using pitch production as a clinical marker for autistic children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Musical stimuli are widely used in emotion research and intervention studies. However, reviews have repeatedly noted that a lack of pre‐evaluated musical stimuli is stalling progress in our understanding of specific effects of varying music. Musical stimuli vary along a plethora of dimensions. Of particular interest are emotional valence and tempo. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the emotional valence of a set of slow and fast musical stimuli. N = 102 (mean age: 39.95, SD: 13.60, 61% female) participants rated the perceived emotional valence in 20 fast (>110 beats per minute [bmp]) and 20 slow (<90 bpm) stimuli. Moreover, we collected reports on subjective arousal for each stimulus to explore arousal's association with tempo and valence. Finally, participants completed questionnaires on demographics, mood (profile of mood states), personality (10‐item personality index), musical sophistication (Gold‐music sophistication index), and sound preferences and hearing habits (sound preference and hearing habits questionnaire). Using mixed‐effect model estimates, we identified 19 stimuli that participants rated to have positive valence and 16 stimuli that they rated to have negative valence. Higher age predicted more positive valence ratings across stimuli. Higher tempo and more extreme valence ratings were each associated with higher arousal. Higher educational attainment was also associated with higher arousal reports. Pre‐evaluated stimuli can be used in future musical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As faculty members, we should support students who want to engage in music research, either in our own labs or in collaboration with music researchers - even if one has never studied music before - and we should encourage the development of our own departments, in terms of the courses we offer and the people we hire. When psychologist Sandra Trehub passed away in January 2023, many of her colleagues noted her role in putting music on psychologists' radar - especially research on music in development. The evidence is all around us all: just look in your pocket (where a device is available that plays music) or at your credit card bill (where you've likely spent money on music) or at your children's education (which likely includes music). A bright future for developmental science on music We see this Special Issue as an existence proof for the vitality, breadth, and importance of music as a core domain of research in developmental science. [Extracted from the article]

Three studies investigated how speakers' pitch affects listeners' attribution of mental capacity (e.g., the ability to feel emotions and physical sensations such as pain and pleasure; Gray et al., Science, 315, 2007, 619) to them and further explored downstream effects on social judgements. In Study 1 (N = 234), participants perceived more experience in higher‐(vs. lower‐)pitched speakers, whereas there was no significant difference in perception of agency to lower pitched or higher pitched speakers. In later studies, we expanded the relationship between male speakers' pitch and attributed experience in diverse contexts and observed that participants attributed more experience to higher pitched male victims, which was related to higher estimation of harm severity, leading to more negative judgement of the harmdoers (Study 2; N = 121) as well as recommendation for stronger treatment for the speakers (Study 3; N = 116). Our findings indicate that mind perception can vary as a function of targets' voice pitch, and in turn may influence people's judgements involving the speakers, as well as behavioural intentions towards them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of evidence suggests that steady‐state evoked potentials may be a useful measure of beat perception, particularly when obtaining traditional, explicit measures of beat perception is difficult, such as with infants or non‐human animals. Although attending to a stimulus is not necessary for most traditional applications of steady‐state evoked potentials, it is unknown how attention affects steady‐state evoked potentials that arise in response to beat perception. Additionally, most applications of steady‐state evoked potentials to measure beat perception have used repeating rhythms or real music. Therefore, it is unclear how the steady‐state response relates to the robust beat perception that occurs with non‐repeating rhythms. Here, we used electroencephalography to record participants' brain activity as they listened to non‐repeating musical rhythms while either attending to the rhythms or while distracted by a concurrent visual task. Non‐repeating auditory rhythms elicited steady‐state evoked potentials at perceived beat frequencies (perception was validated in a separate sensorimotor synchronization task) that were larger when participants attended to the rhythms compared with when they were distracted by the visual task. Therefore, although steady‐state evoked potentials appear to index beat perception to non‐repeating musical rhythms, this technique may be limited to when participants are known to be attending to the stimulus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In healthy adults, autobiographical memories (AMs) evoked by music appear to have unique cognitive characteristics that set them apart from AMs evoked by other cues. If this is the case, we might expect music cues to alleviate AM deficits in clinical disorders. This systematic review examines music‐evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs) in clinical populations, focusing on cognitive characteristics, and whether MEAMs differ from AMs evoked by other stimuli. We identified 15 studies featuring participants with Alzheimer's disease (AD), behavioral variant — Frontotemporal dementia (bv‐FTD), acquired brain damage, and depression. We found that music evokes AMs in these disorders, and that familiar music was more likely to evoke AMs. Compared with healthy controls, AD participants had a relative advantage for MEAMs over picture‐evoked AMs. People with damage to the medial prefrontal cortex showed preserved access to MEAMs in terms of frequency, but a relative disadvantage regarding the episodic richness for MEAMs, but not for memories cued by pictures, compared to controls. Participants with bv‐FTD had fewer AMs evoked after both music and pictures than healthy controls. Across conditions, MEAMs were generally specific and retrieved fast, suggesting little retrieval effort. MEAMs were also positive, except in depression, where as many negative as positive AMs were produced. These findings suggest several underlying cognitive and affective mechanisms of MEAMs, including anxiety reduction, increased fluency, music‐evoked emotions, reminiscence, and involuntary retrieval, and that these might be moderated by musical abilities and memory for music. In conclusion, MEAMs appear to be relatively well preserved, especially in AD. This article is categorized under:Psychology > Memory [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncovering the genetic underpinnings of musical ability and engagement is a foundational step for exploring their wide‐ranging associations with cognition, health, and neurodevelopment. Prior studies have focused on using twin and family designs, demonstrating moderate heritability of musical phenotypes. The current study used genome‐wide complex trait analysis and polygenic score (PGS) approaches utilizing genotype data to examine genetic influences on two musicality traits (rhythmic perception and music engagement) in N = 1792 unrelated adults in the Vanderbilt Online Musicality Study. Meta‐analyzed heritability estimates (including a replication sample of Swedish individuals) were 31% for rhythmic perception and 12% for self‐reported music engagement. A PGS derived from a recent study on beat synchronization ability predicted both rhythmic perception (β = 0.11) and music engagement (β = 0.19) in our sample, suggesting that genetic influences underlying self‐reported beat synchronization ability also influence individuals' rhythmic discrimination aptitude and the degree to which they engage in music. Cross‐trait analyses revealed a modest contribution of PGSs from several nonmusical traits (from the cognitive, personality, and circadian chronotype domains) to individual differences in musicality (β = −0.06 to 0.07). This work sheds light on the complex relationship between the genetic architecture of musical rhythm processing, beat synchronization, music engagement, and other nonmusical traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The expressiveness during reading is essential for a fluent reading. Reading prosody has been scarcely studied in an experimental manner, owing to the difficulties in taking objective and direct measures of this reading skill. However, new technologies development has made it possible to analyse reading prosody in an experimental way. Prosodic patterns may vary, not being the same at the beginning of the reading learning process as in adulthood. They may also be altered in disorders such as dyslexia, but little is known about the prosodic characteristics and reading fluency of people with neurodegenerative diseases that cause language impairment, such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Aims: The aim of this work was to study reading fluency in PD considering the prosodic characteristics of its reading. Methods & Procedures: The participants were 31 Spanish adults with PD and 31 healthy controls, aged 59–88 years. Two experimental texts were designed that included declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences and experimental verbs and nouns. The manipulability level of the nouns and the motor content of the verbs were considered. The reading of the participants was recorded and analysed with Praat software. Outcomes & Results: A longer reading duration and a greater number of pauses, especially in verbs, were found in the PD group, which also showed less pitch variation than the control group in the experimental sentences. The control group showed a big initial rise in declarative and interrogative sentences, as well as a stronger final declination in declarative and exclamatory ones, when compared to the PD group. Conclusions & Implications: The use of experimental methodologies for the analysis of reading fluency allows learning more about the prosodic characteristics of people with different pathologies, such as PD. Scarce pitch variability found in the analysis, together with the great number of pauses and the longer reading duration, leads to poorly expressive reading, which compromises fluency in PD. The exhaustive evaluation of the reading fluency of PD patients will make it possible to design more complete assessment methods that will favour the diagnosis and early detection of this pathology. What this study adds: What is already known on this subject: • The speech of people with Parkinson's disease (PD) is often impaired by the appearance of hypokinetic dysarthria. The language of people with PD is usually affected with the progression of the disease, with lexico‐semantic impairment which mainly affects verbs. Previous literature on reading fluency in PD usually considers reading speed and accuracy, neglecting prosody. Other neurodegenerative diseases with language impairment, such as Alzheimer's disease, commonly cause reading fluency problems. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: • This study provides direct and objective measures of the reading fluency (speed, accuracy and prosody) in patients with PD, by the design of experimental texts. Reading fluency characteristics were found to be altered in these patients, especially in pitch variations and reading duration. The reading of Parkinson's patients showed a more flattened pitch. In addition, a greater number of pauses and longer reading durations were also found in the reading of verbs compared to the control group. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: • The use of experimentally created texts makes it possible to analyse the influence of different psycholinguistic variables (frequency, length, motor content, manipulability) on reading fluency, and how the processing of these stimuli could be affected in PD. The objective analysis of the reading fluency characteristics in PD allows the design of more specific evaluation and diagnostic tasks. More complete assessment methods may allow the early detection of the disease. In the same way, it may favour a differential diagnosis with other neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music listening plays a pivotal role for children and adolescents, yet it remains unclear how music modulates brain activity at the level of functional networks in this young population. Analysing the dynamics of brain networks occurring and dissolving over time in response to music can provide a better understanding of the neural underpinning of music listening. We collected functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 17 preadolescents aged 10–11 years while listening to two similar music pieces separated by periods without music. We subsequently tracked the occurrence of functional brain networks over the recording time using a recent method that detects recurrent patterns of phase‐locking in the fMRI signals: the leading eigenvector dynamics analysis (LEiDA). The probabilities of occurrence and switching profiles of different functional networks were compared between periods of music and no music. Our results showed significantly increased occurrence of a specific functional network during the two music pieces compared to no music, involving the medial orbitofrontal and ventromedial prefrontal cortices—a brain subsystem associated to reward processing. Moreover, the higher the musical reward sensitivity of the preadolescents, the more this network was preceded by a pattern involving the insula. Our findings highlight the involvement of a brain subsystem associated with hedonic and emotional processing during music listening in the early adolescent brain. These results offer novel insight into the neural underpinnings of musical reward in early adolescence, improving our understanding of the important role and the potential benefits of music at this delicate age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Absolute pitch (AP) refers to the naming of musical tone without external reference. The influential two‐component model states that AP is limited by the late‐emerging pitch labeling process only and not the earlier perceptual and memory processes. Over the years, however, support for this model at the neural level has been mixed with various methodological limitations. Here, the electroencephalography responses of 27 AP possessors and 27 non‐AP possessors were recorded. During both name verification and passive listening, event‐related potential analyses showed a difference between AP and non‐AP possessors at about 200 ms in their response toward tones compared with noise stimuli. Multivariate pattern analyses suggested that pitch naming was subserved by a series of transient processes for the first 250 ms, followed by a stage‐like process for both AP and non‐AP possessors with no group differences between them. These findings are inconsistent with the predictions of the two‐component model, and instead suggest the existence of an early perceptual locus of AP. Absolute pitch (AP) is a skill that is of high interest to musicians, and the existing model of AP suggested a late locus associated with tone labeling. Using an event‐related design contrasting AP and non‐AP musicians with noise control, we found an AP‐sensitive ERP effect at about 200 ms, which supported the existence of an early perceptual locus of AP. Our finding calls for a revision of the current theoretical model of AP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have reported that long‐term musical training can affect brain functionality and induce structural alterations in the brain. Singing is a form of vocal musical expression with an unparalleled capacity for communicating emotion; however, there has been relatively little research on neuroplasticity at the network level in vocalists (i.e., noninstrumental musicians). Our objective in this study was to elucidate changes in the neural network architecture following long‐term training in the musical arts. We employed a framework based on graph theory to depict the connectivity and efficiency of structural networks in the brain, based on diffusion‐weighted images obtained from 35 vocalists, 27 pianists, and 33 nonmusicians. Our results revealed that musical training (both voice and piano) could enhance connectivity among emotion‐related regions of the brain, such as the amygdala. We also discovered that voice training reshaped the architecture of experience‐dependent networks, such as those involved in vocal motor control, sensory feedback, and language processing. It appears that vocal‐related changes in areas such as the insula, paracentral lobule, supramarginal gyrus, and putamen are associated with functional segregation, multisensory integration, and enhanced network interconnectivity. These results suggest that long‐term musical training can strengthen or prune white matter connectivity networks in an experience‐dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment aimed at developing creative thinking and emotional literacy in adolescents was carried out. The study involved 25 adolescents aged 14–16 years and their parents—37 people (37–45 years old). Based on the use of the NanoStudio application, a creative improvisation training session was conducted among adolescents in the context of educational cases. The methodology for the development of creative skill turned out to be interesting, exciting, and effective; collaboration with children, according to parents, created an atmosphere of community and promoted an active and passionate desire for joint creative actions. The results of the survey of adolescents demonstrated a positive attitude to the implementation of creative practices which was accompanied by interest, enthusiasm, joy, trust, admiration, delight, and optimism. Since adolescence is a period of increased emotionality, which is characterized by risky behavior associated with the formation of new views, values, and interests, the need of young people for psychological adaptation, the practical value of the study lies in demonstrating the practical experience of transforming the emotional experiences of adolescents into a creative musical product, as an alternative behavior, in terms of interaction of personal, parental, and pedagogical contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there is strong evidence for the positive effects of musical training on auditory perception, processing, and training‐induced neuroplasticity, there is still little knowledge on the auditory and neurophysiological short‐term plasticity through listening training. In a sample of 37 adolescents (20 musicians and 17 nonmusicians) that was compared to a control group matched for age, gender, and musical experience, we conducted a 2‐week active listening training (AULOS: Active IndividUalized Listening OptimizationS). Using magnetoencephalography and psychoacoustic tests, the short‐term plasticity of auditory evoked fields and auditory skills were examined in a pre‐post design, adapted to the individual neuro‐auditory profiles. We found bilateral, but more pronounced plastic changes in the right auditory cortex. Moreover, we observed synchronization of the auditory evoked P1, N1, and P2 responses and threefold larger amplitudes of the late P2 response, similar to the reported effects of musical long‐term training. Auditory skills and thresholds benefited largely from the AULOS training. Remarkably, after training, the mean thresholds improved by 12 dB for bone conduction and by 3–4 dB for air conduction. Thus, our findings indicate a strong positive influence of active listening training on neural auditory processing and perception in adolescence, when the auditory system is still developing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Generally, music includes numerous genres like jazz, pop and so forth. Every genre encompasses diverse musical instruments. For classifying music manually, the individual should pay attention to the song and choose the genre. It consumes more time and the individual should know diverse genres. This article aims to introduce an innovative music genre classification model by considering 2 phases. Initially, short‐time Fourier transform, pitch, Timbre, MNMF, and proposed LBP and bag of words‐based features are extracted. Subsequently, the extracted features are subjected to ensemble classifiers, where support vector machine, neural network, random forest are deployed. The output attained from ensemble classifiers is then classified using deep belief network (DBN) which classifies the music genres in a precise way. For precise detection, the training of DBN is made optimal via tuning the weights. This optimization is carried out by a Whale Integrated Sea Lion Algorithm. At last, the supremacy of the developed model is examined via the evaluation of extant techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) commonly results in more rapid cognitive and behavioral declines than typical aging. Individuals with MCI can exhibit impaired receptive speech abilities that may reflect neurophysiological changes in auditory‐sensory processing prior to usual cognitive deficits. Benefits from current interventions targeting communication difficulties in MCI are limited. Yet, neuroplasticity associated with musical experience has been implicated in improving neural representations of speech and offsetting age‐related declines in perception. Here, we asked whether these experience‐dependent effects of musical experience might extend to aberrant aging and offer some degree of cognitive protection against MCI. During a vowel categorization task, we recorded single‐channel electroencephalograms (EEGs) in older adults with putative MCI to evaluate speech encoding across subcortical and cortical levels of the auditory system. Critically, listeners varied in their duration of formal musical experience (0–21 years). Musical experience sharpened temporal precision in auditory cortical responses, suggesting that musical experience produces more efficient processing of acoustic features by counteracting age‐related neural delays. Additionally, robustness of brainstem responses predicted the severity of cognitive decline, suggesting that early speech representations are sensitive to preclinical stages of cognitive impairment. Our results extend prior studies by demonstrating positive benefits of musical experience in older adults with emergent cognitive impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting a multiple case‐study approach, the current article explores how a music‐based, early critical media literacy practice can help young Korean bilingual children critically engage with the lyrics of the songs and visual images in the music videos––short animated films that provided audio, corresponding lyrics and visual images simultaneously. As part of a large‐scale research project, this study focuses on data collected over a 4‐month period through multiple sources. The findings revealed that dual language conversations about gender roles through music videos served as powerful mediums to help children deepen their thoughts about gender representations in the songs and articulate their voices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes lifelong cognitive deficits, most often in executive function (EF). Both musical training and music‐based rehabilitation have been shown to enhance EF and neuroplasticity. Thus far, however, there is little evidence for the potential rehabilitative effects of music for TBI. Here, we review the core findings from our recent cross‐over randomized controlled trial in which a 10‐week music‐based neurological rehabilitation (MBNR) protocol was administered to 40 patients with moderate‐to‐severe TBI. Neuropsychological testing and structural/functional magnetic resonance imaging were collected at three time points (baseline, 3 months, and 6 months); one group received the MBNR between time points 1 and 2, while a second group received it between time points 2 and 3. We found that both general EF and set shifting improved after the intervention, and this effect was maintained long term. Morphometric analyses revealed therapy‐induced gray matter volume changes most consistently in the right inferior frontal gyrus, changes that correlated with better outcomes in set shifting. Finally, we found changes in the between‐ and within‐network functional connectivity of large‐scale resting‐state networks after MBNR, which also correlated with measures of EF. Taken together, the data provide evidence for concluding that MBNR improves EF in TBI; also, the data show that morphometric and resting‐state functional connectivity are sensitive markers with which to monitor the neuroplasticity induced by the MBNR intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a new generation network based on transformers and guided by the music theory to produce high‐quality music work. In this study, the decoding block of the transformer is used to learn the internal information of single‐track music, and cross‐track transformers are used to learn the information amongst the tracks of different musical instruments. A reward network based on the music theory is proposed, which optimizes the global and local loss objective functions while training and discriminating the network so that the reward network can provide a reliable adjustment method for the generation of the network. The method of combining the reward network and cross entropy loss is used to guide the training of the generator and produce high‐quality music work. Compared with other multi‐track music generation models, the experimental results verify the validity of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological differences in the auditory brain of musicians compared to nonmusicians are often associated with life‐long musical activity. Cross‐sectional studies, however, do not allow for any causal inferences, and most experimental studies testing music‐driven adaptations investigated children. Although the importance of the age at which musical training begins is widely recognized to impact neuroplasticity, there have been few longitudinal studies examining music‐related changes in the brains of older adults. Using magnetic resonance imaging, we measured cortical thickness (CT) of 12 auditory‐related regions of interest before and after 6 months of musical instruction in 134 healthy, right‐handed, normal‐hearing, musically‐naive older adults (64–76 years old). Prior to the study, all participants were randomly assigned to either piano training or to a musical culture/music listening group. In five regions—left Heschl's gyrus, left planum polare, bilateral superior temporal sulcus, and right Heschl's sulcus—we found an increase in CT in the piano training group compared with the musical culture group. Furthermore, CT of the right Heschl's gyrus could be identified as a morphological substrate supporting speech in noise perception. The results support the conclusion that playing an instrument is an effective stimulator for cortical plasticity, even in older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently Chinese music has been regarded as an independent music school. However, the definition of Chinese music has been an abstract and subjective concept. That makes music information retrieval (MIR) tasks hard to perform on Chinese music. Previous musicological studies have explained how musical elements like melody and instruments shape a certain kind of music genre including Chinese music, but the findings cannot be directly applied to relevant MIR tasks towards large‐scale users and real‐world problems. In this study, a pipeline of performing a perceptual survey is designed to explore how different musical elements influence people's perception of 'Chinese style' in music. Participants with various backgrounds were presented with categorised music excerpts performed in the Erhu or violin and then gave 'Chinese style' ratings. Statistical analysis indicates that music content contributes more than instruments. Results were compared between musicians and non‐musicians. Subsequently, a supplementary automatic music classification experiment is conducted in comparison with the survey results to discuss the authors' choice of stimuli in the survey and similarities between computer auditory and human perception. In general, the results in this study can be useful for MIR tasks, such as understanding, representation, and recommendation of Chinese music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: This study was undertaken to determine and compare lesion patterns and structural dysconnectivity underlying poststroke aprosodia and amusia, using a data‐driven multimodal neuroimaging approach. Methods: Thirty‐nine patients with right or left hemisphere stroke were enrolled in a cohort study and tested for linguistic and affective prosody perception and musical pitch and rhythm perception at subacute and 3‐month poststroke stages. Participants listened to words spoken with different prosodic stress that changed their meaning, and to words spoken with six different emotions, and chose which meaning or emotion was expressed. In the music tasks, participants judged pairs of short melodies as the same or different in terms of pitch or rhythm. Structural magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired at both stages, and machine learning‐based lesion–symptom mapping and deterministic tractography were used to identify lesion patterns and damaged white matter pathways giving rise to aprosodia and amusia. Results: Both aprosodia and amusia were behaviorally strongly correlated and associated with similar lesion patterns in right frontoinsular and striatal areas. In multiple regression models, reduced fractional anisotropy and lower tract volume of the right inferior fronto‐occipital fasciculus were the strongest predictors for both disorders, over time. Conclusions: These results highlight a common origin of aprosodia and amusia, both arising from damage and disconnection of the right ventral auditory stream integrating rhythmic–melodic acoustic information in prosody and music. Comorbidity of these disabilities may worsen the prognosis and affect rehabilitation success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music is known to induce emotions and activate associated memories, including musical memories. In adults, it is well known that music activates both working memory and limbic networks. We have recently discovered that as early as during the newborn period, familiar music is processed differently from unfamiliar music. The present study evaluates music listening effects at the brain level in newborns, by exploring the impact of familiar or first‐time music listening on the subsequent resting‐state functional connectivity in the brain. Using a connectome‐based framework, we describe resting‐state functional connectivity (RS‐FC) modulation after music listening in three groups of newborn infants, in preterm infants exposed to music during their neonatal‐intensive‐care‐unit (NICU) stay, in control preterm, and full‐term infants. We observed modulation of the RS‐FC between brain regions known to be implicated in music and emotions processing, immediately following music listening in all newborn infants. In the music exposed group, we found increased RS‐FC between brain regions known to be implicated in familiar and emotionally arousing music and multisensory processing, and therefore implying memory retrieval and associative memory. We demonstrate a positive correlation between the occurrence of the prior music exposure and increased RS‐FC in brain regions implicated in multisensory and emotional processing, indicating strong engagement of musical memories; and a negative correlation with the Default Mode Network, indicating disengagement due to the aforementioned cognitive processing. Our results describe the modulatory effect of music listening on brain RS‐FC that can be linked to brain correlates of musical memory engrams in preterm infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synchronization of movement to music is a seemingly universal human capacity that depends on sustained beat perception. Previous research has suggested that listener's conscious perception of the musical structure (e.g., beat and meter) might be reflected in neural responses that follow the frequency of the beat. However, the extent to which these neural responses directly reflect concurrent, listener‐reported perception of musical beat versus stimulus‐driven activity is understudied. We investigated whether steady state‐evoked potentials (SSEPs), measured using electroencephalography (EEG), reflect conscious perception of beat by holding the stimulus constant while contextually manipulating listeners' perception and measuring perceptual responses on every trial. Listeners with minimal music training heard a musical excerpt that strongly supported one of two beat patterns (context phase), followed by a rhythm consistent with either beat pattern (ambiguous phase). During the final phase, listeners indicated whether or not a superimposed drum matched the perceived beat (probe phase). Participants were more likely to indicate that the probe matched the music when that probe matched the original context, suggesting an ability to maintain the beat percept through the ambiguous phase. Likewise, we observed that the spectral amplitude during the ambiguous phase was higher at frequencies that matched the beat of the preceding context. Exploratory analyses investigated whether EEG amplitude at the beat‐related SSEPs (steady state‐evoked potentials) predicted performance on the beat induction task on a single‐trial basis, but were inconclusive. Our findings substantiate the claim that auditory SSEPs reflect conscious perception of musical beat and not just stimulus features. Although prior research suggests that steady state‐evoked potentials (SSEPs) reflect musical beat perception, our study is one of the first to use real music to induce musical beat and to collect a listener‐reported measure of perception concurrently with SSEPs. While recent rodent findings suggest that lower‐level propagation of stimulus differences may fully account for the relation between SSEPs and musical beat, we provide counterevidence by showing the effect after eliminating stimulus differences between conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Popular songs have evolved from vinyl records (voice files) to music videos. Sound and video can be mixed and presented in such a manner that only sound is heard. Scenes from music programs require continuous editing to maximize audience immersion. Music program scene editing is developed through the expertise of a television program director (PD). The PD considers detailed editing methods by the analyzing lyrics and the singer's choreography to express a song in a rhythmic video. This study presents an algorithm for music program scene editing that determines the size of a shot, evaluating the psychological distance between singer and viewers after measuring the pitch contour of a song. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music listening provides one of the most significant abstract rewards for humans because hearing music activates the dopaminergic mesolimbic system. Given the strong link between reward, dopamine, and memory, we aimed here to investigate the hypothesis that dopamine‐dependent musical reward can drive memory improvements. Twenty‐nine healthy participants of both sexes provided reward ratings of unfamiliar musical excerpts that had to be remembered following a consolidation period under three separate conditions: after the ingestion of a dopaminergic antagonist, a dopaminergic precursor, or a placebo. Linear mixed modeling of the intervention data showed that the effect of reward on memory—i.e., the greater the reward experienced while listening to the musical excerpts, the better the memory recollection performance—was modulated by both dopaminergic signaling and individual differences in reward processing. Greater pleasure was consistently associated with better memory outcomes in participants with high sensitivity to musical reward, but this effect was lost when dopaminergic signaling was disrupted in participants with average or low musical hedonia. Our work highlights the flexibility of the human dopaminergic system, which can enhance memory formation not only through explicit and/or primary reinforcers but also via abstract and aesthetic rewards such as music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many people enjoy sad music, and the appeal for tragedy is widespread among the consumers of film and literature. The underlying mechanisms of such aesthetic experiences are not well understood. We tested whether pleasure induced by sad, unfamiliar instrumental music is explained with a homeostatic or a reward theory, each of which is associated with opposite patterns of changes in the key hormones. Sixty‐two women listened to sad music (or nothing) while serum was collected for subsequent measurement of prolactin (PRL) and oxytocin (OT) and stress marker (cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone) concentrations. Two groups of participants were recruited on the basis of low and high trait empathy. In the high empathy group, PRL and OT levels were significantly lower with music compared with no music. And compared to the low empathy group, the high empathy individuals reported an increase of positive mood and higher ratings of being moved with music. None of the stress markers showed any changes across the conditions or the groups. These hormonal changes, inconsistent with the homeostatic theory proposed by Huron, exhibit a pattern expected of general reward. Our findings illuminate how unfamiliar and low arousal music may give rise to pleasurable experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous work suggests that auditory–vestibular interactions, which emerge during bodily movement to music, can influence the perception of musical rhythm. In a seminal study on the ontogeny of musical rhythm, Phillips‐Silver and Trainor (2005) found that bouncing infants to an unaccented rhythm influenced infants' perceptual preferences for accented rhythms that matched the rate of bouncing. In the current study, we ask whether nascent, diffuse coupling between auditory and motor systems is sufficient to bootstrap short‐term Hebbian plasticity in the auditory system and explain infants' preferences for accented rhythms thought to arise from auditory–vestibular interactions. First, we specify a nonlinear, dynamical system in which two oscillatory neural networks, representing developmentally nascent auditory and motor systems, interact through weak, non‐specific coupling. The auditory network was equipped with short‐term Hebbian plasticity, allowing the auditory network to tune its intrinsic resonant properties. Next, we simulate the effect of vestibular input (e.g., infant bouncing) on infants' perceptual preferences for accented rhythms. We found that simultaneous auditory–vestibular training shaped the model's response to musical rhythm, enhancing vestibular‐related frequencies in auditory‐network activity. Moreover, simultaneous auditory–vestibular training, relative to auditory‐ or vestibular‐only training, facilitated short‐term auditory plasticity in the model, producing stronger oscillator connections in the auditory network. Finally, when tested on a musical rhythm, models which received simultaneous auditory–vestibular training, but not models that received auditory‐ or vestibular‐only training, resonated strongly at frequencies related to their "bouncing," a finding qualitatively similar to infants' preferences for accented rhythms that matched the rate of infant bouncing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of human abilities stems from a complex interplay between genetic predispositions and environmental factors. Numerous studies have compared musicians with non‐musicians on measures of musical and non‐musical ability, frequently attributing musicians' superior performance to their training. By ignoring preexisting differences, however, this view assumes that taking music lessons is akin to random assignment. In the present longitudinal study, the musical ability of 5‐ to 10‐year‐olds was measured at Time 1 with a test of music perception and cognition. Five years later, at Time 2, the children took the same test and a second test designed for older listeners. The test‐retest correlation for aggregate scores was remarkably high, r ≈ 0.7, and remained strong when confounding variables (age, cognitive abilities, personality) were held constant. At both time points, music training was associated with musical ability, but the association at Time 2 became nonsignificant when musical ability at Time 1 was held constant. Time 1 musical ability also predicted duration of subsequent music training. These data are consistent with results from genetic studies, which implicate genes in all aspects of musical behavior and achievement, and with meta‐analyses, which indicate that transfer effects from music training are weak. In short, early musical abilities significantly predicted later abilities, demonstrating that individual differences are stable over time. We found no evidence, however, to suggest that music training predicted musical ability after accounting for prior ability. The results underscore the importance of considering preexisting abilities in any type of learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in musical performance studies has generated a healthy scepticism of the importance of large‐scale structure to performance (in terms of both interpretation and perception): on the one hand, it might well be hardwired into notation; on the other, prioritising it risks simply repeating outworn maxims that neglect the performer's musical contributions. Recently some scholars have begun to rethink the potential structural relevance of performance rather than necessarily determining structure on the basis of the musical score alone. In this article I consolidate some of this thinking and draw out its implications for performers' handling of large‐scale structure; in doing so, I suggest that we consider moving away from conventional large‐scale score‐based forms as structural mandates or certainties. I support this through a case study of Johannes Brahms's Intermezzo in E minor, Op. 119 No. 2, in which I analyse recorded performances by Wilhelm Backhaus, Maria Yudina and Ilona Eibenschütz. I conclude by arguing that the inclusion and prioritisation of any particular musical material – whether the score, performance, or other – requires serious consideration and reflection in any analytical act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of music spans an enormous territory, and the risk of any publication about it is that writers (and readers) will find themselves getting easily lost. Gustav Mahler, in a letter to Lois Marshall, stated that 'we find ourselves faced with the important question how, and indeed I why i music should be interpreted with words at all' (quoted in Cooke, 1980, p. 54) - a rhetorical question also faced by many others, Kennedy himself included. Kennedy considers I movement i as one of music's most prominent features, alongside its more obvious temporal dimension: music moves - and it can also move us. [Extracted from the article]

In childhood, musical play is an important part of home life and, potentially, sibling play. Considering the social–emotional relevance of musical activities, siblings' engagement in musical play may also be associated with social development. The current longitudinal study examined musical play in 39 pairs of siblings during naturalistic home play at two time points: (a) when siblings were 2 and 4 years old (T1), and (b) 2 years later when siblings were 4 and 6 years old (T2). Musical play, especially singing and dancing, was more prevalent at T2. Birth order effects were also revealed; 4‐year‐old second‐borns (T2) engaged in more solo musical play than 4‐year‐old firstborns (T1), but 4‐year‐old firstborns initiated joint musical play more often than 4‐year‐old second‐borns. Associations between musical play and prosociality also emerged. Specifically, both older and younger siblings' rates of prosociality correlated positively with older sibling musical play at each time point. These findings reveal intriguing effects of age and birth order on both solo and joint musical play between siblings, and highlight a potential link between spontaneous musical play in the home and social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There's a lot happening in Charles Mingus's 1956 tone poem "Pithecanthropus Erectus", from the album of the same name. Building on this, he argues that there are three interconnected mental spaces: one associated with the source (such as music), one associated with the target (of which the music is trying to be a sonic analogue) and one associated with the inferred connection (Zbikowski uses the term "induced schema" for this [p. 48]) between the two sources. To this end, in Chapter 4, Zbikowski investigates the relationships between music and gesture or dance, first by discussing the coordination of music and movement in Fred Astaire's performance of "The Way You Look Tonight" from the 1936 film I Swing Time i . To make the case, Zbikowski distinguishes between music I as i gesture (in which gesture goes beyond linguistic meaning and exists most purely in music; see Blackmur 1952 and Cone 1974) and music I and i gesture (in which music and gesture are independent - albeit interdependent - forms of expression). [Extracted from the article]

Music frequently elicits intense emotional responses, a phenomenon that has been scrutinized from multiple disciplines that span the sciences and arts. While most people enjoy music and find it rewarding, there is substantial individual variability in the experience and degree of music‐induced reward. Here, we review current work on the neural substrates of hedonic responses to music. In particular, we focus the present review on specific musical anhedonia, a selective lack of pleasure from music. Based on evidence from neuroimaging, neuropsychology, and brain stimulation studies, we derive a neuroanatomical model of the experience of pleasure during music listening. Our model posits that hedonic responses to music are the result of connectivity between structures involved in auditory perception as a predictive process, and those involved in the brain's dopaminergic reward system. We conclude with open questions and implications of this model for future research on why humans appreciate music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have attempted to investigate how the brain codes emotional value when processing music of contrasting levels of dissonance; however, the lack of control over specific musical structural characteristics (i.e., dynamics, rhythm, melodic contour or instrumental timbre), which are known to affect perceived dissonance, rendered results difficult to interpret. To account for this, we used functional imaging with an optimized control of the musical structure to obtain a finer characterization of brain activity in response to tonal dissonance. Behavioral findings supported previous evidence for an association between increased dissonance and negative emotion. Results further demonstrated that the manipulation of tonal dissonance through systematically controlled changes in interval content elicited contrasting valence ratings but no significant effects on either arousal or potency. Neuroscientific findings showed an engagement of the left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the left rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) while participants listened to dissonant compared to consonant music, converging with studies that have proposed a core role of these regions during conflict monitoring (detection and resolution), and in the appraisal of negative emotion and fear‐related information. Both the left and right primary auditory cortices showed stronger functional connectivity with the ACC during the dissonant portion of the task, implying a demand for greater information integration when processing negatively valenced musical stimuli. This study demonstrated that the systematic control of musical dissonance could be applied to isolate valence from the arousal dimension, facilitating a novel access to the neural representation of negative emotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The embodied nature of music-making - more recently described as embodied cognition - has for some time been an established concept in music psychology and musicology. Music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from the dance ... poetry begins to atrophy when it gets too far from music; but this must not be taken as implying that all good music is dance music or all poetry lyric. It is rather that unless one I can i dance or move to the music - unless one has a I capacity i of following the music, entraining to its rhythm - then one does not know what the music is and cannot identify it as music. Concerning propositions of philosophical anthropology such as " I Human societies have music and dance i " and " I Humans take pleasure in music and dance, i " it might be asked: Whose concept of music - the Western one? R. Murray Schafer, composer and writer on soundscape, argues that before the modern era - before urban musical sounds such as church bells and the postman's horn were replaced by mechanical noises, and music moved into the concert hall - music and noise were not distinct categories. [Extracted from the article]

Previous research suggests that infants' perception of musical rhythm is fine‐tuned to culture‐specific rhythmic structures over the first postnatal year of human life. To date, however, little is known about the neurobiological principles that may underlie this process. In the current study, we used a dynamical systems model featuring neural oscillation and Hebbian plasticity to simulate infants' perceptual learning of culture‐specific musical rhythms. First, we demonstrate that oscillatory activity in an untrained network reflects the rhythmic structure of either a Western or a Balkan training rhythm in a veridical fashion. Next, during a period of unsupervised learning, we show that the network learns the rhythmic structure of either a Western or a Balkan training rhythm through the self‐organization of network connections. Finally, we demonstrate that the learned connections affect the networks' response to violations to the metrical structure of native and nonnative rhythms, a pattern of findings that mirrors the behavioral data on infants' perceptual narrowing to musical rhythms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speech timing deficits have been proposed as a causal factor in the disorder of stuttering. The question of whether individuals who stutter have deficits in nonspeech timing is one that has been revisited often, with conflicting results. Here, we uncover subtle differences in a manual metronome synchronization task that included tempo changes with adults who stutter and fluent speakers. We used sensitive circular statistics to examine both asynchrony and consistency in motor production. While both groups displayed a classic negative mean asynchrony (tapping before the beat), individuals who stutter anticipated the beat even more than their fluent peers, and their consistency was particularly affected at slow tempi. Surprisingly, individuals who stutter did not have problems with interval correction at tempo changes. We also examined the influence of music experience on synchronization behavior in both groups. While music perception and training were related to synchronization behavior in fluent participants, these correlations were not present for the stuttering group; however, one measure of stuttering severity (self‐rated severity) was negatively correlated with music training. Overall, we found subtle differences in paced auditory−motor synchronization in individuals who stutter, consistent with a timing problem extending to nonspeech. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information related to the cultural form of music playlist. Topics discussed include Playlist as a mode of mood manipulation that turns music into ‘emotional wallpaper; vocal interfaces abolish the activity of scrolling through collections altogether and so assimilate the playlist ever further; and significance of playlist as marking a loss of musical meaning neglects invention of the album for developing aesthetic ideas.