Course Description
An introduction to the psychology of music teaching and learning. Exploration of the behaviors and processes influencing music making and how they impact the transmission of musical knowledge. Concepts include, but are not limited to, musical development, evolution, acoustics, cognition, perception, performance, and extra-musical outcomes from music participation.
Athena Title
Psychology of Music
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in MUSI 5410, MUSI 7410
Non-Traditional Format
This course will be taught 95% or more online.
Semester Course Offered
Offered spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
· Develop a vocabulary for intellectual discussion about the musical experience · Understand the listener’s perspective when experiencing musical sound · Learn about the sensory mechanisms, perceptual processes, and cognitive organization required in order for an audience to be moved by an aesthetic auditory experience · Develop a systematic method of thinking about music related to performance, perception, cognition, social psychology, development, enculturation, and the origins of music · Develop an understanding about research and the scientific method · Become familiar with a basic core of experimental research investigating the perceptual processing of musical sounds and discover research directly related to a specific student selected topic · Identify important contemporary issues, empirical methods, and primary literature in the field · Learn to read, understand, and evaluate articles about music, written from the cognitive science and psychology frames of reference · Know the primary journals, texts, and online resources in which one is likely to find reliable materials relevant to the field of music psychology · Pursue a specific topic of interest within the field of music psychology
Topical Outline
-Introduction to psychology of music -Development of musical knowledge -Music and evolution -What is sound? -The physical side of hearing -Music cognition -Music and the brain -Bodily responses to music -Musical emotions -The musical person -Music performance -The psychology of music learning -Music and health -Music in social contexts
Syllabus