music research thesis

Home > USC Columbia > Music, School of > Music Theses and Dissertations

Music Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Comprehensive Method for Clarinet Latin American Music Heritage Case Study – Venezuela , Carmen Teresa Borregales

Contemporary Vocal Pedagogy in the Choral Ensemble Rehearsal: A Guide for Secondary Educators , Luke Lee Browder

A Pedagogical and Analytical Study of the Carnatic Saxophone Performance Tradition of Kadri Gopalnath , Caleb James Carpenter

Symphony No. V: Elements (Julie Giroux, 2018); An Overview Of Programmatic Elements and Performance Devices , Zackery Augustus Deininger

A Conductor’s Guide to Lucrecia Roces Kasilag’s Misang Pilipino (1965) , Denise Ysabel Ellis

The Theory of Intonation: Boris Asafiev and the Russian Piano School Tradition , Polina Golubkova

A Comparative Analysis of Samuel Barber’s Third Essay for Orchestra, Op. 47 , David Abrams Gordon

Injury Prevention Exercise Guidelines for Flutists , Ziqing Guan

Luis Abraham Delgadillo: A Rediscovery of His Piano Music , Fanarelia Auxiliadora Guerrero López

A Holistic Approach for Neurodivergent Learners In the High School Choral Classroom , Peter Allen Haley

Creative Insights on the Commissioning, Analysis, and Performance of Four New Works for Saxophone , Andrew Joseph Hutchens

An Analysis of Selected Vocal Works by George Walker , Ginger Sharnell Jones-Robinson

Bohuslav Martinů’s Eight Preludes For Piano H. 181: Style Analysis and Pedagogical Approaches In Piano Performance , Jinkyung Kim

An Investigative Analysis of Fernando Sor’s Introduction and Variations on “O Cara Armonia” From Mozart’s The Magic Flute , Luke James Nolan

The Film Score Music of John Williams: A Guide to Selected Works for the Principal Percussionist , Andrew Charles Crozier Patzig

Appalachian Dreams: Traditional Folk Songs in Concert Literature for Classical Guitar , Jackson Douglas Roberson

“Everything Old Is New Again”: The Rise of Interpolation in Popular Music , Grayson M. Saylor

How Do They Do It: A Narrative of Disabled Public School Instrumental Ensemble Conductors and Their Positive Working Relationships With Their Administrators , Lia Alexandria Patterson Snead

The Impact Of Incorporating Self-myofascial Release Into Voice Lessons: A Six-week Study , Benjamin Stogner

The Post-Tonal Evolution of David Diamond: A Theoretic-Analytical Perspective , William John Ton

Fourth-Grade and Fifth-Grade Cover-Band Classes: An Action-Research Project Inspired By Popular Music Education and Music Learning Theory , Julia Turner

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Social Music Interactions and Vocal Music Improvisations in a Serve and Return Music Community , Kathleen Kaye Arrasmith

Comfort Food for the Ears: Exploring Nostalgic Trends in Popular Music of the Twenty-First Century , April K. Balay

A Performance Guide to “Four Piano Pieces, Opus 1” By Evgeny Kissin , Andrew Choi

Timeless Light: A Singer’s Compendium of Art Songs for Tenor By Black Composers , Johnnie J. Felder

Negotiating Nationalism: Camille Saint-Saëns, Neoclassicism, and the Early Music Renaissance in France , Joshua Arin Harton

An Analysis of the Compositional Technique and Structures Of Nikolai Kapustin’s Piano Sonata No. 6, Opus 62 , Hyun Jung Im

Adapting North American Fiddle Bow Technique to the Double Bass , Spencer Jensen

Approaches to Teaching Music Counting to Piano Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder , Sunghun Kim

Redefining Ornamentation as Formal Functions in 21 st -Century Popular Music , Matthew Kolar

Lost in Translation: The Largely Unknown Life and Contributions of Johann Joachim Quantz , Kayla Ann Low

Broadway Quodlibets as Hybrid Music , Spencer Ann Martin

Redistributing Cultural Capital: Graduate Programs In Wind Conducting at Historically Black Universities; Toward an Alternate Future , Jamaal William Nicholas

Analysis of Selected Pieces Influenced by Taiwanese Aboriginal Music for Solo Violin and String Quartet , Isabel Hsin-Yi Ong

Margaret Rowell: Pedagogical Approach and Teaching Style , Robert-Christian Sanchez

A Performance Guide to Hyo-Geun Kim’s Art Pop for Korean Art Songs , Taeyoung Seon

Examining Sixth-Grade Students’ Music Agency Through Rhythm Composition , Robert Zagaroli Spearman

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Pedagogical Solo Piano Nocturnes: A Progressive Leveling With Annotations on Stylistic, Technical, and Musical Challenges and Benefits , Michaela Anne Boros

Disparities in Programming African American Solo Vocal Music On College Campuses Across the United States , Ramelle Brooks

Quantitative Data Collection on the Fundamental Components Of Saxophone Tone Production , Matthew Troy Castner

Music as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Therapy: An Exploratory Literature Review , Amy Arlene Clary

The Music Festival: A Case Study on the Establishment, Development, and Long-Term Success of an Instrumental Music Education Event From a Logistical Perspective , Dakota Corbliss

An Orchestral Conductor’s Guide to the James/Daehler Edition Of The Hinrichs and Winkler Compilation Score to the 1925 Silent Film The Phantom of the Opera , Hayden Richard Denesha

An Annotated Bibliography of Flute Repertoire by Iranian Female Composers , Roya Farzaneh

Composers and Publishers of Parlor Songs and Spirituals from Civil War Richmond: 1861 – 1867 , Michael Gray

A Comparison of Approaches to Pianoforte Technique in the Treatises of Lhevinne, Leimer, and Neuhaus , Louis S. Hehman

The History and Influence of Tim Zimmerman and The King’s Brass , Eric Tyler Henson

A Stylistic Analysis of Edvard Grieg’s Slåtter , Norwegian Peasant Dances, Op. 72 , Zhiyuan He

Transcribing Baroque Lute to Marimba: Viability, Techniques, and Pedagogical Possibilities , Cory James High

One Elementary General Music Teacher’s Uses of and Experiences With Gordon’s Music Learning Theory: A Case Study , Allison Elizabeth Johnson

Cancion Y Danza, Fetes Lointaines, Paisajes By Federico Mompou: A Stylistic Analysis , Qiaoni Liu

The Apprenticeship Structure and the Applied Pedagogical Methods Of the Holy Roman Empire Imperial Trumpeters’ Guild During The 17 th and 18 th Centuries , Noa Miller

Survey of Four North American and Malaysian Theory Methods for Young Pianists , Wen Bin Ong

A Conductor’s Guide to J. N. Hummel’s Forgotten Oratorio: Der Durchzug Durchs Rote Meer , Rebecca J. Ostermann

A Practical Approach for the Applied Voice Instructor Utilizing Limited Piano Skills in the Studio Setting , Lee Whittington Ousley

Adele Aus Der Ohe: Pioneering Through Recital Programming At Carnegie Hall, 1895 , Grace Shepard

Ten Years of Japanese Piano Pedagogy (2009-2018) Through a Survey of Educational Resources , Natsumi Takai

A Comparative Analysis of Selected Works by Chen Qigang: Wu Xing, L’éLoignement, and Luan Tan , Isaac Ormaza Vera

A Pedagogical Analysis of Henglu Yao’s Microkosmos From Chinese Nationalities , Yanting Wang

A Stylistic and Pedagogical Analysis of Select Classical Pieces In Alicia’s Piano Books by Ananda Sukarlan , Karen Kai Yuan Yong

Co-Constructive Music Improvisers: An Ethnographic Case Study , Emma Elizabeth Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Performance History of Mahler’s Das Lied Von Der Erde Focusing on Bruno Walter and Leonard Bernstein , Nisan Ak

The Mathematics of Rubato: Analyzing Expressivetiming in Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Performances of Hisown Music , Meilun An

Electronic Learning: An Educator’s Guide to Navigating Online Learning in a Collegiate Horn Studio , Michelle Beck

The Clarinet Music of Dr. Austin Jaquith: A Performance Guide , Zachary Aaron Bond

Young Children’s Behaviors During Favorite-Music Repertoire And Other-Music Repertoire , Vanessa Caswell

Five Pieces for Piano by Isang Yun and Piano Etude No.1 by Unsuk Chin: An Analysis , Inhye Cho

Natural Reed Enhancement: Establishing the First Universal Reed Break-In Process Through Hydro-Stabilization , Steven Isaac Christ

Performance Edition of Franz Simandl’s 30 Etudes for the String Bass With Critical Commentary , Austin Gaboriau

A Legacy Preserved: A Comparison of the Careers and Recordings of Stanley Drucker and Karl Leister , Peter M. Geldrich

An Index of Choral Music Performed During the National Conventions of the American Choral Directors Association (1991-2019) , Jonathan Randall Hall

A Stylistic Analysis of Reinhold Glière’s 25 Preludes for Piano, Op. 30 , Sunjoo Lee

The Singing Voice Specialist: An Essential Bridge Between Two Worlds , Rebecca Holbrook Loar

A Pedagogical Analysis of DvořáK’s Poetic Tone Pictures, Op. 85 , Nathan MacAvoy

Focal Dystonia Causes and Treatments: A Guide for Pianists , Juan Nicolás Morales Espitia

Cultivating Socially Just Concert Programming Perspectives through Preservice Music Teachers' Band Experiences: A Multiple Case Study , Christian Matthew Noon

The Clarinet Repertoire of Puerto Rico: An Annotated Bibliography of Compositions Written for the Clarinet During the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries , María Ivelisse Ortiz-Laboy

A Stylistic Analysis of Alexander Tcherepnin's Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 78, With an Emphasis on Eurasian Influences , Qin Ouyang

Time’s Up: How Opera Is Facing Its Own Me Too Reckoning , Craig Price

A Trumpet Player’s Performance Guide of Three Selected Works for Trumpet, Cello, and Piano , Justin Wayne Robinson

The Early Piano Music of Richard Wagner , Annie Rose Tindall-Gibson

A Conductor’s Guide to the Da Vinci Requiem by Cecilia McDowall , Jantsen Blake Touchstone

Composition of Musical and Visual Devices to Create Moments of Resolution in Marching Arts Production Design , Ryan John Williams

Romanticism in Nineteenth-Century Russian Nationalistic Music: Case Studies of Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila and Cui’s Mystic Chorus , Jeffrey Crayton Yelverton Jr.

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Communicative Language in the Compositional Output of Kirke Mechem , Kirstina Rasmussen Collins

Vladimir Pleshakov: A Historiography And Analysis of his Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom , Andrew Cameron Pittman

An Analysis of the Compositional Technique and Structures of Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 22 “Nordic” , Eunseok Seo

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Serial Techniques in Works for Unaccompanied Trumpet , William Anonie

Examining Professional Music Teacher Identity: A Mixed Methods Approach with Stringed Instrument Teachers , Elizabeth A. Reed

Guided Music Play Between 2-Year-Old Children and a Music Play Facilitator: A Case Study , Kathleen Kaye Arrasmith

Parents’ Observations Of Their Young Children’s Music Behaviors During Music Classes After Completing The Children’s Music Behavior Inventory , Julia Beck

A Theoretical and Stylistic Analysis of Paul Ben-Haim’s Five Pieces for Piano, Op. 34 and Piano Sonata, Op. 49 , Rachel Bletstein

The Influence Of Mindful Movement On Elementary Students’ Music Listening Enjoyment And Comprehension , Jean Louise Boiteau

Delphine Ugalde: Defying Gender Norms Both On And Off The Stage In 19th Century Paris , Michael T. Brown

A Guide for Playing the Viola Without a Shoulder Rest , Chin Wei Chang

Tertian Relationships In Three Choral Selections By Dan Forrest: A Conductor’s Analysis , Lindsey Cope

Translucent Voices: Creating Sound Pedagogy And Safe Spaces For Transgender Singers In The Choral Rehearsal , Gerald Dorsey Gurss

Seventeen Waltzes For Piano By Leo Ornstein: A Stylistic Analysis , Jared Jones

The Kingma System Flute: Redesigning The Nineteenth-Century Flute For The Twenty-First Century , Diane Elise Kessel

The Effects Of Learning By Rote With La-Based Minor Solmization On Memory Retention For Pre-College Piano Students , Duong Khuc

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Collections
• Disciplines

Submissions

• Give us Feedback
• University Libraries

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

Home > CCA > School of Music > School of Music Graduate Theses and Dissertations

School of Music Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

The Perceived Effects of Peer-Assisted Learning in a Collegiate Instrumental Pedagogy Classroom , Hannah Wagoner

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

A Case Study Analysis of the Experiences and Perceived Learning Outcomes of Former Non-Music Majors in Applied Horn Lessons , Jordan Bennett

Unconventional Wisdom in Resonating Echoes of the Past: A Memoir on the Life and Music of royal hartigan , Joseph Elias Boulos

Composers at War: A Study of Composers Who Fought in World War I and World War II , Jason T. Hoffmann

Adventures in Flute Playing: A Literature Survey and Anticipated Beginning Flute Method , Sammy Holloman

American Art Songs in the 21st Century: A Catalogue of Selected Works , Islei Mariano Correa Hammer

Pedagogical Piano Works by Four Contemporary Composers: Emma Lou Diemer, Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee, Karen Tanaka and Chee-Hwa Tan , Manuel Alejandro Molina Flores

A Selective Guide to Solo Bass Trombone Repertoire from 1961 to Present , Andrew Amadeus Ortega

Analysis and Performance of Osvaldo Golijov’s Hebreische Milonga , Gerardo Sanchez Pastrana

Challenges and Solutions for Native Mandarin-Chinese Speakers in Singing German Lieder , Fei Xia

Developing Collaborative Skills in Piano Students , Linxi Yang

A Guide to Chinese Art Songs from 1970 to 2010 , Tingyu Yan

A Study of Six Selected Piano Variations by Czerny , Hao Zhang

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Investigating the Marketing Language among Online Retailers of Violin Strings to Determine the Implied Aesthetic , Kira Kay Browning

Stylistic Changes in the Music of Ruth Crawford Seeger , Xinlei Chu

The Most Common Vocal Fault in the Baritone Voice , Matthew Derek Cyphert

Diversifying Piano Literature: East Asian Music for Piano Study and Performance in the United States , Akina Kondoh

Playing-Related Medical Injuries and Health Conditions in Collegiate Saxophonists: A Survey of Saxophonists in North American Universities , Michael Anne Tolan

The Purpose and Process of Commissioning New Music for Low Brass Instruments: A Guide , Michael Kennard Waddell

Evocations of Nature in Selected Piano Works by Debussy , Heah Zi-Ling

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

A Survey of Musical Expectations in the Marine Forces Reserve Band stationed in New Orleans, Louisiana , Brandon Paul Carbonari

A Selected Analytical Bibliography of Works for Saxophone by Composers Associated with the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music: 1946-2021 , Christopher Mark DeLouis

"A Long Life in Music:" The Career and Legacy of Ann Schein , Anthony William Gray

Jerome Franke’s “Architectural Practice” Exercises for Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 62 and Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, Op. 21 , Yaniv Gutman

Fostering Music Performers in the 21st Century: A Contemporary Professional Perspective toward a New Curricular Agenda for Graduate Study in Music , Andre Januario

Francis Poulenc: The Compositional Influences of Les Six and Sergei Prokofiev on the Poulenc Oboe Sonata (1962) , Evan Klein

The Three Piano Sonatas by José de Almeida Penalva , Heron Alvim Moreira

Chamber Music Fundamentals and Rehearsal Techniques for Advancing String Students , Gabrielle Padilla

Touching Light: A Framework for the Facilitation of Music-Making in Mixed Reality , Ian Thomas Riley

The Joyful Path of Lifelong Mastery of the Piano , John Alan Rose

Hearing Ourselves Speak: Finding the Trans Sound in the Ohio River Valley , Gwendolyn Patricia Saporito-Emler

#Canceled: Positionality and Authenticity in Country Music’s Cancel Culture , Gabriella Saporito

The Memorization, Preparation, and Performance of Piano Music: Cognitive Foundations and Current Neuro-Music Research , Amy M. Simpson

Selected Principles of Practicing for Security in Performance , Hsing-Yi Tsai

An Analysis of Amy Beach's Variations on Balkan Themes, Op. 60 , Yiwen Zhang

A Foundation for Collaboration: An Analysis of Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe, Op. 48 , Kailang Zhan

A Selective Study on Chinese Art Songs after 1950 , Gehui Zhu

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

It’s Just Muzak: Music, Activism, and Advertising. , Avery Brzobohaty

A Survey of Selected Classical Chinese Art Songs for Solo Voice and Piano from 1920 to 1950 , Tingting Chang

A Multifaceted Performance Model for the Multiple Percussion Performance Practice: Performance Analysis of Select Works toward Developing a Graduate Curriculum , Mitchell Joseph Greco

The Roman Catholic Ordinary Mass from circa 1750 to circa 1820: A Selected Bibliography , Letícia Gabriele Grützmann Januario

An Appraisal of the Evolution of Western Art Music in Nigeria , Agatha Onyinye Holland

Types and Causes of Physiological Injury in Piano Playing, with Emphasis on Piano Pedagogy in China , Ruixi Niu

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Contemporary Music Notation for the Flute: A Unified Guide to Notational Symbols for Composers and Performers , Ms. Eftihia Victoria Arkoudis

Core Curriculum for Orchestra , Andrew Thomas Aycoth

Hyperscales: Analysis, Historical Uses, and Possible Applications in Contemporary Music Composition , Douglas Wayne Brown

Johannes Brahms’s Fünf Ophelia-Lieder Performance history, cultural context, and character study as it pertains to Johannes Brahms’s Fünf Ophelia-Lieder: A Performer’s Perspective , Caryn Alexis Crozier

The Hard Bop Trombone: An exploration of the improvisational styles of the four trombonist who defined the genre (1955-1964) , Emmett Curtis Goods

A Pedagogical Guide to Kapustin’s Eight Concert Etudes, Op. 40 , Yanjing Gu

Prizes, Winning, and Identity: Narrative Vocal Music of the Pulitzer Prize, 2008–2018 , Julia K. Kuhlman

Folk-song to formal performance: Interpreting the songs of Jean Ritchie for voice recital , Julianne E. Laird

Contemporary Collaborative Piano Practices in Korea: Five Case Studies , Jiyeon Lee

Music Technology, Gender, and Sexuality: Case Studies of Women and Queer Electroacoustic Music Composers , Justin Thomas Massey

The Inclusion of Organ Within the Concert Band Instrumentation with an Annotated Listing of Original Works for Concert Band and Organ , Matthew Justin McCurry

The "organ-accompanied solo motet" in in La Maîtrise, 1857–1861 , John David O'Donnell

Musical and Cultural Perspectives of Héctor Campos Parsi: An examination of his influences and analysis of selected vocal works , Cynthia Ortiz-Bartley

Latin American Influences on Selected Piano Pieces by Louis Moreau Gottschalk and Darius Milhaud , Hyejeong Seong

A Compendium of Opera in Spain and Latin America , Michelle S. Smith

Pedagogical Thoughts on Album des Six: a piano set by Les Six to represent French Nationalism , Dipendra Sunam

Examining Musical Hybridity and Cultural Influences in Valerie Coleman’s Wish Sonatine and Fanmi Imèn , Brittany Marie Trotter

Discovering the "Finnish Chopin"—Selim Palmgren's 24 Preludes, op. 17, and Tres Piezas para Piano, op. 54 , Sijia Wang

Mindfulness for Musicians: Bringing sport psychology and mindfulness-based therapies to the practice room and the concert stage , Lauretta M. Werner

Listening for the Cosmic Other: Postcolonial Approaches to Music in the Space Age , Paige Zalman

How does the pronunciation of native languages affect beginning singers? A research focusing on native Mandarin Chinese and American English speaking singers , Ruobing Zhao

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

An Exploration of Paul Bowles' Piano-Solo Pieces , Juan Carlos Rios Betancur

The Life And Work Of Barbara Nissman , Giuliana Paola Contreras Ampuero

Lynne Ramsey, Violist: Biography, Pedagogical Background, Teaching Techniques, and Career Advice , Ignacio Cuello

Listening for Yes: Consent in the Contemporary Country Love Song , Phoebe E. Hughes

Form in the Music of John Adams , Michael Ridderbusch

Study of the Resonance Spectrums of the Flute and the Effect of Different Stable Vowels on Formant Tuning with Violin and Clarinet , Alyssa M. Schwartz

It Takes a Village: Collaborative Social Justice Through Choral Musicking , Natalie Shaffer

Staying Original: A Case study for Film Composers Working with Temp Tracks , Kyle Maurits Simpson

Chinese Elements and Influence in Tan Dun's Eight Memories in Watercolor , Qian Xu

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

A Study in Songs: Comparative Analyses of 20th century settings of William Blake's "Songs of Innocence and of Experience": Selections from Vaughan Williams's "Ten Blake Songs", Britten's "Songs and Proverbs of William Blake", and Rochberg's "Blake Songs: For Soprano and Chamber Ensemble" , Jennifer Berkebile

The Treatment of the Piano in Six Selected Chamber Works by Colombian Composers in the Twenty-First Century , Javier Camacho

The Paganini Variations: A Study of Selected Works by Liszt, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Lutoslawski, and Muczynski , Youna Choi

A Survey of Selected Piano Concerti for Elementary, Intermediate, and Early-Advanced Levels , Achareeya Fukiat

Jesus de Monasterio (1836-1903): An Essential Figure in the Artistic and Technical Development of Violin Playing in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century at the Madrid Royal Conservatory , Diego Gabete-Rodriguez

A Transcription for the Viola of Three Violin Works by Amy Beach: A Historical, Theoretical, and Pedagogical Analysis , Courtney Erin Grant

The Piccolo in the 21st Century: History, Construction, and Modern Pedagogical Resources , Keith D. Hanlon

Tear Down the Wall: Long-Form Analytical Techniques and the Music of Pink Floyd , Christopher Everett Jones

Revolutionary Pedagogy: A Historical Perspective on Improvising in Beethoven , Julia Kinderknecht

Philosophical Approaches to Compositional Technique in Isang Yun's Works for Solo Flute , Mirim Lee

Taiwanese Composer Tyzen Hsiao: Pedagogical Aspects of Selected Piano Solo Works , Tzu-Nung Lin

Researching History and Performance Practice Regarding Improvisation and Ornamentation in Mozart's Keyboard Works, with Special Attention to Cadenzas , Josiane Merlino

A Study of Nikolai Kapustin's Sonata No. 12, Op. 102: A Contemporary Jazz Sonata In Two Movements , Mark Peters

Selected Manufacturer's Professional Trumpet Component Specifications: A Compendium of Measurements, Materials, and Playing Characteristics , Kenneth H. Piatt

A Conductor's Perspective on Stravinsky's "Danse sacrale" from "Le Sacre du printemps": Evaluation of Revisions, Analysis and Considerations for Conducting , Hanjin Sa

Hungarian Elements in Selected Piano Compositions of Liszt, Dohnanyi, Bartok, and Kodaly , Helga Scheibert

A Pedagogical Study of Selected Piano Music of Miguel del Aguila , Sornsuang Tangsinmonkong

Performance Practice and Overview of Selected Piano Works of Barbara Kolb , Chiao Su Joyce Wang

A Transcription for Soprano Saxophone and Piano of Chen Yi's "Chinese Folk Dance Suite", Originally for Violin and Orchestra , Tak Chiu Wong

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Listening To Their Voices: An Ethnographic Study of Children's Values and Meaning Ascribed to Learning World Music in Elementary School General Music , Juliana Cantarelli Vita

Pedagogical and Performance Aspects of Three American Compositions for Solo Piano: John Corigliano's Fantasia on an Ostinato, Miguel del Aguila's Conga for Piano, and William Bolcom's Nine New Bagatelles , Tse Wei Chai

Encounters with the Avant-Garde: Four Case Studies in the Reception History of Contemporary Flute Works (1971 to present) , Amanda Cook

Beyond High and Lonesome: A Comparative Analysis of Early Male and Contemporary Female Bluegrass Vocal Styles , Hillary C. Kay

The life and legacy of MieczysLaw Munz , Sora Lee

An Analysis of Narong Prangcharoen's "Three Minds" for Solo Piano , Pawatchai Suwankangka

MIDI Electronic Wind Instrument: A Study of the Instrument and Selected Works , Matthew J. Swallow

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

The Keyboard Works of Alex Shapiro , Elizabeth Mary Etnoyer

• Collections
• Disciplines
• WVU Libraries
• WVU Research Office
• WVU Research Commons
• Open Access @ WVU
• Digital Publishing Institute

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS

Author Corner

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

• Harvard Library
• Research Guides
• Faculty of Arts & Sciences Libraries

Music Research Guide

Dissertations and theses.

• HOLLIS (Library catalog and more)
• Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Bibliographies
• Recordings and Videos
• Scores and Sheet Music
• Concert Reviews
• Collected Works Editions
• Music in Special Collections
• Ethnomusicology Research @ Harvard
• Jazz Research @ Harvard This link opens in a new window
• American Indigenous Music
• Senior Thesis Style Guide: Footnotes
• Senior Thesis Style Guide: Bibliography
• Multimedia Production Resources
• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global (AKA Dissertation Abstracts) Full text of graduate works added since 1997, along with selected full text for works written prior to 1997 and citations for dissertations and theses dating from 1743-present.
• DASH (Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard) A central, open-access repository of research (including dissertations and scholarly articles) by members of the Harvard community.
• Doctoral Dissertations in Musicology - Online (DDM) A bibliography of completed dissertations and proposed topics in musicology, music theory, ethnomusicology, and related disciplines. Maintained by the American Musicological Society.
• MTO Dissertation Index An index of dissertations in music theory, with abstracts and tables of contents, maintained by the Society for Music Theory.
• << Previous: Collected Works Editions
• Next: Music in Special Collections >>

Except where otherwise noted, this work is subject to a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , which allows anyone to share and adapt our material as long as proper attribution is given. For details and exceptions, see the Harvard Library Copyright Policy ©2021 Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College.

EDITORIAL article

Editorial: the impact of music on human development and well-being.

• 1 Department of Culture, Communication and Media, University College London, London, United Kingdom
• 2 Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
• 3 School of Humanities and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
• 4 Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Editorial on the Research Topic The Impact of Music on Human Development and Well-Being

Music is one of the most universal ways of expression and communication for humankind and is present in the everyday lives of people of all ages and from all cultures around the world ( Mehr et al., 2019 ). Hence, it seems more appropriate to talk about musics (plural) rather than in the singular ( Goble, 2015 ). Furthermore, research by anthropologists as well as ethnomusicologists suggests that music has been a characteristic of the human condition for millennia (cf. Blacking, 1976 ; Brown, 1999 ; Mithen, 2005 ; Dissanayake, 2012 ; Higham et al., 2012 ; Cross, 2016 ). Nevertheless, whilst the potential for musical behavior is a characteristic of all human beings, its realization is shaped by the environment and the experiences of individuals, often within groups ( North and Hargreaves, 2008 ; Welch and McPherson, 2018 ). Listening to music, singing, playing (informally, formally), creating (exploring, composing, improvising), whether individually and collectively, are common activities for the vast majority of people. Music represents an enjoyable activity in and of itself, but its influence goes beyond simple amusement.

These activities not only allow the expression of personal inner states and feelings, but also can bring about many positive effects in those who engage in them. There is an increasing body of empirical and experimental studies concerning the wider benefits of musical activity, and research in the sciences associated with music suggests that there are many dimensions of human life—including physical, social, educational, psychological (cognitive and emotional)—which can be affected positively by successful engagement in music ( Biasutti and Concina, 2013 ). Learning in and through music is something that can happen formally (such as part of structured lessons in school), as well as in other-than-formal situations, such as in the home with family and friends, often non-sequentially and not necessarily intentional, and where participation in music learning is voluntary, rather than mandated, such as in a community setting (cf. Green, 2002 ; Folkestad, 2006 ; Saether, 2016 ; Welch and McPherson, 2018 ).

Such benefits are evidenced across the lifespan, including early childhood ( Gerry et al., 2012 ; Williams et al., 2015 ; Linnavalli et al., 2018 ), adolescence ( McFerran et al., 2018 ), and older adulthood ( Lindblad and de Boise, 2020 ). Within these lifespan perspectives, research into music's contribution to health and well-being provides evidence of physical and psychological impacts ( MacDonald et al., 2013 ; Fancourt and Finn, 2019 ; van den Elzen et al., 2019 ). Benefits are also reported in terms of young people's educational outcomes ( Guhn et al., 2019 ), and successful musical activity can enhance an individual's sense of social inclusion ( Welch et al., 2014 ) and social cohesion ( Elvers et al., 2017 ).

This special issue provides a collection of 21, new research articles that deepen and develop our understanding of the ways and means that music can impact positively on human development and well-being. The collection draws on the work of 88 researchers from 17 different countries across the world, with each article offering an illustration of how music can relate to other important aspects of human functioning. In addition, the articles collectively illustrate a wide range of contemporary research approaches. These provide evidence of how different research aims concerning the wider benefits of music require sensitive and appropriate methodologies.

In terms of childhood and adolescence, for example, Putkinen et al. demonstrate how musical training is likely to foster enhanced sound encoding in 9 to 15-year-olds and thus be related to reading skills. A separate Finnish study by Saarikallio et al. provides evidence of how musical listening influences adolescents' perceived sense of agency and emotional well-being, whilst demonstrating how this impact is particularly nuanced by context and individuality. Aspects of mental health are the focus for an Australian study by Stewart et al. of young people with tendencies to depression. The article explores how, despite existing literature on the positive use of music for mood regulation, music listening can be double-edged and could actually sustain or intensify a negative mood.

A Portuguese study by Martins et al. shifts the center of attention from mental to physical benefits in their study of how learning music can support children's coordination. They provide empirical data on how a sustained, 24-week programme of Orff-based music education, which included the playing of simple tuned percussion instruments, significantly enhanced the manual dexterity and bimanual coordination in participant 8-year-olds compared to their active control (sports) and passive control peers. A related study by Loui et al. in the USA offers insights into the neurological impact of sustained musical instrument practice. Eight-year-old children who play one or more musical instruments for at least 0.5 h per week had higher scores on verbal ability and intellectual ability, and these correlated with greater measurable connections between particular regions of the brain related to both auditory-motor and bi-hemispheric connectivity.

Younger, pre-school children can also benefit from musical activities, with associations being reported between informal musical experiences in the home and specific aspects of language development. A UK-led study by Politimou et al. found that rhythm perception and production were the best predictors of young children's phonological awareness, whilst melody perception was the best predictor of grammar acquisition, a novel association not previously observed in developmental research. In another pre-school study, Barrett et al. explored the beliefs and values held by Australian early childhood and care practitioners concerning the value of music in young children's learning. Despite having limited formal qualifications and experience of personal music learning, practitioners tended overall to have positive attitudes to music, although this was biased toward music as a recreational and fun activity, with limited support for the notion of how music might be used to support wider aspects of children's learning and development.

Engaging in music to support a positive sense of personal agency is an integral feature of several articles in the collection. In addition to the Saarikallio team's research mentioned above, Moors et al. provide a novel example of how engaging in collective beatboxing can be life-enhancing for throat cancer patients in the UK who have undergone laryngectomy, both in terms of supporting their voice rehabilitation and alaryngeal phonation, as well as patients' sense of social inclusion and emotional well-being.

One potential reason for these positive findings is examined in an Australian study by Krause et al. . They apply the lens of self-determination theory to examine musical participation and well-being in a large group of 17 to 85-year-olds. Respondents to an online questionnaire signaled the importance of active music making in their lives in meeting three basic psychological needs embracing a sense of competency, relatedness and autonomy.

The use of public performance in music therapy is the subject of a US study by Vaudreuil et al. concerning the social transformation and reintegration of US military service members. Two example case studies are reported of service members who received music therapy as part of their treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other psychological health concerns. The participants wrote, learned, and refined songs over multiple music therapy sessions and created song introductions to share with audiences. Subsequent interviews provide positive evidence of the beneficial psychological effects of this programme of audience-focused musical activity.

Relatedly, McFerran et al. in Australia examined the ways in which music and trauma have been reported in selected music therapy literature from the past 10 years. The team's critical interpretive synthesis of 36 related articles led them to identify four different ways in which music has been used beneficially to support those who have experienced trauma. These approaches embrace the use of music for stabilizing (the modulation of physiological processes) and entrainment (the synchronization of music and movement), as well as for expressive and performative purposes—the fostering of emotional and social well-being.

The therapeutic potential of music is also explored in a detailed case study by Fachner et al. . Their research focuses on the nature of critical moments in a guided imagery and music session between a music therapist and a client, and evidences how these moments relate to underlying neurological function in the mechanics of music therapy.

At the other end of the age span, and also related to therapy, an Australian study by Brancatisano et al. reports on a new Music, Mind, and Movement programme for people in their eighties with mild to moderate dementia. Participants involved in the programme tended to show an improvement in aspects of cognition, particularly verbal fluency and attention. Similarly, Wilson and MacDonald report on a 10-week group music programme for young Scottish adults with learning difficulties. The research data suggest that participants enjoyed the programme and tended to sustain participation, with benefits evidenced in increased social engagement, interaction and communication.

The role of technology in facilitating access to music and supporting a sense of agency in older people is the focus for a major literature review by Creech , now based in Canada. Although this is a relatively under-researched field, the available evidence suggests that that older people, even those with complex needs, are capable of engaging with and using technology in a variety of ways that support their musical perception, learning and participation and wider quality of life.

Related to the particular needs of the young, children's general behavior can also improve through music, as exampled in an innovative, school-based, intensive 3-month orchestral programme in Italy with 8 to 10-year-olds. Fasano et al. report that the programme was particularly beneficial in reducing hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity, whilst enhancing inhibitory control. These benefits are in line with research findings concerning successful music education with specific cases of young people with ADHD whose behavior is characterized by these same disruptive symptoms (hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity).

Extra-musical benefits are also reported in a study of college students (Bachelors and Masters) and amateur musicians in a joint Swiss-UK study. Antonini Philippe et al. suggest that, whilst music making can offer some health protective effects, there is a need for greater health awareness and promotion among advanced music students. Compared to the amateur musicians, the college music students evaluated their overall quality of life and general and physical health more negatively, as did females in terms of their psychological health. Somewhat paradoxically, the college students who had taken part in judged performances reported higher psychological health ratings. This may have been because this sub-group were slightly older and more experienced musicians.

Music appears to be a common accompaniment to exercise, whether in the gym, park or street. Nikol et al. in South East Asia explore the potential physical benefits of synchronous exercise to music, especially in hot and humid conditions. Their randomized cross-over study (2019) reports that “time-to-exhaustion” under the synchronous music condition was 2/3 longer compared to the no-music condition for the same participants. In addition, perceived exertion was significantly lower, by an average of 22% during the synchronous condition.

Comparisons between music and sport are often evidenced in the body of existing Frontiers research literature related to performance and group behaviors. Our new collection contains a contribution to this literature in a study by Habe et al. . The authors investigated elite musicians and top athletes in Slovenia in terms of their perceptions of flow in performance and satisfaction with life. The questionnaire data analyses suggest that the experience of flow appears to influence satisfaction with life in these high-functioning individuals, albeit with some variations related to discipline, participant sex and whether considering team or individual performance.

A more formal link between music and movement is the focus of an exploratory case study by Cirelli and Trehub . They investigated a 19-month-old infant's dance-like, motorically-complex responses to familiar and unfamiliar songs, presented at different speeds. Movements were faster for the more familiar items at their original tempo. The child had been observed previously as moving to music at the age of 6 months.

Finally, a novel UK-based study by Waddington-Jones et al. evaluated the impact of two professional composers who were tasked, individually, to lead a 4-month programme of group composing in two separate and diverse community settings—one with a choral group and the other in a residential home, both funded as part of a music programme for the Hull City of Culture in 2017. In addition to the two composers, the participants were older adults, with the residential group being joined by schoolchildren from a local Primary school to collaborate in a final performance. Qualitative data analyses provide evidence of multi-dimensional psychological benefits arising from the successful, group-focused music-making activities.

In summary, these studies demonstrate that engaging in musical activity can have a positive impact on health and well-being in a variety of ways and in a diverse range of contexts across the lifespan. Musical activities, whether focused on listening, being creative or re-creative, individual or collective, are infused with the potential to be therapeutic, developmental, enriching, and educational, with the caveat provided that such musical experiences are perceived to be engaging, meaningful and successful by those who participate.

Collectively, these studies also celebrate the multiplicity of ways in which music can be experienced. Reading across the articles might raise a question as to whether or not any particular type of musical experience is seen to be more beneficial compared with another. The answer, at least in part, is that the empirical evidence suggests that musical engagement comes in myriad forms along a continuum of more or less overt activity, embracing learning, performing, composing and improvising, as well as listening and appreciating. Furthermore, given the multidimensional neurological processing of musical experience, it seems reasonable to hypothesize that it is perhaps the level of emotional engagement in the activity that drives its degree of health and well-being efficacy as much as the activity's overt musical features. And therein are opportunities for further research!

Author Contributions

The editorial was drafted by GW and approved by the topic Co-editors. All authors listed have made a substantial, direct and intellectual contribution to the Edited Collection, and have approved this editorial for publication.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to all the contributing authors and their participants for their positive engagement with this Frontiers Research Topic, and also for the Frontiers staff for their commitment and support in bringing this topic to press.

Biasutti, M., and Concina, E. (2013). “Music education and transfer of learning,” in Music: Social Impacts, Health Benefits and Perspectives , eds P. Simon and T. Szabo (New York, NY: Nova Science Publishers, Inc Series: Fine Arts, Music and Literature), 149–166.

Google Scholar

Blacking, J. (1976). How Musical Is Man? London: Faber & Faber.

Brown, S. (1999). “The ‘musilanguage’ model of music evolution,” in The Origins of Music , eds N. L. Wallin, B. Merker, and S. Brown (Cambridge: The MIT Press), 271–301. doi: 10.7551/mitpress/5190.003.0022

CrossRef Full Text

Cross, I. (2016). “The nature of music and its evolution,” in Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology , eds S. Hallam, I. Cross, and M. Thaut (New York, NY: Oxford University Press), 3–18. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198722946.013.5

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Dissanayake, E. (2012). The earliest narratives were musical. Res. Stud. Music Educ. 34, 3–14. doi: 10.1177/1321103X12448148

Elvers, P., Fischinger, T., and Steffens, J. (2017). Music listening as self-enhancement: effects of empowering music on momentary explicit and implicit self-esteem. Psychol. Music 46, 307–325. doi: 10.1177/0305735617707354

Fancourt, D., and Finn, S. (2019). What Is the Evidence on the Role of the Arts in Improving Health and Well-Being? A Scoping Review . Copenhagen: World Health Organisation.

Folkestad, G. (2006). Formal and informal learning situations or practices vs formal and informal ways of learning. Br. J. Music Educ. 23, 135–145. doi: 10.1017/S0265051706006887

Gerry, D., Unrau, A., and Trainor, L. J. (2012). Active music classes in infancy enhance musical, communicative and social development. Dev. Sci. 15, 398–407. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01142.x

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Goble, J. S. (2015). Music or musics?: an important matter at hand. Act. Crit. Theor. Music Educ. 14, 27–42. Available online at: http://act.maydaygroup.org/articles/Goble14_3.pdf

Green, L. (2002). How Popular Musicians Learn. Aldershot: Ashgate Press.

Guhn, M., Emerson, S. D., and Gouzouasis, P. (2019). A population-level analysis of associations between school music participation and academic achievement. J. Educ. Psychol. 112, 308–328. doi: 10.1037/edu0000376

Higham, T., Basell, L., Jacobi, R., Wood, R., Ramsey, C. B., and Conard, N.J. (2012). Testing models for the beginnings of the Aurignacian and the advent of figurative art and music: the radiocarbon chronology of GeißenklÃsterle. J. Hum. Evol. 62, 664-676. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.03.003

Lindblad, K., and de Boise, S. (2020). Musical engagement and subjective wellbeing amongst men in the third age. Nordic J. Music Therapy 29, 20–38. doi: 10.1080/08098131.2019.1646791

Linnavalli, T., Putkinen, V., Lipsanen, J., Huotilainen, M., and Tervaniemi, M. (2018). Music playschool enhances children's linguistic skills. Sci. Rep. 8:8767. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-27126-5

MacDonald, R., Kreutz, G., and Mitchell, L. (eds.), (2013). Music, Health and Wellbeing. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199586974.001.0001

McFerran, K. S., Hense, C., Koike, A., and Rickwood, D. (2018). Intentional music use to reduce psychological distress in adolescents accessing primary mental health care. Clin. Child Psychol. Psychiatry 23, 567–581. doi: 10.1177/1359104518767231

Mehr, A., Singh, M., Knox, D., Ketter, D. M., Pickens-Jones, D., Atwood, S., et al. (2019). Universality and diversity in human song. Science 366:eaax0868. doi: 10.1126/science.aax0868

Mithen, S., (ed.). (2005). Creativity in Human Evolution and Prehistory . London: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780203978627

North, A. C., and Hargreaves, D. J. (2008). The Social and Applied Psychology of Music . New York, NY: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198567424.001.0001

Saether, M. (2016). Music in informal and formal learning situations in ECEC. Nordic Early Childhood Educ. Res. J. 13, 1–13. doi: 10.7577/nbf.1656

van den Elzen, N., Daman, V., Duijkers, M., Otte, K., Wijnhoven, E., Timmerman, H., et al. (2019). The power of music: enhancing muscle strength in older people. Healthcare 7:82. doi: 10.3390/healthcare7030082

Welch, G.F., and McPherson, G. E., (eds.). (2018). “Commentary: Music education and the role of music in people's lives,” in Music and Music Education in People's Lives: An Oxford Handbook of Music Education (New York, NY: Oxford University Press), 3–18. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199730810.013.0002

Welch, G. F., Himonides, E., Saunders, J., Papageorgi, I., and Sarazin, M. (2014). Singing and social inclusion. Front. Psychol. 5:803. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00803

Williams, K. E., Barrett, M. S., Welch, G. F., Abad, V., and Broughton, M. (2015). Associations between early shared music activities in the home and later child outcomes: findings from the longitudinal study of Australian Children. Early Childhood Res. Q. 31, 113–124. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2015.01.004

Keywords: music, wider benefits, lifespan, health, well-being

Citation: Welch GF, Biasutti M, MacRitchie J, McPherson GE and Himonides E (2020) Editorial: The Impact of Music on Human Development and Well-Being. Front. Psychol. 11:1246. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01246

Received: 12 January 2020; Accepted: 13 May 2020; Published: 17 June 2020.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2020 Welch, Biasutti, MacRitchie, McPherson and Himonides. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Graham F. Welch, graham.welch@ucl.ac.uk ; Michele Biasutti, michele.biasutti@unipd.it

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Home > FACULTIES > Music Research and Composition > MUSICETD

Music Theses and Dissertations

This collection contains theses and dissertations from the Department of Music, collected from the Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Theses/Dissertations from 2024 2024

The Indomitable Basque: an orchestral work in three movements inspired by the Basque Whalers of Labrador of the Sixteenth Century , Aiden Hartery

Concerto for Piano Duet , Edgar R. Suski

Well, DAW! That’s Why I Don’t Sound Like the Recording: Music Production in Elementary School Music Education , Johnny Touchette

A Musicology of Record Production - Research Creation, Gender, and Creative Reflective Practice in Project-Paradigm Music Production , Lydia Wilton

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Musical Behaviours, Dispositions, and Tendencies: Exploring Church Music-Making Through a Theory of Practice , Laura E. Benjamins

A Comparative Analysis of the Early Twentieth-Century Music Appreciation and Community Music Movements in the United States , Andrew J. Blimke

Moments of meeting: 'Intersubjective encounters' and ‘emancipatory’ experiences of individuals with (intellectual) disabilities in inclusive musical contexts , Caroline Blumer

"That's the Way I Am, Heaven Help Me": The Role of Pronunciation in Billy Bragg's Music , Mary Blake Bonn

Singing Our Stories: Building Community and Developing Self-Empowerment in the Childless Voices Choir , Laura Curtis

Non-Directed Time , Danial Derakhshan

Soundcurrents: Exploring sound’s potential to catalyze creative critical consciousness in adolescent music students and undergraduate music education majors , Jashen i. Edwards

The Effect of Coping Verses Mastery Models on the Level of Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Music Learning, Self-Efficacy for Classical Guitar Playing and Guitar Achievement for Undergraduate Non-Music Majors , Patrick K. Feely Mr

A Study of Art Song Composition and Interpretation by Three Female German Composers in the Mid-Nineteenth Century , Churan Feng

Music Making in Elderly Community Program for Korean Immigrants in Canada , H. Elisha Jo

The Maker - A Multi-Media Opera in Two Acts , Aaron Lee

Vibes at the Village Vanguard: Hauntings, History, and the Construction of Jazz Place , Mark McCorkle

Transference Music: For Electric Guitar Soloist and Amplified Orchestra , Andrew Noseworthy

Prokofiev and the Soviet Dilemma: Censorship, Autonomy, and the Piano Transcriptions , Connor O'Kane

Changing Minds And Changing Practice: Barriers And Facilitators To The Use Of Methods Associated With Popular Musicianship, And Strategies Music Teachers Use To Navigate Them , Rhiannon Simpson

The Collective Unconscious , Yixuan Wang

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Seeing Thro the Musical Eye: Santo Daime, Fuke-shū, 1960s Psychedelia, and the Antipodes of Musical Experience , Forest Anthony-Muran

The Contrabass Tuned in Fifths: Towards an Understanding of Past and Present Applications. , Stephen T. Bright

Sound Judgements: Music Education Framework for Guiding Digital Mixing Practice , Artur Kapron

Musical Signification in Biber's Rosary Sonatas , Frangel Lopez Cesena

The Classical Sonata Forms of Franz Schubert’s Great C-Major Symphony: Exploring Tonal Structure in the New Romantic Style , Liam J. McDermott

Secondary Instrumental Ensemble: A Shift Towards Non-Normative Learning Practices , Kristine Musgrove

Gesture in Steve Reich's Music and its Signification: A Referential Approach to His Process, Stylistic, and Postminimalist Works , Martin Ross

Voice Image: developing a new construct for vocal identity , Bethany R. Turpin

The Tale of Rowan O'Shera (A Musical Drama) , Emma T.L. Verdonk

The Ghosts of Madwomen Past: Historical and Psychiatric Madness on the Late Twentieth-Century Opera Stage , Diana Wu

Exploring Musical Knowledge Within One Canadian School Of Music: Ideology, Pedagogy, And Identity , Kyle Zavitz

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Re-imagining Brazilian Portuguese IPA: A practical guide utilizing Paulo Maron’s new opera Lampião , Jorge Luiz Alves Trabanco Filho

Music Sounds Better With You , M Gillian Carrabre

Coloquio entre dos Perros, Comic Chamber Opera in Nine Scenes , Sandra Rocio Fuya-Duenas

Waves of Lament , Kennedy Kimber-Johnson

Mood, Music Choices, and the Emotional Outcomes of Music Listening: An Examination of the Moderating Role of Rumination using Experience-Sampling Methodology , Elizabeth E. Kinghorn

Speaking Songs: Music-Analytical Approaches to Spoken Word , Chantal D. Lemire

Music for Self-Attention , Jeffrey A T Lupker

Music of Peace and Protest: U.S. Composers and Musical Activism during the Vietnam War (1965-1971) , April P. Morris

A Thematic Analysis Of Nicolas Martynciow’s "Impressions Pour Caisse Claire Et Deux Toms" And A Dissection of the Extended Techniques Required For Performance , Joe Moscheck

A Narrative Approach to the Barcarolles for Solo Piano by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) , Matthew T. Pope

Motivic Metamorphosis: Modelling Intervallic Transformations in Schoenberg’s Early Works , Adam Roy

The Integration of the Style Hongrois into Brahms’s Musical Language in His Chamber Works , Raymond D. Truong

Ann Southam's Solo Piano Music: A Performance Guide , Amelia G. Yates

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Critical Border Crossing: Exploring Positionalities Through Soundscape Composition and Critical Reflection , Kelly Bylica

See It and Believe It: An Investigation into Singers' Imagery Use , Brianna DeSantis

Domenico Dragonetti: A case study of the 12 unaccompanied waltzes , Jury T. Kobayashi

Understanding Viktor Ullmann Through His Liederbuch des Hafis , Chad G. Louwerse

Dreamvision Songbook: Five Songs for Mixed Ensemble , Maxwell R. Lucas Mr.

The Alia musica and the Carolingian Conception of Mode , Matthew R J Nace

Music Education in a Liquid Social World: The Nuances of Teaching with Students of Immigrant and Refugee Backgrounds , Gabriela Ocádiz Velázquez

Exploring Being Queer and Performing Queerness in Popular Music , Rosheeka Parahoo

Music in the Moment of "Cyber Culture:" An Outward Spiral , Brandon Sked

The Search for Canadian Art Song: Developing the Framework for a Database of Art Song by Canadian Composers , Leanne Vida

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Contexts for Musical Modernism in Post-1945 Mexico: Federico Ibarra - A Case Study , Francisco Eduardo Barradas Galván

"It's Obvious Who Plays an Instrument and Who Doesn't": Using Doxa and Illusio to Explore Inequities in English School Music Education , Alison Butler

Creative Collaborations: The Songs/Poems of Canadian Artists Leslie Uyeda and Lorna Crozier , Jennifer Cyr

James Rolfe's Vocal Chamber Music: A Performance Analysis and Interpretation , Laura Duffy

Understanding Game Scoring: Software Programming, Aleatoric Composition and Mimetic Music Technology , Mack Enns

Prufrock: a Monodrama for Baritone and Electronics , Daniel Gardner

The Impact of Expanded, Multimodal Applications during a German Lied Performance , Adam Domenico Iannetta

Forward and Up: An Exploration of Implementations of the Alexander Technique in Post-Secondary Music Institutions , Mei Lee

No Space to Sing: A Narrative Inquiry into the Experiences of Classical Singers with Primary Muscle Tension Dysphonia , Elizabeth Lepock

Playscapes for Piano Trio , James Lowrie

Exploring Stretto: An Investigation into the Use of Stretto in J. S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier , Kathryn McDonald

Performing Identities, Performing Possibilities: A Music-Centered and Relational Perspective on Performance in Community Music Therapy and Music Education , Elizabeth Mitchell

The Lieder of Joseph Marx and the Italienisches Liederbuch , Caleb Mora

Musical Ekphrasis in Concert: Case Study of Alexey Khevelev’s Chagall Vitraux , Natalia Skomorokhova

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

...and the songs of another... for Six Voices & Live Electronics , Matthew David Becker

The Art Songs of Kyrylo Stetsenko: Ukrainian Lyric Diction Guide , Olena Bratishko

The Effects of Infertility on Female Vocalist Identity , Laura Curtis

The Significance of Aram Khachaturian and His Piano Concerto , Sarah M. Dardarian

Job: An Oratorio for Voices and Chamber Ensemble , Kevin Gibson

Rachmaninoff's Piano Works and Diasporic Identity 1890-1945: Compositional Revision and Discourse , Renee MacKenzie

Capriccio for Mixed Ensemble and Piano , André McEvenue

Toward A Pedagogical Guide To Argentine Art Song , Matthew B. Pauls

Teaching Prospective Verdi Baritones: A Repertoire-Based Approach , Andrew Rethazi

The Donnelly Opera , Joshua L. Richardson

The Old House , Eric Swiatoschik

The Political Power of Carlos Chávez and His Influence Upon Silvestre Revueltas and Blas Galindo , Yolanda Tapia

Six Blake Songs , Willyn Whiting

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

The Effects of Video Recording on the Level of Expertise and Self-Regulated Learning Ability of Adults in a Beginner Classical Guitar Class , Patrick K. Feely

Teleology in César Franck's Prélude, Choral et Fugue , Stephanie Gouin

Antoinette, an Opera in One Act , Colin McMahon

Audio Mastering as a Musical Competency , Matthew T. Shelvock

Fuzzy Family Ties: Familial Similarity Between Melodic Contours of Different Cardinalities , Kristen Wallentinsen

Felix Mendelssohn and Sonata Form in the Nineteenth Century , Katharine G. Walshaw

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Requiem , Wendell Glick

Namazu , Sean Kim

Two Movements for Orchestra , Jeff Lupker

Musical Forces in Claude Vivier’s Wo bist du Licht! and Trois airs pour un opéra imaginaire , Emilie L. Marshall

Ethos , William T. Nicolaou

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

A Study of Form and Structure in Pierre Boulez's Pli selon Pli , Emily J. Adamowicz

Family Music Listening Legacies: A Case Study-based Investigation of the Intergenerational Transmission of Music Listenership Values in Five Families , Jillian Bracken

J. S. Bach's Modal Compositional Practice in the Chorale Preludes for Solo Organ: A Schenkerian Perspective , Michael Fitzpatrick

A cross-generational examination of learner engagement and agency in non-traditional music education programs , Jennifer M. J. Lang

Amor Fati , Aaron Lee

In Search Of Transformative Music Learning Experiences: Voices From The Margins In Northeastern Brazil , Nan Qi

Heteroglossia: Novella For Orchestra , Andrzej J. Tereszkowski

Sophie, A Music Drama for Solo Soprano and Chamber Ochestra , Alondra Vega-Zaldivar

• Accessible Formats

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Expert Gallery
• Online Journals
• eBook Collections
• Reports and Working Papers
• Conferences and Symposiums
• Electronic Theses and Dissertations
• Digitized Special Collections
• All Collections
• Disciplines

Author Corner

• Submit Thesis/Dissertation

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement | Privacy | Copyright

©1878 - 2016 Western University

Honors Thesis in Music

An opportunity for expression and exploration.

The honors thesis in music allows the student to explore their creative and academic interests at an advanced level. In addition to research-based theses, the Harvard Department of Music supports performance-based theses, compositions, recordings, and creative projects that motivate the student to expand their relationship with the arts. Students are encouraged to think imaginatively and work with their advisors in developing their thesis topic, making use of the department resources available. 

Honors thesis projects follow a timeline that begins during the student’s junior year, culminating in their senior year with a final thesis project. Students wishing to pursue the honors thesis track should consider the Thesis Timeline and Guidelines carefully and understand their responsibility for meeting the deadlines described. Music Department advisors and administrators will work closely with students in navigating these benchmarks and will provide regular updates on upcoming deadlines. 

Students pursuing a joint concentration are required to complete an honors thesis, researching a topic that is inclusive of both concentrations. This option requires approval from both concentrations. Not all concentrations participate in joint concentrations . Students should schedule advising appointments with both departments before proceeding. For more information, please refer to the Joint Concentration information with the Registrar’s Office . 

Thesis Categories

The Music Department supports a variety of these types that allow students to showcase their artistic interests and talents. The categories below are designed to provide guidance and define support levels and requirements associated with each thesis type. Students are encouraged to be creative in their thesis planning, and to consider projects that either combine the definitions below, or expand beyond them.

A research-based thesis that culminates in a written academic document. 

• Written research-based academic document. 

A thesis based on original composed works, showcasing your compositional and creative voice. The student may include recordings (live or computer generated,) but these are not required. Fully drafted scores must be submitted for final review.  

• Approval by DUS and thesis advisor on proof of concept. 
• Composition pre-screening requirements as listed below.
• Written summary of compositional concept, inspiration, or other conclusions. 
• Portfolio of fully drafted scores. 

A thesis centered on a final recorded product. This may take the form of a recording session, concept album, podcast, or other unique format, and may be paired with original compositions as explained above. The final recording should showcase the student’s skill, technique, creativity, and relationship to music.  

• Approval by UPC and event management on production needs.  
• Recording project requirements as described below.
• Written summary of recording concept, inspiration, or other conclusions. 
• Full recording of final project. 
• Venue access for recording space.*
• Recording engineering support.* 

A performance-based thesis designed to showcase the student’s instrumental or vocal talent. This thesis takes the form of a typical performance recital, requiring an advanced program of works that highlight the student’s skill and experience. This format assumes a traditional performance setting with small to medium production requirements. A final recording is required.  

• A statement of support from the student’s priavte teacher recommending the student’s program for a thesis recital.
• Approval by UPC and Manager of Events on production needs.  
• Written summary of program choices, relationship with instrument/voice and program of study, or other summary of experience. 
• Formal performance of program in a professional performance setting, including secondary performers, collaborative artists, and ensembles. 
• Full recording of performance. 
• Venue access for performance space.* 
• Performance staffing support.* 
• Recording engineering support*. 

We invite students to define a thesis project that is guided by the student’s interests, aptitudes, experiences, and creativity. This format assumes (but does not necessarily require) the need for performance space, recording services, and production engineers. A thesis of this kind might include many, or even all the concepts listed above, and may culminate in a self-composed, self-performed event that includes audio/visual presentations and/or other advanced needs. It may also result in a fully recorded end-product. Students pursuing this thesis type should feel free to suggest creative elements that expand beyond these boundaries. Students who opt to pursue a creative thesis will need to work closely with their thesis advisor, the DUS, the UPC, and the Manager of Events to ensure that their thesis will be achievable within the  Thesis Timeline , based on the resources available.* 

• Approval by UPC and Manager of Events on production needs.  
• Additional approvals, based on creative elements. 
• Written summary of creative concept, including discussion of the creative elements included in the final product. 
• Where appropriate, a formal performance of works in a professional setting, including secondary performers, collaborative artists, and ensembles. 
• Where appropriate, a full recording of performance event and/or final product. 
• Support materials (as needed) in the form of audio/visual information, presentation slides, written materials, etc. 
• Other deliverables as defined by creative elements. 
• Venue access for performance space (if needed.)* 
• Performance staffing support (if needed.)* 
• Recording engineering support (if needed.)* 

Thesis Proposal

Due in April of the student’s junior year, the honors thesis requires the student to submit a detailed proposal describing their project concept. This proposal must include the thesis title, type of thesis, and a detailed description. Proposal descriptions should establish the rationale for research, define proof-of-concept for creative events, and begin to identify basic support needs where appropriate. The student must also finalize their faculty thesis advisor at this time, and both the advisor and the DUS are required to sign off on this proposal to approve the student’s thesis plans. If the student is pursuing a joint thesis, then a signature from the advisor in both departments is required, and a Primary concentration and Allied concentration must be identified. The topic of a joint thesis must be inclusive of both concentrations. ( More information on Joint Concentrations .) Before a proposal is submitted, students are required to meet all pre-screening requirements as described in the Thesis Timeline and Guidelines . 

2024-25 Thesis Proposal Form [PDF]  

The thesis proposal is due to the Music Department in April of the student’s junior year, based on the dates described in the Thesis Timeline and Guidelines . 

Thesis Prospectus

Due in September of the student’s senior year, students are required to submit a thesis prospectus. The prospectus should be a significant expansion of the initial proposal and should include a detailed summary of what you hope to accomplish through further research or creation. It should outline goals, purpose, and the scope of your work, and it should describe your methodology and critical approach. It should also establish your project framework and describe the timeline to project completion. Where applicable it should include a bibliography, cited references, or examples.

Students should work closely with their thesis advisor to define prospectus definitions that align with their specific thesis type. 

The thesis prospectus is due to the thesis advisor in September of the student’s senior year, based on the dates described in the Thesis Timeline and Guidelines . 

Thesis Timeline and Guidelines

It is the responsibility of the student to follow the timeline, deadlines, and guidelines listed below as they navigate their thesis project. It is important to maintain close contact with thesis advisors, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, the Undergraduate Program Coordinator, and the Manager of Events throughout this process. 

NOTE TO OFF-CYCLE STUDENTS WISHING TO PURSUE THE HONORS THESIS TRACK : please reach out to the Undergraduate Program Coordinator to receive off-cycle thesis timeline and deadline dates. 

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR JOINT CONCENTRATORS: Thesis deadlines may vary between departments. The Allied department will typically defer to the Primary department with regard to all deadlines, requirements, and formats. Students should schedule advising appointments with both departments before proceeding.

All current juniors are required to attend this event to receive an overview of the honors thesis process, requirements, and timeline. Students will be introduced to the music faculty and will gain a basic understanding of the thesis advising process. This event will take place on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, 3pm-4pm . Location to be announced.     Attendance at this event is required for all current juniors, regardless of honors thesis plans. Your spring semester advising hold will not be released unless you have participated in this event. If you are unable to attend for any reason, it is the student’s responsibility to schedule an advising appointment with the DUS to review thesis details before your hold will be lifted. 

Students wishing to pursue performance, recording, composition, or creative theses must submit to pre-screening to determine readiness to continue. 

Students are required to schedule a meeting with the Undergraduate Program Coordinator in advance of the deadline above to review pre-screening requirements and to submit a formal description for evaluation. 

Additonal pre-screening requirements are listed below:

• Students must have taken at least one advanced composition course within the Music Department prior to beginning their thesis trajectory. 
• Students must submit a portfolio of recent work for consideration by the composition faculty. Portfolio should consist of 3–5 compositions showcasing your compositional and creative voice. Compositions must be submitted in score form. Students may submit live or computer-generated recordings in addition to your scores, but not in lieu of them. If students have audio-only electronically produced works, audio or digital files may be submitted via your preferred software platform, accompanied by a short statement outlining any compositional technique and/or technology used and inspiration behind the composition.  
• A description of anticipated recording needs including instrumentation, ensemble size, and musical styles. 
• A general expectation for audio engineering and editing needs. 
• A description of venue needs or preferred location for recording. 
• A resume of training and performance history (including music coursework.)  
• An audition video of at least 15 minutes with three contrasting pieces.  
• Where appropriate, a letter from the student’s primary teacher recommending the student’s program for a thesis recital.  
• If composition related, see Composition pre-screening above. 
• If recording related, see Recording pre-screening above.  
• If performance related, see Performance/Recital pre-screening above. 
• For all other projects, it is required that you meet with the Undergraduate Program Coordinator to review pre-screening expectations based on your project expectations. 

Students will be reminded about the upcoming April deadline for thesis proposals and will be prompted to connect with thesis advisors, if they have not already done so. If students have not confirmed a thesis advisor by this date, then they should schedule an advising session with the DUS to strategize.

Students who have been successfully pre-screened for performance, composition, creative, or recording-based theses must submit any significant changes to their plans at this time. 

All thesis proposals must be submitted to the Undergraduate Program Coordinator by this deadline using the provided Thesis Proposal Form [PDF]   . Thesis advisors must be confirmed at this time, and both advisor and DUS must sign off on student proposals. Students considering a creative, performance, composition, or recording-based thesis must have met all pre-screening approval requirements to continue with a thesis in these categories. 

Students must register for MUS99 Senior Tutorial for both semesters of their senior year.

2024-25 Thesis Proposal Form [PDF]  

Thesis candidate is required to submit a detailed prospectus to their thesis advisor by this date.  

A reminder that students must register for MUS99 Senior Tutorial for both semesters of their senior year.

Students are required to schedule a meeting with the Undergraduate Program Coordinator and the Manager of Events prior to this date to confirm production support needs and venue confirmation for performance-track or recording-based theses. Students are required to submit a detailed Tech Rider at this time to formally request support services. 

Students are required to submit 50% of their final thesis to their thesis advisor. Students should coordinate with their thesis advisor to confirm requirements for all non-written thesis elements. 

Students must communicate any significant updates for production needs with the Undergraduate Program Coordinator and Manager of Events in advance of this date. Any updates to the Tech Rider must be finalized at this time. No further production updates will be permissible without the express consent of the Manager of Events. 

A complete thesis draft must be submitted to advisors by this date. Students should coordinate with their thesis advisor to confirm draft requirements for all non-written thesis elements. 

All theses must be completed on or before this deadline for both performance and non-performance track theses. All final documents, support materials, and/or digital media must be completed and submitted by email to the Undergraduate Program Coordinator . All performance-based events must be complete by this deadline. All theses that include a recorded element (including final editing and engineering , ) must be completed and submitted by email to the Undergraduate Program Coordinator before this deadline. 

All thesis candidates are required to take part in the Thesis Colloquium. This event is an opportunity for the student to present a summary of their thesis to Harvard’s music community and to celebrate their well-earned achievements with their colleagues. Taking place at the Learning Lab at the Derek Bok Center for Learning , students are encouraged to consider how your thesis can be presented using this creative space. 

All final thesis revisions and updates are due to the Music Department by this date and should be submitted via email to the Undergraduate Program Coordinator . This includes all final support materials, recordings, edits, or updates. No further updates will be accepted after this date. 

WINTER BREAK Students are strongly advised to use the winter break period to make significant progress on their thesis work in advance of spring semester deadlines.  

23-24 Thesis Timeline (PNG)

Thesis Production Acknowledgement

All theses requiring any form of department production support or resources as defined above must provide the following information and/or adhere to the guidelines set below. A request for production needs should be sent to the Undergraduate Program Coordinator by submitting a comprehensive Tech Rider that outlines detailed production needs and expectations. 

Students commit to meeting these requirements and/or working within the established guidelines. All thesis support will be provided at the discretion of the Department of Music.

• Thesis performances of any kind are limited to 90 minutes total, including intermission. 
• Performances, recordings, or any theses requiring venues, services, and staffing must take place during the dates and times offered by the Music Department at the time of the Support Approval and Venue Deadline (November.) Event dates must be confirmed in advance and approved by thesis advisors and DUS prior to the point of scheduling. 
• Venues, equipment, and production support and services are offered at the discretion of the Music Department. It is the student’s responsibility to articulate their needs to the best of their ability by submitting a Tech Rider where necessary and adhering to the deadlines for information as defined in the established Thesis Timeline and Guidelines . Students may opt to supplement department resources with external funding. External funding is the responsibility of the student. 

Performances, recordings, or any theses requiring venues, services, and staffing require the student to submit a Tech Rider to the Undergraduate Program Coordinator for evaluation by the Music Department. The Tech Rider should include the following information with as much detail as possible: 

• Venue requirements and/or preferences.
• Ensemble instrumentation. 
• Stage diagram, including both performers and equipment. 
• NOTE: Extended techniques, prepared piano, atypical tunings, and other modifications (including removal of lid) are offered only at the discretion of Music Department staff. These atypical needs should not be assumed. Please visit Piano Services for more information.
• Audio/visual recording needs. 
• Audio amplification needs. 
• Visual projection needs. 
• Other details as required. 

Support services are available in the areas below at the discretion of the Music Department, based on resource availability, and based on the guidelines provided above. Requests for the services below should not be assumed. All requests for support be included in the student’s Tech Rider . All thesis support will be provided at the discretion of the Department of Music.   Available department resources include: 

• Audio/visual recording services or staffing. 
• Recording editing or engineering. 
• Audio amplification. 
• Video projection. 
• Front of house and/or stage crew for public performances. 
• Use of piano. 

*A Word About Thesis Support Levels…

The Music Department is committed to supporting theses that require department resources in the areas of venue access, equipment use, staffing services, recording services, and audio/visual engineering. Thesis support must be carefully coordinated with Music Department administration for approval, based on the Thesis Timeline and Guidelines , and based on available resources. All thesis support will be provided at the discretion of the Department of Music.

Students interested in pursuing recording, performance, or creative theses of any kind commit to working closely with Music Department administration to ensure that any department resources needed are reasonable, clearly articulated, and approved by the department in advance. Students may opt to supplement department resources with external funding. External funding is the responsibility of the student. Students agree to meet the terms described in the Thesis Timeline and Guidelines . 

Loeb Music Library Research Support

Librarians with the Loeb Music Library are available to provide research assistance for student thesis projects. During a one-on-one research consultation, librarians can assist with defining topics, developing search strategies, identifying and locating new sources, organizing research, working with unique materials, and obtaining items external to Harvard.

Students are encouraged to sign up for a one-on-one research consultation here . For further questions, please contact Kerry Masteller .

Ask Yale Library

My Library Accounts

Find, Request, and Use

Help and Research Support

Visit and Study

Explore Collections

Music: Dissertations

• Search Library Catalogs
• Reference Books and Online Resources
• Dissertations
• Overview and Printed Scores
• Online Scores (Yale only)
• Online Scores (Freely Available)
• Scholarly and Critical Editions
• Manuscripts and Rare Editions
• Reproductions of Manuscripts and Rare Editions
• CDs, LPs, etc.
• Online Recordings (Yale only)
• Free Online Recordings
• VHS and DVD videos
• Online Video (Yale)
• Free Online Video
• Reserve Titles
• Special Collections
• Related Guides

Dissertations and Theses

• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Includes millions of searchable citations to dissertations and theses from 1861 to the present day together with over a million full-text dissertations that are available for download in PDF format. The database offers full-text for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and strong retrospective full-text coverage for older graduate works. It includes the more than 28,000 Yale PhD and MD theses (1861-present). Of these, more than 18,500 are in full-text: almost all since 1960, and selected dissertations back to 1868. It also includes PQDT UK & Ireland content.
• Articles+ Dissertations It can be easier to locate a known dissertation by author and title using Articles+ (which searches against ProQuest Dissertations & Theses) and limiting to dissertations. The link above has already been limited to dissertations.

Search for dissertations in Quicksearch:

The Music Library has purchased many copies of dissertations from other universities.  Most Yale dissertations that are not full-text in ProQuest (above) are available in paper or microfilm for reading, scanning, or printing.

Dissertations can be located in Quicksearch by: (1) Entering the author or title in the Basic Search box. Remember to enclose exact word-by-word phrases in quotation marks.

(2) Using the Quicksearch Books+ Advanced Search:

• To browse all dissertations & theses, leave the search rows empty, enter All fields: music, or enter your search terms in the search boxes
• Limit by Format: Dissertation & Theses
• Limit by Location: Music Library (optional) 

(a) The example below shows a blank search limited to Dissertations & Theses format and Music Library location: 2,713 results.

 (b) Refine your search using the facets on the left of the results screen.

3) If you do not locate a Yale dissertation in Quicksearch, check the card catalog at Manuscripts and Archives. Except for some early dissertations that are not available, the originals of all Yale dissertations are held at Manuscripts and Archives.

Finding Dissertations Online - Additional Resources

• Dart-Europe E-Theses Portal
• Dissertation Express
• Dissertationsmeldestelle der Gesellschaft fur Musikforschung
• Doctoral Dissertations in Musicology
• EDT Digital Library
• Music Theory Online Dissertation Index
• OhioLink ETD Center
• Theses Canada Portal
• WorldCat (OCLC)
• Archive of Dissertation Abstracts in Music (Europe).
• Finding Dissertations on Music (Indiana U guide)

How to get a copy

If you find a dissertation that you need, but there is not a full text link, there are several options: search for it at Yale, borrow a copy through Borrow Direct or Interlibrary Loan (ILL) , or request that the library purchase a copy.  You may also purchase a copy in various formats.

Citing Electronic Resources

There are three major citation styles used in the humanities, social sciences, and some scientific disciplines. Consult one of the following official style manuals :

• APA Style The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is the style manual of choice for writers, editors, students, and educators in the social and behavioral sciences.
• MLA Style Center Website with updates and tips for the Modern Language Association's 8th edition of the MLA Handbook (see entry below). Includes a Quick Guide to works cited, an FAQ, and posts on topics such as URLs and citing ebooks.
• The Chicago Manual of Style online With state-of-the-art recommendations on editorial style and publishing practices in the digital age, The Chicago Manual of Style is the must-have reference for everyone who works with words.
• The Columbia guide to online style Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor. A guide to locating, translating, and using the elements of citation for both a humanities style (i.e., MLA and Chicago) and a scientific style (APA and CBE) for electronically-accessed sources. Access is available to the Yale Community. Often preferred in history and many other disciplines.
• << Previous: Reference Books and Online Resources
• Next: Images >>
• Last Updated: Feb 22, 2024 1:01 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.yale.edu/music-research

Site Navigation

P.O. BOX 208240 New Haven, CT 06250-8240 (203) 432-1775

Yale's Libraries

Bass Library

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Classics Library

Cushing/Whitney Medical Library

Divinity Library

East Asia Library

Gilmore Music Library

Haas Family Arts Library

Lewis Walpole Library

Lillian Goldman Law Library

Marx Science and Social Science Library

Sterling Memorial Library

Yale Center for British Art

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

@YALELIBRARY

Yale Library Instagram

Accessibility       Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion      Giving       Privacy and Data Use      Contact Our Web Team    

© 2022 Yale University Library • All Rights Reserved

University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Dissertation and Thesis Research and Writing Guide for Music Students

Getting started.

• Conducting Your Research
• Writing Your Thesis or Dissertation
• Citation Resources
• Copyright Permissions
• Depositing Your Thesis or Dissertation

Music & Performing Arts Library

This is a guide to library resources for graduate students in the School of Music working on a thesis or dissertation.

Use the tabs to the left to navigate the guide and see what resources we have available.

If you have questions about the Library or accessing resources related to your thesis or dissertation work that we didn't cover in this guide, please let us know! You can contact the librarians at [email protected] or by clicking the "Email Me" button on the left.

***Please note: the information included in this guide regarding graduation and dissertation requirements is intended as a guideline only. Always check with the School of Music or the Graduate College Thesis Office if you have questions about these requirements as they will be best able to provide up to date information.

Getting Help

Need research help.

If you need help with your research or are having trouble tracking down the sources you need, you can make an appointment with a librarian to discuss your research one-on-one. Don't hesitate to reach out or schedule an appointment if you need help! You are also always welcome to ask for assistance at the service desk at MPAL.

Questions About Graduate Requirements?

If you have questions about graduate requirements, you can reach out to the School of Music Graduate Academic Affairs for clarification. They can be reached via email at [email protected]

We are also including links to the Graduate College Handbook and the Thesis Office below in case you want to consult policies or requirements yourself.

• Graduate College Handbook of Policy and Requirements
• Thesis Office
• School of Music's Student Resources

Guides to Researching & Writing About Music

• Research Guides
• Writing Guides

As you conduct your research, you may find it helpful to consult some of the handbooks below to help guide you through the research process. For help with writing about music - including selecting the right terminology as well as general style tips - be sure to check out the next tab of this box!

• Next: Conducting Your Research >>
• Last Updated: Jan 26, 2024 11:39 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.illinois.edu/musicdissthesis

University Libraries

Music research: dissertation and thesis guidance for topic selection and copyright permissions.

• Introduction
• Article Databases
• Reference Sources
• Streaming Audio and Video Databases
• Dissertation and Thesis Guidance for Topic Selection and Copyright Permissions

Selecting a topic is the first consideration for a writer of a dissertation or thesis. This will of course be done in consultation with their major professor. The PhD, DMA, or master's student is required do original research. This might involve making new discoveries about an already well-researched topic or making discoveries about an unfamiliar topic.  Someone might think there is nothing new to be discovered about a composer such as Bach or Beethoven, for example, but that may not be the case. An unfamiliar topic might seem safer, but that may not be the case. In considering a topic, the student should begin by doing the most thorough search they can to see what has already been done. If they find little or nothing, the topic might be promising. However, for an unfamiliar topic, sometimes so little has been done that researching it is not even feasible. However, If research has been done, even if resources are only available in distant archives in other countries, the student could pursue the topic. It is unacceptable to ignore resources in distant or difficult to access places.  Once a topic is approved and the student starts writing, there are important matters to deal with early on. One of them is the quoting of copyrighted material. U.S. copyright law includes provisions for fair use of copyrighted material for such purposes as scholarship and research. Quotation of very brief excerpts might qualify as fair use. However, for extended examples, the student must obtain written permission from the copyright holder. Their are many websites dealing with fair use. This one from the U.S. Copyright Office is helpful:  https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/ Determining the identity of a copyright holder is not always easy. For printed music which has been published, the copyright holder is the publisher. Many large publishing houses have links on their websites for requesting permissions. For a music manuscript, the copyright holder would be the composer, but only if that composer is still alive. If not, their estate or an institution such as a research library which has custody of the manuscript might be the copyright holder. Something similar might be the case for musical examples found on websites. The copyright holder for an image found on a website would be the provider of the website. It may be helpful for a student to know that sites such as Wikimedia Commons,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Pag e  offer many high-quality images which are in the public domain.  Whatever the case, the student should investigate and request appropriate permissions well in advance of the completion of their dissertation or thesis. Many students have waited till the last minute, only to discover that the permissions are very difficult or impossible to obtain. Without the permissions, the examples cannot be used.  Music library personnel are available to assist PhD, DMA, and master's students who need help with any of these aspects of working on their dissertations or theses. Please send your questions to  [email protected] or come by the library to meet with us in person.

• << Previous: Websites
• Last Updated: Apr 22, 2024 10:14 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.unt.edu/music-research

Additional Links

UNT: Apply now UNT: Schedule a tour UNT: Get more info about the University of North Texas

UNT: Disclaimer | UNT: AA/EOE/ADA | UNT: Privacy | UNT: Electronic Accessibility | UNT: Required Links | UNT: UNT Home

• USF Research
• USF Libraries

Digital Commons @ USF > College of The Arts > School of Music > Music Education > Theses and Dissertations

Music Education Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2015 2015.

Origins of Music Programs in Liberal Arts Institutions: The Story of Three Florida Catholic Universities , Cynthia S. Selph

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

A Philosophical Inquiry on the Valuation and Selection of Musical Materials for Culturally Diverse Learners in Global Environments , Jonathan Bassett

Upper Elementary Boys’ Participation During Group Singing Activities in Single-sex and Coeducational Classes , Zadda M. Bazzy

An Examination of the Influence of Band Director Teaching Style and Personality on Ratings at Concert and Marching Band Events , Timothy J. Groulx

Empowered for Practice: The Relationship Among Perceived Autonomy Support, Competence, and Task Persistence of Undergraduate Applied Music Students , Julie F. Troum

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

An Exploratory Study of the Use of Imagery by Vocal Professionals: Applications of a Sport Psychology Framework , Patricia Louise Bowes

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

Perceptions of Effective Teaching and Pre-Service Preparation for Urban Elementary General Music Classrooms: A Study of Teachers of Different Cultural Backgrounds in Various Cultural Settings , Lisa J. Lehmberg

Theses/Dissertations from 2006 2006

Teaching strategies of successful college trombone professors for undergradute students , Matthew T. Buckmaster

The influence of performance background on instrumentalists' ability to discriminate and label cornet and trumpet timbre , Gary Compton

Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

The Effect of Conducting Gesture on Expressive-Interpretive Performance of College Music Majors , Ronald Wayne Gallops

Effect of Age on 11- to 18-Year-Olds’ Discrimination of Nuances in Instrumental and Speech Phrase Interpretations , Andrew Sioberg

Theses/Dissertations from 2003 2003

Choral Music Education: A Survey of Research 1996-2002 , Amber Turcott

Advanced Search

• Email Notifications and RSS
• All Collections
• USF Faculty Publications
• Open Access Journals
• Conferences and Events
• Theses and Dissertations
• Textbooks Collection

Useful Links

• Rights Information
• SelectedWorks
• Submit Research

Home | About | Help | My Account | Accessibility Statement | Language and Diversity Statements

Privacy Copyright

What Six Senior Music Majors’ Say About Their Theses

As the Spring semester concludes and in anticipation for the Class of 2024’s graduation, the Music Department asked six Senior Music Majors to expand on their creative theses and offer advice to future students preparing their own. The Music Department is proud to share the results of each Music Major’s cumulative work at Princeton, which highlights scholarly research and true mastery of their disciplines. 

Jared Bozinko

Thesis: SIN PHONY for two soprano clarinets, two auxiliary clarinets, two saxophones, and two horns

Jared:  In the process of writing  SIN PHONY , I found inspiration in seemingly twee places. Poulenc’s  Sonata for horn, trumpet and trombone,  Prokofiev’s  Romeo and Juliet , a 1995 clarinet quartet by Met Opera clarinetist Sean Osborn, and Ligeti’s  Six Bagatelles , a quirky wind quintet version of his  Musica ricercata .  SIN PHONY  is a chamber piece, technically an octet, for clarinets, saxes, and horns. My advisor, Dr. Dmitri Tymoczko, has been indispensable to the process, guiding me all fall semester in writing short chamber music sketches, which became the basis of the material that makes up my thesis. The process was so smooth and, at points, genuinely fun, and it was a great challenge as a composer to blend disparate thematic material from sketches written completely separately into cohesive, compelling music that had cohesion and let my compositional voice shine through.

Tanaka Dunbar Ngwara

Thesis: Paivapo ’76: A New Musical 

Tanaka:  My thesis was an original musical entitled Paivapo ’76 and set in Domboshava Zimbabwe in 1976, during the Zimbabwean Liberation War. The show deals with the conflict between traditional practice/spirituality and Christianity, and explores themes of community, first love and grief. I received the Alex Adam ’07 Award to conduct research for this project over the summer and since the musical also served as independent work for my theater and music theater certificates, I was able to premiere the piece on May 3rd, 4th and 5th in the Wallace Theater in the Lewis Center Complex. 

Thesis: Flung Into Space: A Collection of Songs

Nina:   My thesis is a collection of six songs titled  Flung Into Space . It consists of three story heavy songs about my life, along with an electronic counterpart for each which explores the same topic from a new perspective. 

Rupert Peacock

Thesis: John Farrant’s “O Lord Allmighty (ca. 1570):  The English Anthem at Ely Cathedral With Critical Edition

Rupert:  My thesis is a critical edition and history surrounding a piece of unpublished English choral music. The piece is called “O Lord Almighty” by John Farrant. I went to the library at Cambridge University and looked through manuscripts from Ely cathedral, which is about 10 minutes from where I live in the UK. I found lots of great and famous choral works, but stumbled across this piece by Farrant almost by accident. Professor Wendy Heller taught me everything I needed to know to get this done. She’s an expert in critical editions and this kind of research. I couldn’t have done it without her.

Molly Trueman

Thesis: Angels & Aliens: The Making of an Album

Molly:  For my thesis, I wrote and recorded my debut full-length album entitled  Angels & Aliens . Based around acoustic guitar and vocals, the album has an alternative indie-folk feel. This is a milestone I’ve been working towards for a few years now, so I’m incredibly grateful that this album ended up being my thesis.

Gabriela Veciana

Thesis: Breaking the Sound Barrier: Investigating Latine Racial Bias Through Reggaetón Music

Gabriela:  For my thesis, I researched colorism within Latine communities through reggaetón music. I knew I was interested in looking at identity and Latin music, but it wasn’t until I heard my advisor, Lisa Margulis, present her work in music cognition that I saw a potential connection with psychology fields. 

If you were to describe your thesis in one word, what would it be?

Jared :  Darksided (hehe)

Tanaka:  Fusion

Nina:  Honest

Rupert:  Difficult!

Molly:  Extraterrestrial

Gabriela:  Interdisciplinary!

What advice would you give to future seniors on creating a successful thesis?

Jared:  Don’t be afraid that your thesis isn’t going to materialize in time, instead, always try to remember just why you chose this amazing department, and to remember your likely lifelong personal devotion to music. There’s a lot to love about being able to share your art as the capstone of your work at Princeton. 

Tanaka:  If you can, use the thesis as an opportunity to work on something that you’ve always wanted to do, but never had the time to do! It’s amazing to have the excuse of a thesis project to give you the drive and space to complete it. 

Nina:  Try to start without judgement. The hardest part of writing my thesis was my own expectations of what my thesis should look like. 

Rupert:  It has to be something you care about and/or are passionate about. It got to the point where I was actually looking forward to the next steps in my thesis and enjoyed working on it. That was crucial for motivation!

Molly:  In terms of creating a thesis, my biggest piece of advice is to find a topic that you’re truly passionate about. Don’t settle for something you don’t care about.

Gabriela:  You don’t always have to have a topic and then find an advisor, you can start by finding an advisor you are interested in working with and craft your topic from there.

What are your plans after graduation?

Jared:  Still figuring it out, though I’m certain I want music to be a core component of my everyday life. I am trying to move to Philadelphia and get involved with their variety of music scenes, from DIY punk basement shows to chamber orchestras to early music groups. I also want to continue composing and am eager to hone my craft even further wherever I go. 

Tanaka:  I’m going to attend the Royal Academy of Music for Music Theater vocal performance! I’m very excited to be in a new city, and get to do another music degree in a conservatory.

Nina:  I’m moving to Nashville, TN and pursuing a career as a performing musician. I’ll also be releasing music soon as a part of the band Upwhirl, as well as later this year releasing my thesis. 

Rupert:  I am going to split my time between singing and construction!

Molly:  After graduation, I’m going to McGill University to study in the Sound Recording program.

Gabriela:  I hope to work in theater administration in New York!

In Other News

Student Perspectives: The Musical Odyssey of Princeton’s Adrian Thananopavarn

Jan 18, 2024

Adrian P. Thananopavarn ’24, Math major with certificates in Computer Science and Music Composition, premieres “March of Dusk” with Princeton University Sinfonia

How 3 Princeton Students Spend a Monday at the Royal College of Music

Dec 7, 2023

Dorothy Junginger ’25, Kyle Tsai ’25, and Audrey Yang ’25 are currently participating in Princeton’s immersive abroad program this semester at the Royal College of Music in London.

Music Major Kasey Shao Named 2024 Gilmore Young Artist

Sep 18, 2023

The Department of Music congratulates Kasey Shao (Class of 2025), a Music Major who is pursuing Minors in Piano Performance and Engineering Biology, who was one of two students named 2024 Gilmore Young Artists. We caught up with Kasey this summer following the official announcement to discuss how she found out she’d been selected, what she has planned for her 2024 Gilmore recitals and piano commission, and what’s on the docket for her final two years at Princeton.

Explore your training options in 10 minutes Get Started

• Graduate Stories
• Partner Spotlights
• Bootcamp Prep
• Bootcamp Admissions
• University Bootcamps
• Coding Tools
• Software Engineering
• Web Development
• Data Science
• Tech Guides
• Tech Resources
• Career Advice
• Online Learning
• Internships
• Apprenticeships
• Tech Salaries
• Associate Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• University Admissions
• Best Schools
• Certifications
• Bootcamp Financing
• Higher Ed Financing
• Scholarships
• Financial Aid
• Best Coding Bootcamps
• Best Online Bootcamps
• Best Web Design Bootcamps
• Best Data Science Bootcamps
• Best Technology Sales Bootcamps
• Best Data Analytics Bootcamps
• Best Cybersecurity Bootcamps
• Best Digital Marketing Bootcamps
• Los Angeles
• San Francisco
• Browse All Locations
• Digital Marketing
• Machine Learning
• See All Subjects
• Bootcamps 101
• Full-Stack Development
• Career Changes
• View all Career Discussions
• Mobile App Development
• Cybersecurity
• Product Management
• UX/UI Design
• What is a Coding Bootcamp?
• Are Coding Bootcamps Worth It?
• How to Choose a Coding Bootcamp
• Best Online Coding Bootcamps and Courses
• Best Free Bootcamps and Coding Training
• Coding Bootcamp vs. Community College
• Coding Bootcamp vs. Self-Learning
• Bootcamps vs. Certifications: Compared
• What Is a Coding Bootcamp Job Guarantee?
• How to Pay for Coding Bootcamp
• Ultimate Guide to Coding Bootcamp Loans
• Best Coding Bootcamp Scholarships and Grants
• Education Stipends for Coding Bootcamps
• Get Your Coding Bootcamp Sponsored by Your Employer
• GI Bill and Coding Bootcamps
• Tech Intevriews
• Our Enterprise Solution
• Connect With Us
• Publication
• Reskill America
• Partner With Us

• Resource Center
• Bachelor’s Degree
• Master’s Degree

The Top 10 Most Interesting Music Research Topics

Music is a vast and ever-growing field. Because of this, it can be challenging to find excellent music research topics for your essay or thesis. Although there are many examples of music research topics online, not all are appropriate.

This article covers all you need to know about choosing suitable music research paper topics. It also provides a clear distinction between music research questions and topics to help you get started.

Find your bootcamp match

What makes a strong music research topic.

A strong music research topic must be short, straightforward, and easy to grasp. The primary aim of music research is to apply various research methods to provide valuable insights into a particular subject area. Therefore, your topic must also address issues that are relevant to present-day readers.

Also, for your research topic to be compelling, it should not be overly generic. Try to avoid topics that seem to be too broad. A strong research topic is always narrow enough to draw out a comprehensive and relevant research question.

Tips for Choosing a Music Research Topic

• Check with your supervisor. In some cases, your school or supervisor may have specific requirements for your research. For example, some music programs may favor a comparative instead of a descriptive or correlational study. Knowing what your institution demands is essential in choosing an appropriate research topic.
• Explore scientific papers. Journal articles are a great way to find the critical areas of interest in your field of study. You can choose from a wide range of journals such as The Journal of Musicology and The Journal of the Royal Musical Association . These resources can help determine the direction of your research.
• Determine your areas of interest. Choosing a topic you have a personal interest in will help you stay motivated. Researching music-related subjects is a painstakingly thorough process. A lack of motivation would make it difficult to follow through with your research and achieve optimal results.
• Confirm availability of data sources. Not all music topics are researchable. Before selecting a topic, you must be sure that there are enough primary and secondary data sources for your research. You also need to be sure that you can carry out your research with tested and proven research methods.
• Ask your colleagues: Asking questions is one of the many research skills you need to cultivate. A short discussion or brainstorming session with your colleagues or other music professionals could help you identify a suitable topic for your research paper.

What’s the Difference Between a Research Topic and a Research Question?

A research topic is a particular subject area in a much wider field that a researcher chooses to place his emphasis on. Most subjects are extensive. So, before conducting research, a researcher must first determine a suitable area of interest that will act as the foundation for their investigation.

Research questions are drawn from research topics. However, research questions are usually more streamlined. While research topics can take a more generic viewpoint, research questions further narrow the focus down to specific case studies or seek to draw a correlation between two or more datasets.

How to Create Strong Music Research Questions

Strong music research questions must be relevant and specific. Music is a broad field with many genres and possible research areas. However, your research question must focus on a single subject matter and provide valuable insights. Also, your research question should be based on parameters that can be quantified and studied using available research methods.

Top 10 Music Research Paper Topics

1. understanding changes in music consumption patterns.

Although several known factors affect how people consume music, there is still a significant knowledge gap regarding how these factors influence listening choices. Your music research paper could outline some of these factors that affect music consumer behavior and highlight their mechanism of action.

2. Hip-hop Culture and Its Effect on Teenage Behavior

In 2020, hip-hop and RnB had the highest streaming numbers , according to Statista. Without a doubt, hip-hop music has had a significant influence on the behavior of young adults. There is still the need to conduct extensive research on this subject to determine if there is a correlation between hip-hop music and specific behavioral patterns, especially among teenagers.

3. The Application of Music as a Therapeutic Tool

For a long time, music has been used to manage stress and mental health disorders like anxiety, PTSD, and others. However, the role of music in clinical treatment still remains a controversial topic. Further research is required to separate fact from fiction and provide insight into the potential of music therapy.

4. Contemporary Rock Music and Its Association With Harmful Social Practices

Rock music has had a great influence on American culture since the 1950s. Since its rise to prominence, it has famously been associated with vices such as illicit sex and abuse of recreational drugs. An excellent research idea could be to evaluate if there is a robust causal relationship between contemporary rock music and adverse social behaviors.

5. The Impact of Streaming Apps on Global Music Consumption

Technology has dramatically affected the music industry by modifying individual music consumption habits. Presently, over 487 million people subscribe to a digital streaming service, according to Statista. Your research paper could examine how much of an influence popular music streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music have had on how we listen to music.

6. Effective American Music Education Practices

Teaching practices have always had a considerable impact on students’ academic success. However, not all strategies have an equal effect in enhancing learning experiences for students. You can conduct comparative research on two or more American music education practices and evaluate their impact on learning outcomes.

7. The Evolution of Music Production in the Technology-driven Era

One of the aspects of music that is experiencing a massive change is sound production. More than ever before, skilled, tech-savvy music producers are in high demand. At the moment, music producers earn about $70,326 annually, according to ZipRecruiter. So, your research could focus on the changes in music production techniques since the turn of the 21st century.

8. Jazz Music and Its Influence on Western Music Genres

The rich history of jazz music has established it as one of the most influential genres of music since the 19th century. Over the years, several famous composers and leading voices across many other western music genres have been shaped by jazz music’s sound and culture. You could carry out research on the influence of this genre of music on modern types of music.

9. The Effect of Wars on Music

Wars have always brought about radical changes in several aspects of culture, including music styles. Throughout history, we have witnessed wars result in the death of famous musicians. If you are interested in learning about music history in relation to global events, a study on the impact of wars on music will make an excellent music research paper.

10. African Tribal Percussion

African music is well recognized for its unique application of percussion. Historically, several tribes and cultures had their own percussion instruments and original methods of expression. Unfortunately, this musical style has mainly gone undocumented. An in-depth study into ancient African tribal percussion would make a strong music research paper.

Other Examples of Music Research Topics & Questions

Music research topics.

• Popular musical styles of the 20th century
• The role of musical pieces in political movements
• Biographies of influential musicians during the baroque period
• The influence of classical music on modern-day culture
• The relationship between music and fashion

Music Research Questions

• What is the relationship between country music and conservationist ideologies among middle-aged American voters?
• What is the effect of listening to Chinese folk music on the critical thinking skills of high school students?
• How have electronic music production technologies influenced the sound quality of contemporary music?
• What is the correlation between punk music and substance abuse among Black-American males?
• How does background music affect learning and information retention in children?

Choosing the Right Music Research Topic

Your research topic is the foundation on which every other aspect of your study is built. So, you must select a music research topic that gives you room to adequately explore intriguing hypotheses and, if possible, proffer practically applicable solutions.

Also, if you seek to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Music , you must be prepared to conduct research during your study. Choosing the right music research topic is the first step in guaranteeing good grades and delivering relevant, high-quality contributions in this constantly expanding field.

Music Research Topics FAQ

A good music research topic should be between 10 to 12 words long. Long, wordy music essay topics are usually confusing. They can make it difficult for readers to understand the goal of your research. Avoid using lengthy phrases or vague terms that could confuse the reader.

Journal articles are the best place to find helpful resources for your music research. You can explore reputable, high-impact journal articles to see if any research has been done related to your chosen topic. Journal articles also help to provide data for comparison while carrying out your research.

Primary sources carry out their own research and cite their own data. In contrast, secondary sources report data obtained from a primary source. Although primary sources are regarded as more credible, you can include a good mixture of primary and secondary sources in your research.

The most common research methods for music research are qualitative, quantitative, descriptive, and analytical. Your research strategy is arguably the most crucial part of your study. You must learn different research methods to determine which one would be the perfect fit for your particular research question.

About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication .

What's Next?

Get matched with top bootcamps

Ask a question to our community, take our careers quiz.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Search Menu
• Browse content in Arts and Humanities
• Browse content in Archaeology
• Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Archaeology
• Archaeological Methodology and Techniques
• Archaeology by Region
• Archaeology of Religion
• Archaeology of Trade and Exchange
• Biblical Archaeology
• Contemporary and Public Archaeology
• Environmental Archaeology
• Historical Archaeology
• History and Theory of Archaeology
• Industrial Archaeology
• Landscape Archaeology
• Mortuary Archaeology
• Prehistoric Archaeology
• Underwater Archaeology
• Urban Archaeology
• Zooarchaeology
• Browse content in Architecture
• Architectural Structure and Design
• History of Architecture
• Residential and Domestic Buildings
• Theory of Architecture
• Browse content in Art
• Art Subjects and Themes
• History of Art
• Industrial and Commercial Art
• Theory of Art
• Biographical Studies
• Byzantine Studies
• Browse content in Classical Studies
• Classical Literature
• Classical Reception
• Classical History
• Classical Philosophy
• Classical Mythology
• Classical Art and Architecture
• Classical Oratory and Rhetoric
• Greek and Roman Archaeology
• Greek and Roman Papyrology
• Greek and Roman Epigraphy
• Greek and Roman Law
• Late Antiquity
• Religion in the Ancient World
• Digital Humanities
• Browse content in History
• Colonialism and Imperialism
• Diplomatic History
• Environmental History
• Genealogy, Heraldry, Names, and Honours
• Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing
• Historical Geography
• History by Period
• History of Agriculture
• History of Education
• History of Emotions
• History of Gender and Sexuality
• Industrial History
• Intellectual History
• International History
• Labour History
• Legal and Constitutional History
• Local and Family History
• Maritime History
• Military History
• National Liberation and Post-Colonialism
• Oral History
• Political History
• Public History
• Regional and National History
• Revolutions and Rebellions
• Slavery and Abolition of Slavery
• Social and Cultural History
• Theory, Methods, and Historiography
• Urban History
• World History
• Browse content in Language Teaching and Learning
• Language Learning (Specific Skills)
• Language Teaching Theory and Methods
• Browse content in Linguistics
• Applied Linguistics
• Cognitive Linguistics
• Computational Linguistics
• Forensic Linguistics
• Grammar, Syntax and Morphology
• Historical and Diachronic Linguistics
• History of English
• Language Variation
• Language Families
• Language Evolution
• Language Reference
• Language Acquisition
• Lexicography
• Linguistic Theories
• Linguistic Typology
• Linguistic Anthropology
• Phonetics and Phonology
• Psycholinguistics
• Sociolinguistics
• Translation and Interpretation
• Writing Systems
• Browse content in Literature
• Bibliography
• Children's Literature Studies
• Literary Studies (Modernism)
• Literary Studies (Romanticism)
• Literary Studies (American)
• Literary Studies (Asian)
• Literary Studies (European)
• Literary Studies (Eco-criticism)
• Literary Studies - World
• Literary Studies (1500 to 1800)
• Literary Studies (19th Century)
• Literary Studies (20th Century onwards)
• Literary Studies (African American Literature)
• Literary Studies (British and Irish)
• Literary Studies (Early and Medieval)
• Literary Studies (Fiction, Novelists, and Prose Writers)
• Literary Studies (Gender Studies)
• Literary Studies (Graphic Novels)
• Literary Studies (History of the Book)
• Literary Studies (Plays and Playwrights)
• Literary Studies (Poetry and Poets)
• Literary Studies (Postcolonial Literature)
• Literary Studies (Queer Studies)
• Literary Studies (Science Fiction)
• Literary Studies (Travel Literature)
• Literary Studies (War Literature)
• Literary Studies (Women's Writing)
• Literary Theory and Cultural Studies
• Mythology and Folklore
• Shakespeare Studies and Criticism
• Browse content in Media Studies
• Browse content in Music
• Applied Music
• Dance and Music
• Ethics in Music
• Ethnomusicology
• Gender and Sexuality in Music
• Medicine and Music
• Music Cultures
• Music and Culture
• Music and Media
• Music and Religion
• Music Education and Pedagogy
• Music Theory and Analysis
• Musical Scores, Lyrics, and Libretti
• Musical Structures, Styles, and Techniques
• Musicology and Music History
• Performance Practice and Studies
• Race and Ethnicity in Music
• Sound Studies
• Browse content in Performing Arts
• Browse content in Philosophy
• Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art
• Epistemology
• Feminist Philosophy
• History of Western Philosophy
• Metaphysics
• Moral Philosophy
• Non-Western Philosophy
• Philosophy of Action
• Philosophy of Law
• Philosophy of Religion
• Philosophy of Language
• Philosophy of Mind
• Philosophy of Perception
• Philosophy of Science
• Philosophy of Mathematics and Logic
• Practical Ethics
• Social and Political Philosophy
• Browse content in Religion
• Biblical Studies
• Christianity
• East Asian Religions
• History of Religion
• Judaism and Jewish Studies
• Qumran Studies
• Religion and Education
• Religion and Health
• Religion and Politics
• Religion and Science
• Religion and Law
• Religion and Art, Literature, and Music
• Religious Studies
• Browse content in Society and Culture
• Cookery, Food, and Drink
• Cultural Studies
• Customs and Traditions
• Ethical Issues and Debates
• Hobbies, Games, Arts and Crafts
• Lifestyle, Home, and Garden
• Natural world, Country Life, and Pets
• Popular Beliefs and Controversial Knowledge
• Sports and Outdoor Recreation
• Technology and Society
• Travel and Holiday
• Visual Culture
• Browse content in Law
• Arbitration
• Browse content in Company and Commercial Law
• Commercial Law
• Company Law
• Browse content in Comparative Law
• Systems of Law
• Competition Law
• Browse content in Constitutional and Administrative Law
• Government Powers
• Judicial Review
• Local Government Law
• Military and Defence Law
• Parliamentary and Legislative Practice
• Construction Law
• Contract Law
• Browse content in Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedure
• Criminal Evidence Law
• Sentencing and Punishment
• Employment and Labour Law
• Environment and Energy Law
• Browse content in Financial Law
• Banking Law
• Insolvency Law
• History of Law
• Human Rights and Immigration
• Intellectual Property Law
• Browse content in International Law
• Private International Law and Conflict of Laws
• Public International Law
• IT and Communications Law
• Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law
• Law and Society
• Law and Politics
• Browse content in Legal System and Practice
• Courts and Procedure
• Legal Skills and Practice
• Primary Sources of Law
• Regulation of Legal Profession
• Medical and Healthcare Law
• Browse content in Policing
• Criminal Investigation and Detection
• Police and Security Services
• Police Procedure and Law
• Police Regional Planning
• Browse content in Property Law
• Personal Property Law
• Study and Revision
• Terrorism and National Security Law
• Browse content in Trusts Law
• Wills and Probate or Succession
• Browse content in Medicine and Health
• Browse content in Allied Health Professions
• Arts Therapies
• Clinical Science
• Dietetics and Nutrition
• Occupational Therapy
• Operating Department Practice
• Physiotherapy
• Radiography
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Browse content in Anaesthetics
• General Anaesthesia
• Neuroanaesthesia
• Clinical Neuroscience
• Browse content in Clinical Medicine
• Acute Medicine
• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Clinical Genetics
• Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
• Dermatology
• Endocrinology and Diabetes
• Gastroenterology
• Genito-urinary Medicine
• Geriatric Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Medical Oncology
• Medical Toxicology
• Pain Medicine
• Palliative Medicine
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Respiratory Medicine and Pulmonology
• Rheumatology
• Sleep Medicine
• Sports and Exercise Medicine
• Community Medical Services
• Critical Care
• Emergency Medicine
• Forensic Medicine
• Haematology
• History of Medicine
• Medical Ethics
• Browse content in Medical Skills
• Clinical Skills
• Communication Skills
• Nursing Skills
• Surgical Skills
• Browse content in Medical Dentistry
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Paediatric Dentistry
• Restorative Dentistry and Orthodontics
• Surgical Dentistry
• Medical Statistics and Methodology
• Browse content in Neurology
• Clinical Neurophysiology
• Neuropathology
• Nursing Studies
• Browse content in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Gynaecology
• Occupational Medicine
• Ophthalmology
• Otolaryngology (ENT)
• Browse content in Paediatrics
• Neonatology
• Browse content in Pathology
• Chemical Pathology
• Clinical Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics
• Histopathology
• Medical Microbiology and Virology
• Patient Education and Information
• Browse content in Pharmacology
• Psychopharmacology
• Browse content in Popular Health
• Caring for Others
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Self-help and Personal Development
• Browse content in Preclinical Medicine
• Cell Biology
• Molecular Biology and Genetics
• Reproduction, Growth and Development
• Primary Care
• Professional Development in Medicine
• Browse content in Psychiatry
• Addiction Medicine
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Forensic Psychiatry
• Learning Disabilities
• Old Age Psychiatry
• Psychotherapy
• Browse content in Public Health and Epidemiology
• Epidemiology
• Public Health
• Browse content in Radiology
• Clinical Radiology
• Interventional Radiology
• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiation Oncology
• Reproductive Medicine
• Browse content in Surgery
• Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Gastro-intestinal and Colorectal Surgery
• General Surgery
• Neurosurgery
• Paediatric Surgery
• Peri-operative Care
• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• Surgical Oncology
• Transplant Surgery
• Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery
• Vascular Surgery
• Browse content in Science and Mathematics
• Browse content in Biological Sciences
• Aquatic Biology
• Biochemistry
• Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
• Developmental Biology
• Ecology and Conservation
• Evolutionary Biology
• Genetics and Genomics
• Microbiology
• Molecular and Cell Biology
• Natural History
• Plant Sciences and Forestry
• Research Methods in Life Sciences
• Structural Biology
• Systems Biology
• Zoology and Animal Sciences
• Browse content in Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Computational Chemistry
• Crystallography
• Environmental Chemistry
• Industrial Chemistry
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Materials Chemistry
• Medicinal Chemistry
• Mineralogy and Gems
• Organic Chemistry
• Physical Chemistry
• Polymer Chemistry
• Study and Communication Skills in Chemistry
• Theoretical Chemistry
• Browse content in Computer Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Architecture and Logic Design
• Game Studies
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Mathematical Theory of Computation
• Programming Languages
• Software Engineering
• Systems Analysis and Design
• Virtual Reality
• Browse content in Computing
• Business Applications
• Computer Games
• Computer Security
• Computer Networking and Communications
• Digital Lifestyle
• Graphical and Digital Media Applications
• Operating Systems
• Browse content in Earth Sciences and Geography
• Atmospheric Sciences
• Environmental Geography
• Geology and the Lithosphere
• Maps and Map-making
• Meteorology and Climatology
• Oceanography and Hydrology
• Palaeontology
• Physical Geography and Topography
• Regional Geography
• Soil Science
• Urban Geography
• Browse content in Engineering and Technology
• Agriculture and Farming
• Biological Engineering
• Civil Engineering, Surveying, and Building
• Electronics and Communications Engineering
• Energy Technology
• Engineering (General)
• Environmental Science, Engineering, and Technology
• History of Engineering and Technology
• Mechanical Engineering and Materials
• Technology of Industrial Chemistry
• Transport Technology and Trades
• Browse content in Environmental Science
• Applied Ecology (Environmental Science)
• Conservation of the Environment (Environmental Science)
• Environmental Sustainability
• Environmentalist Thought and Ideology (Environmental Science)
• Management of Land and Natural Resources (Environmental Science)
• Natural Disasters (Environmental Science)
• Nuclear Issues (Environmental Science)
• Pollution and Threats to the Environment (Environmental Science)
• Social Impact of Environmental Issues (Environmental Science)
• History of Science and Technology
• Browse content in Materials Science
• Ceramics and Glasses
• Composite Materials
• Metals, Alloying, and Corrosion
• Nanotechnology
• Browse content in Mathematics
• Applied Mathematics
• Biomathematics and Statistics
• History of Mathematics
• Mathematical Education
• Mathematical Finance
• Mathematical Analysis
• Numerical and Computational Mathematics
• Probability and Statistics
• Pure Mathematics
• Browse content in Neuroscience
• Cognition and Behavioural Neuroscience
• Development of the Nervous System
• Disorders of the Nervous System
• History of Neuroscience
• Invertebrate Neurobiology
• Molecular and Cellular Systems
• Neuroendocrinology and Autonomic Nervous System
• Neuroscientific Techniques
• Sensory and Motor Systems
• Browse content in Physics
• Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
• Biological and Medical Physics
• Classical Mechanics
• Computational Physics
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Electromagnetism, Optics, and Acoustics
• History of Physics
• Mathematical and Statistical Physics
• Measurement Science
• Nuclear Physics
• Particles and Fields
• Plasma Physics
• Quantum Physics
• Relativity and Gravitation
• Semiconductor and Mesoscopic Physics
• Browse content in Psychology
• Affective Sciences
• Clinical Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Criminal and Forensic Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Evolutionary Psychology
• Health Psychology
• History and Systems in Psychology
• Music Psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Organizational Psychology
• Psychological Assessment and Testing
• Psychology of Human-Technology Interaction
• Psychology Professional Development and Training
• Research Methods in Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Browse content in Social Sciences
• Browse content in Anthropology
• Anthropology of Religion
• Human Evolution
• Medical Anthropology
• Physical Anthropology
• Regional Anthropology
• Social and Cultural Anthropology
• Theory and Practice of Anthropology
• Browse content in Business and Management
• Business History
• Business Ethics
• Business Strategy
• Business and Technology
• Business and Government
• Business and the Environment
• Comparative Management
• Corporate Governance
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Entrepreneurship
• Health Management
• Human Resource Management
• Industrial and Employment Relations
• Industry Studies
• Information and Communication Technologies
• International Business
• Knowledge Management
• Management and Management Techniques
• Operations Management
• Organizational Theory and Behaviour
• Pensions and Pension Management
• Public and Nonprofit Management
• Strategic Management
• Supply Chain Management
• Browse content in Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Criminal Justice
• Criminology
• Forms of Crime
• International and Comparative Criminology
• Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice
• Development Studies
• Browse content in Economics
• Agricultural, Environmental, and Natural Resource Economics
• Asian Economics
• Behavioural Finance
• Behavioural Economics and Neuroeconomics
• Econometrics and Mathematical Economics
• Economic Methodology
• Economic History
• Economic Systems
• Economic Development and Growth
• Financial Markets
• Financial Institutions and Services
• General Economics and Teaching
• Health, Education, and Welfare
• History of Economic Thought
• International Economics
• Labour and Demographic Economics
• Law and Economics
• Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics
• Microeconomics
• Public Economics
• Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics
• Welfare Economics
• Browse content in Education
• Adult Education and Continuous Learning
• Care and Counselling of Students
• Early Childhood and Elementary Education
• Educational Equipment and Technology
• Educational Strategies and Policy
• Higher and Further Education
• Organization and Management of Education
• Philosophy and Theory of Education
• Schools Studies
• Secondary Education
• Teaching of a Specific Subject
• Teaching of Specific Groups and Special Educational Needs
• Teaching Skills and Techniques
• Browse content in Environment
• Applied Ecology (Social Science)
• Climate Change
• Conservation of the Environment (Social Science)
• Environmentalist Thought and Ideology (Social Science)
• Natural Disasters (Environment)
• Social Impact of Environmental Issues (Social Science)
• Browse content in Human Geography
• Cultural Geography
• Economic Geography
• Political Geography
• Browse content in Interdisciplinary Studies
• Communication Studies
• Museums, Libraries, and Information Sciences
• Browse content in Politics
• African Politics
• Asian Politics
• Chinese Politics
• Comparative Politics
• Conflict Politics
• Elections and Electoral Studies
• Environmental Politics
• European Union
• Foreign Policy
• Gender and Politics
• Human Rights and Politics
• Indian Politics
• International Relations
• International Organization (Politics)
• International Political Economy
• Irish Politics
• Latin American Politics
• Middle Eastern Politics
• Political Theory
• Political Behaviour
• Political Economy
• Political Institutions
• Political Methodology
• Political Communication
• Political Philosophy
• Political Sociology
• Politics and Law
• Public Policy
• Public Administration
• Quantitative Political Methodology
• Regional Political Studies
• Russian Politics
• Security Studies
• State and Local Government
• UK Politics
• US Politics
• Browse content in Regional and Area Studies
• African Studies
• Asian Studies
• East Asian Studies
• Japanese Studies
• Latin American Studies
• Middle Eastern Studies
• Native American Studies
• Scottish Studies
• Browse content in Research and Information
• Research Methods
• Browse content in Social Work
• Addictions and Substance Misuse
• Adoption and Fostering
• Care of the Elderly
• Child and Adolescent Social Work
• Couple and Family Social Work
• Developmental and Physical Disabilities Social Work
• Direct Practice and Clinical Social Work
• Emergency Services
• Human Behaviour and the Social Environment
• International and Global Issues in Social Work
• Mental and Behavioural Health
• Social Justice and Human Rights
• Social Policy and Advocacy
• Social Work and Crime and Justice
• Social Work Macro Practice
• Social Work Practice Settings
• Social Work Research and Evidence-based Practice
• Welfare and Benefit Systems
• Browse content in Sociology
• Childhood Studies
• Community Development
• Comparative and Historical Sociology
• Economic Sociology
• Gender and Sexuality
• Gerontology and Ageing
• Health, Illness, and Medicine
• Marriage and the Family
• Migration Studies
• Occupations, Professions, and Work
• Organizations
• Population and Demography
• Race and Ethnicity
• Social Theory
• Social Movements and Social Change
• Social Research and Statistics
• Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
• Sociology of Religion
• Sociology of Education
• Sport and Leisure
• Urban and Rural Studies
• Browse content in Warfare and Defence
• Defence Strategy, Planning, and Research
• Land Forces and Warfare
• Military Administration
• Military Life and Institutions
• Naval Forces and Warfare
• Other Warfare and Defence Issues
• Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
• Weapons and Equipment

• < Previous chapter

24 Conclusions: New Directions in Chinese Music Research

Jonathan P. J. Stock is Professor of Music at University College Cork, Ireland.

• Published: 23 October 2023
• Cite Icon Cite
• Permissions Icon Permissions

The chapter identifies problems and prospects for Chinese music studies in the contemporary era, identifying areas that deserve further attention in developing a viable, incisive, and inclusive disciplinary future. Prospects are outlined for new research in this subject area as raised in each of the preceding chapters. Then, the issues of linguistic and disciplinary multiplicities are discussed. Proposed solutions that would help construct a shared core for Chinese music studies as a new disciplinary meeting point include greater translation from Chinese to English and other languages, enhanced attention to coauthoring, and the focusing of critical engagement around shared theoretical strengths and pressing concerns. The chapter closes by detailing four areas of existing theoretical strength that offer potential core disciplinary pillars for future work: global music history, diaspora, decolonization, and intangible cultural heritage.

Introduction

From one perspective, this volume may well comprise the largest single research source on Chinese music published in English to date. 1 Its chapters collectively exemplify significant Chinese musical histories and contemporaneities, setting topics arising within the current boundaries of the People’s Republic of China alongside those that carry resonances of that nation but occur elsewhere. These case studies are replete with new conceptions and analytical insights, and collectively they advance study in this area by no small dimension. Yet, from another perspective, this book can also be understood as primarily a fresh interjection in a conversation that has been ongoing for a long while—in the “Introduction,” Yu Hui describes the Shijing 詩經 as our volume’s earliest (known) predecessor. If that would have been an intimidating comparison to bring to mind while writing a chapter, it does at least imply that this conversation might be expected to go on a lot longer—climate change, species degradation, pandemics, and human conflicts permitting.

The present volume is certainly very far from being a complete orientation to China’s musical history or a systematic guide to all of its principal contemporary musical realities. Instead of providing encyclopedic information on a myriad of musical traditions, genres, instruments, musicians, compositions, and music-related principles, we present new and diverse writing from leading researchers that addresses how we deal with China’s music history and with the variegated styles, traditions, and practices identified as somehow musically Chinese in the present. In line with other volumes in Oxford’s Handbook series, it is thus a book about research. Our central ambition is to advance our field by capturing the energetic, multidisciplinary actualities of where we are now, producing a set of essays that function as a dynamic springboard that propels study onward and upward in the years to come.

We might employ the term “Chinese music studies” to describe all of the research that occurs within this broad area. But research on Chinese music is currently targeted at readerships across multiple languages, and it is published in numerous, distinct disciplinary forums. In anglophone settings, on the one hand, there is hardly a discipline of Chinese music studies with a recognized core of established intellectual frameworks and methodological norms; in sinophone circles, on the other hand, the subject area is claimed by several competing disciplinary visions, each with its own emphases. From this perspective, and when we talk with one another about Chinese music in either of those settings, we can sometimes feel like strangers driven together by coincidence ( ping shui xiang feng 萍水相逢; literally, “duckweed joining up by chance”). This book thus offers a rare opportunity for us to recognize shared concerns and, through doing so, work together to build a more explicit disciplinary infrastructure for Chinese music studies.

In the writing below, I discuss prospects for Chinese music studies as a discipline that will need to operate effectively across multiple languages in a world where linguistic identities are both contested and unequal. That discussion allows me to identify conditions that deserve further attention, not least the seemingly contradictory trends that simultaneously push for the paying of greater attention to insider voices and the ever-increasing role of English as a medium for international scholarly exchange. I raise thoughts on translation, theory production, coauthoring, and critical engagement and on how these are contributory parts of a viable, incisive, and inclusive disciplinary future. I then identify some sample areas where we seem already very well prepared to form core disciplinary pillars for Chinese music studies: global music history, diaspora, decolonization, and intangible cultural heritage. These are not the only possibilities at play in the field as it presently stands or even just within the confines of this volume, of course. Accordingly, and prior to advancing my personal observations, I draw out themes and possibilities either implicitly or explicitly put forward by the contributor of each chapter.

Themes Raised in Each Chapter

Part I encompasses essays that address our ways of writing histories of Chinese music. Essays here exemplify the rich sets of archaeological, iconographic, and literary sources available to music historians in this part of the world and address aspects of the long tradition of Chinese music theory and its sub-area of research into musical temperament. Chapters explore the ways that both histories and historical musical practices preserve and inscribe narratives about the past and project reverberations into the present and the future. Through case studies on China’s important historical bell sets and on the qin 琴 zither, Yang Yuanzheng (Chapter 2 ) shows how archaeological discoveries demand that we rethink received historical paradigms. Yang’s point could be readily generalized; the expert interpretations produced in Chinese music studies deserve to be tested through empirical study, which inevitably includes in-depth discussion with musicians, instrument builders, and other culture bearers. Yu Hui and Chen Yingshi’s “Theorizing ‘Natural Sound’ ” (Chapter 3 ) shares this concern, asking how we might reconsider what we learn from the textual sources provided by many generations of Chinese scholars in light of what we can discover through studying the realizations of actual musical practice. Their chapter points us toward fascinating spaces where practical and theoretical consciousnesses appear to conflict and where new historical research can provide alternate musical possibilities for the thoughtful contemporary performer and listener.

Zhao Weiping’s study of iconographical and literary data on two ancient foreign dance forms (Chapter 4 ) interrelates the theoretical and the practical in another set of ways. Zhao brings a historian’s interpretative depth to these source materials—few, if any, of which were originally created to serve as scholarly source materials. He then adds his eye for telling detail as he reconstructs the postures and movements characteristic of these historical genres. Zhao’s commentary on the transformation in Han society of these dances is thereby all the more revealing of the aesthetic norms of everyday entertainment in that period. Zhao’s work fits well into the global history theme that I mentioned earlier, but it can also be read as an encouragement to scholars of Chinese music to attend more comprehensively to dance, movement, and the potentials and affordances of the human body, as well as to the research produced by scholars within each of those areas.

Interdisciplinary approaches to historical materials provide a foundation for Alan Lau’s essay (Chapter 5 ) on the analysis of song structures in kunqu 崑曲 opera. One of Lau’s key observations is that music and language work in ways that are fluid and contrasting. As such, songwriters and vocalists occupy a space that is dynamically imbued with expressive power. If Zhao’s chapter implicitly pointed to the benefits we might accrue from working with dance and movement scholarship, Lau’s chapter argues that we have much to learn from those in linguistics. The interface of music and language comes up regularly in chapters throughout this book; it’s certainly a domain within which those in Chinese music studies can make even more of a contribution to global research.

Joseph Lam’s essay (Chapter 6 ) takes a contrasting but complementary approach to the interplay of music and words. Lam’s topic is the chanting and singing of song texts preserved in the historical classic, the Shijing . Rather than analyzing music structure, though, Lam is interested in the ways that these songs bear cultural narratives and shared memories while also serving as inspiration for personal expression. Since the song lyrics but not the original melodies have come to us from the Shijing , the songs represent a continuing tradition of creative recontextualization in new situations. Jeff Warren, writing on music and ethical responsibility, describes the situation that results and underlies Lam’s case study:

All musical experience is embodied, and points to the other bodies involved in experiencing—including listening, dancing, performing or creating—music. In other words, the experience of music provides us with a trace of others. We contact music, experience the trace of others and leave a trace of ourselves. Music is thus never completely our own. Encounters with music involve traces of others that we must respond to. ( 2014 : 164)

There’s a rationale here for a more extensive examination within Chinese music studies of the musical ways such encounters achieve significance within both exceptional and everyday circumstances. Such an exploration could draw on a rich indigenous bibliography on morals, ethics, and aesthetics in East Asian contexts, and we might counterbalance this literature with use of ethnographic methodologies, already familiar to many of us, which lend themselves to assessment of the experiential, behavioral, and interpersonal aspects of music making across a wider range of social groups and settings than those that concerned many historical writers.

In Chapter 7 , Yang Hon-Lun takes music historiography as her principal subject, asking what kinds of music histories are produced in Chinese contexts and how such sources variously reflect three distinct ways of accounting for the past: ideology, discourse, and memory. Yang crystallizes her discussions through detailed examination of the narratives put forward in recent music histories on Hong Kong and on the Cultural Revolution, each of which remains a sensitive subject in the Chinese state’s evaluations. Yang does far more than point to how far historical accounts continue to serve those who control the primary channels of discourse; instead, she makes a powerful appeal that our role as researchers includes a responsibility to expose and challenge historical biases, including those operative in the present moment, and she shows how we can actively safeguard memory-keeping in our studies of music.

Part I closes with Frederick Lau’s analysis of five representative moments when institutional characteristics of the modern musical system took form in China: school songs, the music conservatory, the rise of Western-style composition, musical individualism, and commercial and popular music (Chapter 8 ). These features (plus potential others, such as reform of national musical instruments) are shared with many other nations, but the nuances with which they occurred and the linkages between them are specific to the Chinese situation. Thus, the account offers a unique case study in the global history of music, yet it is also readily comparable to situations that occurred elsewhere.

Part II comprises an array of studies of significant musical genres and practices from across the sinophone world. Alan Thrasher provides an overview of the instrumentation of a set of regional music ensembles (Chapter 9 ). His account also offers orientation to foundational Chinese concepts of ensemble performance, many of which are shared in the groupings studied throughout the remainder of Part II . Crucial here is the insight that Chinese heterophony is a result not of a single organizational approach but rather of several types of variational action that occur at once, a practice that requires both experience and imagination from the musicians. The essay implicitly suggests a basis for comparative study of further heterophonic groupings, including those outside the sinophone world. It also provides grounds for close analysis of the pleasure that musicians find in playing with one another and of the interplay of aesthetics and ethics, as skilled executants make real-time decisions on what exactly to vary and how to make space so that the contributions of others can momentarily rise to the fore (see further, Witzleben, 1995 ).

Each subsequent chapter is more geographically and historically focused, and thus many are also accounts of processes of change. In Chapter 10 , Mercedes Dujunco focuses on recreational Jiangnan sizhu 江南絲竹 music in Taicang, a county-level city outside Suzhou. She assesses the group’s repertory and reflects on the ways that group members have expanded it by incorporating music from other regional traditions and through a carefully executed project led by the professional composer, Zhang Xiaofeng 張曉峰, in which new compositions in traditional style were introduced and memorized. As a whole, the chapter reminds us that what may look like age-old traditions can actually be quite recently established in their present formats, and the musicians involved may be actively pursuing their own pathways of evolution, development, and historical reconstruction. Dujunco’s case, which she recommends as a model for similar endeavors elsewhere, hints at the huge efforts undertaken across China in intangible heritage revival and sustenance.

Du Yaxiong’s chapter shares a concern with understanding shifting attitudes to intangible cultural heritage, presenting a case that addresses the folk songs of the Yugurs, a minority population found in Gansu province (Chapter 11 ). Du explains that since the 1980s, many Yugur have given up a nomadic existence based on herding in favor of agricultural farming and other sedentary occupations. One consequence has been the reformation and re-categorization of their singing practices; for instance, herdsmen’s vocalizations used formerly to encourage mother goats to nurse their young may now be either discarded or instead sung to human audiences for entertainment, and a whole genre of “new folk song” has arisen which is also shaped toward public performance. Du describes culture as (ideally) accumulative, and it is clear that the Yugurs with whom Du has worked for several decades increasingly perceive their vocal repertory as an inheritance of songs and that they regret having lost some of them in the dramatic social changes of the past two generations. Du’s chapter points to the potential for long-term relationships between researcher and community to lead to collaborative research-led action on several levels. This too would be a valuable component in a newly invigorated Chinese music studies.

In Chapter 12 , Yu Hui recounts the fascinating case of the Jinyu Qinshe 今虞琴社, a body formed in Shanghai and Suzhou in the 1930s by musicians who wanted to conserve the qin and its music into a new social era. The Society’s meetings provided temporary respite from a turbulent external environment, but they were far more than a safe space for elite socialization around reassuringly familiar music. Instead, those most active in the Society shared a nationalist and participatory outlook on the value of Chinese culture, and they encouraged new steps, such as research and broadcasting. Yu’s study adds nuance to our views of modern music history in China, helping us to avoid the uncritical opposition of traditionalists versus either advocates of whole-scale Westernization or radical revolutionists. Such a case study, again, contributes to global histories of music, among other potential new directions for research.

Francesca Lawson’s multimodal assessment of Beijing drumsong ( jingyun dagu 京韻大鼓) (Chapter 13 ) sustains this same research aspiration of taking modernization as a topic in its own right. In her case, Lawson assesses the new realities of a prominent traditional musical genre as it became mediated by recording and broadcast technologies in the mid-twentieth century. Her research informs several issues that were important in preceding chapters too, among them the interfacing of music and language and the means through which music performance and gesture combine to form meaningful expressions of both personal artistry and broader cultural identity. Her key intellectual frame of reference, however, is provided by a turn to studies in narrative communication, derived from work on oral traditions and from that on mother-infant interactions. This diverse toolkit enables Lawson to more fully account for a performance that is thoroughly musical, textual, and visual, which in fact describes a great breadth of musical expressions worldwide, not only in Chinese-speaking parts of world.

Taiwan is of course one such site in the sinophone world and one with its distinct historical pathways, up to and through the modern period. Chapter 14 , by Hsieh Hsiao-Mei, is the first chapter of two in this volume that focus on Taiwan, and Hsieh assesses the hybridized theatrical genre known in Taiwanese as opela 胡撇仔 ( hupeizai in Mandarin). Hsieh traces the rise of this genre from formative influences, including those in traditional Chinese theater and more recent Japanese entertainments such as spoken dramas and the cross-dressing of Takarazuka Review. In the present century, intellectuals have become influential participants in the genre; its hybridized roots allow them considerable freedom to draw on diverse musical, literary, and dramatic sources in forming their new creations.

Chapter 15 considers the history of the modern orchestra of Chinese instruments in Taiwan. Hybridity is also a key facet that the author Chen Ching-Yi describes as she accounts for the guoyue 國樂 ensemble’s reliance upon production of a dynamic “third space” for music making that was neither traditional nor Western. What’s perhaps most striking is how malleable this third space was in Taiwanese musical practices; its potentials were rapidly reimagined as alienation from Chinese models gave way to fusion and importation and then to a self-conscious intensification of identifiably Taiwanese elements. The ironies of use of the “Chinese orchestra” to express Taiwanese distinction will be lost on few readers.

Wu Ben’s chapter on the globalization of music for pipa 琵琶 (Chapter 16 ) closes Part II . Placing his discussion in the context of the longer history of solo music for the pipa , Wu considers the striking number of soloists now resident in North America (and elsewhere) and the key musical trends stimulated by their presence there. In such settings, the pipa is not only called upon to project Chinese cultural identity but also becoming reimagined as a global music instrument and so thrust into musically diverse ensembles and partnerships that occur much less regularly in China. As Wu notes, an outcome of this is a rise of improvisatory performance skills, which relates both to norms among the mixed musical environments within which migrant Chinese musicians are now seeking work and to the desire to pool creative agency. Such collective influence is relied upon by some composers in new music circles, where live art is valued for its collaborative and performative qualities, somewhat in reaction to earlier conceptualizations of performance as the dutiful recreation of fixed compositions. Wu asks the interesting question as to why pipa appears to have thrived in such circles more than many another Chinese instrument: Is it that the instrument, as an import from Central Asia, was already multicultural when it first reached China and so its cross-cultural potential has been there for a long time already? Might it be that the pipa benefits from comparison with the guitar, which has become almost ubiquitous in contemporary musical ensembles, and so it’s both familiar and unfamiliar to Western audiences at once? (For myself, I wonder how far the answer relates to the specific musical entrepreneurialism of the leading pipa players who have settled in Canada and the United States; in Western Europe, I’ve seen as much new music featuring the zheng 箏 as that employing the pipa , and the zheng also seems a highly suitable instrument for new music, in terms of its timbral possibilities and visual appeal.) Whatever the answer, Wu’s question suggests the potential for a much broader cross-cultural inquiry as to why certain instruments seem to acclimatize well to new musical and societal circumstances and what might happen to the inherited musical signifiers of Chinese identity as they become more widely regarded as features of hybridized, global music.

Part III of this volume deals with salient issues that have arisen particularly in the most recent decades. Most of the essays explicitly trace the musical consequences of intersections between what might be taken as opposing forces or perspectives. In Chapter 17 , Lijuan Qian looks at the restoration of China’s popular-music industry in the mid-1980s, specifically at the impact on mainstream popular music of a small number of intellectual songwriters whose individualist and self-directed humanism emerged in response to the widespread trauma of the years of the Cultural Revolution (1966–76). In fact, and notwithstanding its ubiquity, the mainstream popular music of this era has received less attention than rock music, at least among Western researchers, so Qian’s essay is also a reminder for us to listen carefully to these large-scale expressions: at the very least, they capture something of the spirit of the times; at the most, they propose through the emotion-shaping structures of popular song what shape that spirit should form.

Grace Wang’s essay on the singer Coco Lee (Li Wen) 李玟 also resides in the category of mainstream popular entertainment but looks instead at its cross-border dynamics (Chapter 18 ). Wang compares two moments when Lee attempted to work across borders: already an established star in Taiwan in the early 2000s, she attempted to break into the American market with material in English, with little success; in 2016, Lee proved victorious in the prominent Chinese TV singing contest, I am a Singer , reestablishing her credibility for a new generation of Chinese listeners. The comparison reveals how the preconceptions that audiences in each locale held about Lee’s ethnicity intersected with their ideas about the singer’s talent and her embodied representations of gender and sexuality. What resulted were almost diametrically opposed conclusions on her integrity as an artist, which says at least as much about the audiences in question as it does about Lee herself. Again, what we might take as unassumingly mainstream music proves to be rich ground for the researcher to uncover the workings (and impasses) of intercultural values in the world around us.

In Chapter 19 , Tan Shzr Ee compares not two moments of performance but rather two Chinese women pianists who have found success in the wider world, Yuja Wang 王羽佳 and Zhu Xiao-Mei 朱曉玫. Tan’s argument turns on the contrasting of these two women as icons, how they present themselves visually, and on how their audiences decode the tropes each pianist embodies or overturns. Tan’s chapter compares the voices of critics, mostly those outside China (for Wang) and primarily those inside it (for Zhu). Even though piano performance remains a field in which liveness is centrally important, new technologies, digital formats, and online forums mediate almost all these acts of presentation and critical evaluation, such that researching them is also an act of tracing how digital media shape our cultural lives more generally.

The dualities of mediation and liveness also lie at the heart of Germán Gil-Curiel’s essay on a prominent orchestral work by the contemporary composer Tan Dun 譚盾 (Chapter 20 ). Interestingly, Gil-Curiel takes up the term “mediation” to reflect upon how Tan transformed the historical painting Qingming shanghe tu 清明上河圖 ( Along the River during the Qingming Festival ) into a musical item. From this perspective, mediation is neither new nor something that occurs only through digital means—it may even be a fundamental aspect of music itself, as already suggested by Jeff Warren in the passage cited above. Finally, Gil-Curiel suggests that liveness and mediation are not binary opposites at all but rather two dimensions of musical creativity and transmission that can be combined or opposed in a range of ways. This is indeed a pungent thought that will appeal to analysts of music in sinophone settings and far beyond.

Samuel Horlor, in Chapter 21 , provides a similarly provocative reconsideration of the terms “amateur” and “professional,” which he illustrates through a study of the specific context of singing that occurs in numerous Chinese public squares and parks. In these settings, it is not satisfactory to identify singers as either amateur or professional. Instead, their singing displays both amateur and professional characteristics at once, and the two categories simultaneously reflect the status and ethical standing of participants, the relationships that form between vocalists and patrons, and aesthetic qualities of the music they perform. This nuanced finding is readily applicable to musical occasions across and beyond the sinophone world.

The final two chapters explore issues related to minority populations, of rather different kinds. In Chapter 22 , Chuen-Fung Wong focuses on the minoritization of Uyghur music and on the ways that the Han-majority population has appropriated and processed the musical ingredients or signs of marginalized populations, reshaping them to invigorate the Han modernist reformation of the nation’s music overall. In certain cases, a feedback loop has occurred, with the reformed reinventions becoming influential in “minority” areas, thus adding new layers to the question of who is imitating or representing whom. In Chapter 23 , Tan Sooi Beng considers how musicians among the Chinese-minority population in Malaysia have, at various historical moments, both crossed boundaries and retained selected markers of their Chineseness in a multicultural context. As Tan points out, this is a distinctly non-Chinese way of being Chinese, a balancing act in which transnational subjectivities evoked through musical creation and listening nurture an inclusive future. If these two chapters seem to point in somewhat different directions, each recognizes that many of us sustain multiple cultural and national identities at once, a state of being that requires efforts that are essential, difficult, always in-progress, and highly characteristic of twenty-first-century society.

Music researchers since at least Charles Seeger have noted the challenges inherent in attempting to explain one expressive-communicative medium (music) through the terms and structures of another (language). 2 The inherent intangibility of musical sound as a structure or system that unfolds through real time only magnifies this issue. This may go some way to illuminate why music studies often achieve only a peripheral position in the wider academy, even though music researchers regularly explore issues and materials of broad societal relevance—evidenced in this volume by chapters that explore such themes as history, identity, group formation, gender, sexuality, and diaspora—and even though so many people in the academy and among the public are genuinely interested in music. In fact, issues relating to language provide an even more complicated context for our current work for at least two further reasons.

First, Chinese is itself very far from being a single language. Shu-mei Shih has been foundational in calling out what is at stake here. Shih notes that many languages are spoken in China but that, while we typically use the term “Chinese,” we actually mean only Mandarin Chinese. This apparently innocent shorthand sustains a nationalist, Han-centric project that compresses nationality, ethnicity, and language. Drawing attention away from the multiplicities of actual practice, it veils the long-standing and continuing operations of China as an imperial state. 3 Shih writes: “The word ‘Chinese,’ then, has been misused to equate language with nationality and ethnicity, and official monolingualism has disregarded and suppressed linguistic heterogeneity” ( 2011 : 715). In exploring linguistic heterogeneity, the chapters incorporated in this volume draw on sources in the classical written language of ancient treatises, the special linguistic formulations and registers of onstage singing, the habits of online discourse, and the shifting nuances of several contemporary spoken languages found within and beyond China’s present borders.

Second, Chinese music research both benefits and suffers from its distribution across numerous languages. A search in October 2021 of the ProQuest Thesis and Dissertations database discovered 153,702 contributions to this field spread across sixteen languages, the ten most widely used being English, Chinese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, German, Serbian, Dutch, and Afrikaans. Some important languages are missing from that list (suggesting major gaps in the database’s coverage). A similar search on the WorldCat database turned up 128,772 items, 50,613 of which are in Chinese and 41,335 in English. Among the remainder were significant numbers in Japanese, Korean, Italian, Russian, and Vietnamese alongside most of the other languages already listed. 4 If this diversity reflects China’s international prominence and the widespread potential audiences for research in this area, a challenge for us as researchers is that few among us can become confident readers across more than a small handful of the languages listed here. The most inspiring new discoveries and interpretations may not always circulate as widely as they deserve to due to the challenges thrown up by this wide linguistic array.

That might look like a call for the acceleration of a process through which English has become the primary international language for scholarly communication in many fields, perhaps even including Chinese music studies. But English inevitably filters Chinese materials and subject positions through its own systemic and cultural norms. Moreover, the dominance of English sustains structures that disproportionately benefit those of us who have acquired acceptable academic English and, equally, hinders the global recognition of researchers who write primarily from other linguistic perspectives. Again, this might seem an issue that will in any case be resolved over time as East Asian (and other non-anglophone) researchers increasingly train in academic English so that they can offer what Sato and Sonoda, in the context of Global Asian Studies programs, have called “inside-out” viewpoints ( 2021 ). However, it is not simple to separate advanced training in scholarly English from deep inculcation into the values and norms of an anglophone-dominated academy, a step that runs against widespread moves at the present moment toward the decolonization of knowledge production.

The prospect of paying greater heed to indigenous voices is a welcome one, even while it remains vulnerable, as Shih essentially notes above, to cooption by powerful and nationalistic state forces. 5 It seems incumbent upon us all to use whatever agency we can deploy to ensure that clichéd and uncritical interpretations do not rise to the fore under the flag of decolonization. But while it’s easy to point accusingly as the Chinese government attempts to project influence into new spaces (as, for instance, in the recent controversy over censorship of items in the People’s Republic of China (PRC)-facing website for the Cambridge University Press journal, China Quarterly ; see further Wong and Kwong, 2019 ), and while we can expect such efforts to continue, the West is hardly beyond reproach in this regard. It is exactly an extended history of Western exoticizations, orientalizations, misapprehensions, and strategic compartmentalizations that make collective action to level the playing field now so urgent. Nancy Yunhwa Rao provides a salient example, describing the “division of intellectual labor” that she perceives in the field of North American music theory, between those who study Western music and present “universalizing models and theories” and those who study non-Western musical traditions and are treated as specialists who operate within a limited frame of reference:

First, such a division of intellectual labor allows the “theorists” to be more or less ensconced in their discipline, collecting raw data from different area studies and cultures to test or expand their universalizing models and theories, without burdening themselves to acquire the requisite knowledge about these non-Western traditions. Second, such division of intellectual labor relegates those theorists who work on non-Western music with adequate language and cultural knowledge to the roles of area-specialists, their work marginal to the discipline of music theory, and their conceptual model or analysis not “theoretical” enough to be considered a valuable contribution to the “world of music theory.” They are cultural insiders but not theorists. ( Rao, 2019 : 78)

This kind of structural inequity is reinforced by, and reinforces, the linguistic divisions already mentioned. For this volume, Yu Hui and I offered greater editorial support to those who take up a particularly heavy burden when asked to write in English, and we asked authors to employ within their chapters their subjects’ names, music titles, and similar data in the language those people would habitually use. The present volume thus takes a step toward linguistic poly-vocality, when compared to edited collections of the preceding decade or so that, in so many other respects, offer significant inspiration to us in this project. The richly thematic China and the West: Music, Representation, and Reception ( Yang and Saffle, 2017 ), for example, includes several chapters from authors with native-level proficiency in Chinese, but each such author already works in an English-speaking institutional context and has a lengthy CV of publications in English. The same is true for the valuable collection Gender in Chinese Music ( Harris, Pease, and Tan, 2013 ), which includes just one chapter from a researcher who actually works in China (alongside further Chinese voices featured in interview excerpts, interwoven between the main chapters). A third set of essays that broke new ground in yet another set of ways, Lives in Chinese Music ( Rees, 2009 ), similarly has just one chapter coauthored by a writer based in China (and he too is heard mostly through interview extracts).

Apart from working to include more contributors who work primarily in the sinophone contexts of the PRC or Taiwan, we encouraged each contributor to theorize, placing their new contribution within what they perceived as the most relevant contexts of prior learning (which might be in Chinese, English, other languages, or a combination of these, as appropriate to their topic). It is worth adding that we do not assume that theory building is necessarily a higher contribution than the provision of studies that address gaps in our collective knowledge. Nor do we believe that more theorizing per se will necessarily open the minds of those who currently cannot imagine that the study of music in China raises questions that have potential application elsewhere in the world (nor that studies of music in China need to be validated by how applicable they are globally). Instead, by recognizing that all of our contributors have the right to advance new theoretical interpretations of whatever kind best suits their respective topics, we aim to model a future that is intellectually heterogenous and democratically capacious.

Such a future must extend well beyond the dualities of “inside-out” and “outside-in,” as identified by Sato and Sonoda. The work of Shu-mei Shih has already been mentioned. Other thinkers who can help us structure Chinese music studies to better recognize the various linguistic and subject positions that we individually and collectively embody include such diverse writers as Stuart Hall, with his sense of postcolonial identity as ruptured, discontinuous, hybridized, and always under construction ( 1990 ), and Lila Abu-Lughod, who notes the special position of “halfies,” researchers “whose national or cultural identity is mixed by virtue of migration, overseas education, or parentage” ( 1991 : 466). The sinophone world is at least as interesting as the Caribbean or Arabic worlds and is not identical to either. It warrants further theorization by those with adept and imaginative minds.

A final cluster of implications that arise from thinking about multiplicities of linguistic actuality concerns the overlapping practices of translation, coauthoring, and critical engagement. Notwithstanding incidents like the China Quarterly affair, the sinophone sphere may already be leading the world in practices of translation. Examples include the direct translating of pathbreaking research sources into Chinese (such as the large collection of English-language papers on numerous ethnomusicological topics, by Cao Benye and Luo Qin, 2019 ) and also varied efforts at cultural translation: Guo Shuhui’s bilingual introduction to Chinese traditional music in Sounding China ( 2019 ) is one recent example, and music recording and touring projects such as the Yandong Grand Singers’ Everyone Listen Close (2019) can be thought of as a second type of translation work. Those of us who work primarily in English could do more to follow the lead offered by our Chinese peers and reciprocate with our own efforts at attentive cross-cultural listening and reading. There is also enough practice already undertaken to form a basis for in-depth discussions—led by Chinese scholars—of what is lost or found, gained, transformed, or re-centered through differently directed acts of translation. Such discussions could inform all of us who work across and between linguistic communities, not only in relation to music or China.

While translation is thriving (though unevenly distributed), coauthored and other forms of multiauthored works remain rare in our field. With the understandable exceptions of interview transcripts and the sharing of editorial workload, solo-authored contributions dominate each of the multiauthored volumes already cited, other recent collaborative volumes (such as Clark, Pang, and Tsai, 2016 ; Thrasher, 2016 ; Tsai, Ho, and Jian, 2020 ; or Guy 2021 ), and the tables of contents of the field’s major journals, as well as this volume. At present, when coauthoring occurs in music-related research, it often arises from a team comprising a tutor and a graduate student and so may represent the combining of two researchers’ perspectives on a shared topic. Broader collaborations, by contrast, have the potential to cover wider topics and develop authoritative comparisons and interdisciplinary perspectives across a larger scale. Incidentally, such collaborative work also matches the group-based production of so much music and its distribution across the contemporary world, allowing for new fusions of voices and expertise to appear. James Farrer and Andrew Field’s account of dance, drink, and socializing in nocturnal Shanghai ( 2015 ) exemplifies the rich benefits of such coauthoring.

Many kinds of engaged, critical work involve thinking and writing across perceived borders and questioning assumed habits and norms. Such labor is especially available to those of us who occupy positions between linguistic or scholarly communities and whose positions allow us the relative freedom to speak out on certain matters. In a passage originally about diasporic citizens, one that resonates for many of us who research Chinese musical culture, Stuart Hall identifies the ways that some of us might bring strategic unsettlement to established scholarly assumptions and conventions:

They are people who belong to more than one world, speak more than one language (literally and metaphorically), inhabit more than one identity, have more than one home; who have learned to negotiate and translate between cultures, and who, because they are irrevocably the product of several interlocking histories and cultures, have learned to live with and indeed to speak from difference. They speak from the “in-between” of different cultures, always unsettling the assumptions of one culture from the perspective of another, and thus finding ways of being both the same as and at the same time different from the others amongst whom they live. ( 1995 : 206)

Of course, we will need to approach any such unsettlements ethically and humanely. If Chinese music studies might be more collaborative, as I’ve just suggested, it also needs to be a forum where we can broach disagreement and tolerate uncertainty and divergent interpretations. The spaces between are full of new dialogic opportunities and rich in potential for the production and sharing of larger understandings.

Disciplines and New Theoretical Directions

Just as our subject is approached from diverse linguistic positions, research on Chinese music contributes to numerous academic disciplines, from theater studies to sociology, from political science to music theory, and from Asian studies to linguistics to ethnomusicology. This breadth very well reflects the pronounced resonance of our fundamental topic: music—or perhaps better, “people making music,” to adopt Jeff Titon’s impactful formulation ( 1989 )—articulates numerous dimensions of Chinese society, today as in the historical past. Even within the immediate area of Chinese music studies there are quite distinct sets of intellectual affiliation. Shen Qia explores several of these in his history of ethnomusicology in China (1999) , referring, among others, to the contrasting disciplinary perspectives of folk-music research ( minjian yinyue yanjiu ), Chinese traditional music theory ( minzu yinyue lilun ), Chinese musicology ( Zhongguo yinyuexue ), and Chinese traditional musicology ( Zhongguo chuantong yinyuexue ). 6 It follows, then, that researchers within each discipline will frame their respective contributions in Chinese music research in multifarious ways, drawing on diverse approaches, discrete theoretical models and priorities, and potentially quite divergent core literatures. 7 In some cases, music may not even be a central subject so much as one topic among several others. Audiences for research in Chinese music studies are equally broadly spread and by no means all looking for the same kinds of material.

Preparation of this volume reinforced for me the observation that even authors dedicated enough to contribute chapters to such a project as this may share little proximity to one another in terms of intellectual framework or key references. Chinese music studies needs to embrace this set of frameworks and approaches, acting as a space where we expect to find not only those who already think like we do but also new interlocutors and fresh inspirations. But I think we might additionally encourage and support one another by taking up some of the best ideas that have emerged within Chinese music studies, reapplying them in our own work so that we can collectively develop core theoretical directions, even if we still mostly deploy them in our work to strategically inspire, or unsettle, readers from outside this immediate area. Here are some contexts where Chinese music studies may already offer a distinctive kind of laboratory for the development of work that can have wide potential relevance:

Global histories of music. Scholars in the Western world are increasingly aware that there would be significant benefits in pursuing global histories of music, but so far we have often struggled to realize such histories effectively, not least because most Western music historians only train in European languages and music. Thomas Irvine’s account of the sound of the late-eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century “Sino-Western encounter” that occurred as the Western powers sent missions to Qing-dynasty China ( 2020 ), for instance, deals with its topic only via European sources, which inevitably leaves much of the sonic encounter and the subject positions surrounding it unexamined. With their linguistic training, sinophone music historians could do a more comprehensive job, resulting in a more equitable global history of the encounter, not simply an account of Europeans overseas.

Diaspora, transnationalism, and their ends. We already have a particularly stimulating set of publications on Chinese music in North America (for example, Zheng, 2010 ; Wang, 2015 ; Rao, 2017 ). As the PRC continues to rise in global stature, new attention, and renewed scrutiny, will fall upon populations identified as Chinese, and research in these communities will acquire new resonances as a result. This work is rich in insights into the intersections between music, race, memory, class, gender, migration, erasure, and belonging. Studies like those just mentioned deserve to be not only admired but also widely emulated and extended to other locales where people of Chinese origins now reside. Their theoretical intuitions could inspire researchers of music in many further transcultural settings worldwide. Some of this work additionally develops questions about identity, nation, and personhood that would be very applicable to “home” locales, where such notions are often taken very much for granted.

Decolonizing music scholarship. The sinophone world is one of the world’s major sites of empire and of expansive, multiethnic settlement and displacement. It also comprises a collection of territories which have been subject to waves of migration and colonization by imperial forces of northern, eastern, and western origins and where the postcolonial is very much a work in progress. All of this means that models emerging from the study of locations colonized by the European powers can cope only thinly with the sets of subject position that occur across sinophone locales. This is especially the case in relation to music in China and related societies. Power, opportunity, and status distributions intersect with, bypass, and become overwritten by those found in the wider world in a pattern that’s quite distinct from that of, say, African American music or even the music of India and its widespread global diaspora (see further, Tan, 2021 ). We need to develop alternate paradigms that help explain what’s at stake for whom in all of this.

Intangible cultural heritage and applied research. The PRC and Taiwan have become significant locations for programs of intangible cultural heritage preservation and promotion. (Orientational essays for the PRC are Rees, 2012 , and Zhang, 2015 ; Wang, 2012 , provides a case study from Taiwan.) These milieus are particularly rich sites for investigation for a number of reasons, including the sheer amount of public attention they can generate and the development in China over several decades of an intricate structure of state-run supports at all ranks, from the local to the county, city, provincial, and national levels. In some cases, cultural heritage is being reshaped by the gaze of the tourist industry or by state authorities, who are hypersensitive to the expression of systems of belief that haven’t been officially endorsed and are concerned over cultural-identity projections among minority populations that might counteract the state’s broader policies of assimilation and homogenization. Researchers familiar with this vivid array of programs are well placed to assess the transformative impacts over time of intangible-cultural-heritage programs and structures and to move into applied research focusing on the areas that the culture bearers see as most urgently in need of attention. It is not far-fetched to imagine this sphere of research being led internationally by researchers with experience in sinophone settings.

Conclusions

Many other spaces beyond those sketched above provide possibilities for new research explorations that relate to music in, from, or associated with China. Research on musical practice might be one such space. Participatory learning of musical performance is already widely established among ethnomusicologists and other music researchers, and sinophone contexts include an ample set of traditions in which musicians create new artistic works that embody and translate new understandings (see further, McKerrell, 2021 ). Such a topic is also an excellent space for collaborative work, as discussed above. There are additionally numerous genres that are not well represented in this volume, and some that are not well covered in Chinese music studies more generally, which deserve greater attention.

It may seem overly modest (or self-serving) to close a large and inevitably weighty volume on Chinese music research by saying that the world needs more such research. Nevertheless, it is clear that the sinophone world is immensely complex, and music remains a key to understanding many of this sphere’s historical self-constructions and its variegated contemporary values and embodiments. Notwithstanding the complexities of the world around us, it is urgent that we find the time, the stances, the inspirations, and the collaborations necessary to produce such research and thereby contribute to more balanced understandings of people making music in, from, and associated with China.

guoyue 國樂, music for modernized folk ensemble or Chinese orchestra

Jiangnan sizhu 江南絲竹, Jiangnan “silk and bamboo,” instrumental ensemble genre

Jinyu Qinshe 今虞琴社, Guqin Society of Today’s Yushan 虞山School

jingju 京劇, traditional opera genre

jingyun dagu 京韻大鼓, tradition ballad-singing genre

kunqu 崑曲, traditional opera genre

Lee, Coco (Li Wen) 李玟, popular-music singer (b. 1975)

opela 胡撇仔, hybridized music theater genre in Taiwan (pronounced hupeizai in Mandarin)

pipa 琵琶, pear-shaped lute

ping shui xiang feng 萍水相逢, duckweed joining up by chance (idiom)

qin 琴, seven-stringed zither

Qingming shanghe tu 清明上河圖, Along the River during the Qingming Festival , painting by Zhang Zeduan 張擇端 (1085–1145)

Shijing 詩經, song collection compiled by Confucius (551–479 BCE)

Tan Dun 譚盾, composer (b. 1957)

Yuja Wang (Wang Yujia) 王羽佳, pianist (b. 1987)

Zhang Xiaofeng 張曉峰, composer (b. 1931)

zheng 箏, zither

Zhu Xiao-Mei (Zhu Xiaomei) 朱曉玫, pianist (b. 1949)

The only exception may be the China entries in the East Asia volume of the Garland Encyclopedia of World Music ( Provine, Tokumaru, and Witzleben, 2002 ), which may equate a larger total word count, although one divided over many different topics and themes.

  Zbikowski, 1999 , provides a valuable summary of the history of Seeger’s lifelong engagement with this topic. Key publications by Seeger himself include Seeger, 1977a and 1977b . Speech and music are not always at odds, of course, as Seeger also noted; Lawson, 2020 , offers an example with a Chinese focus of prospects for new research at this very interface.

Certain groups outside China are, of course, also happy to sustain the suspicion that migrants of Han ethnicity retain allegiance to the Chinese state, even after multiple generations in their present homes.

Search for “Chinese music” in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I and in WorldCat, October 5, 2021. Both these databases are managed in the English-speaking world and likely feature disproportionately more results in English than in other languages.

It is also not an entirely new one in the East Asian context, as Yu Hui reminds us through his discussion of Liang Shuming’s “Easternization” (see Chapter 12 ).

  Yang Mu (2003) provides valuable critical reflection on these same trends.

Nor do those of us with closely similar disciplinary affiliations necessarily all think alike. Compare two recent bibliographies of Chinese music research prepared for Oxford Bibliographies Online, one as the “China” section of the “Music” listing, the other as the “Chinese music” section of the “Chinese studies” listing ( Lam, 2017 ; Stock, 2018 ).

Abu-Lughod Lila. , ( 1991 ). “Writing Against Culture.” In Recapturing Anthropology: Writing in the Present , edited by Richard G. Fox , 137–62. Santa Fe: School of American Research Press.

Google Scholar

Google Preview

Cao Benye 曹本冶 and Luo Qin 洛秦, eds. ( 2019 ). Ethnomusicology Lilun yu fangfa: Yingwen wenxian daodu Ethnomusicology 理论与方法英文文献导读 [ Ethnomusicology: Theory and Method: A Guide to Literature in English ] 4 vols. Shanghai: Shanghai yinyue xueyuan chubanshe.

Clark, Paul , Laikwan Pang , and Tsan-Huang Tsai . ( 2016 ). Listening to China’s Cultural Revolution: Music, Politics, and Cultural Continuities . Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Farrer, James , and Andrew N. Field . ( 2015 ). Shanghai Nightscapes: A Nocturnal Biography of a Global City . Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Guo Shuhui 郭树荟. ( 2019 ). Sounding China: A Companion to Chinese Traditional Music , 来自中国的声音: 中国传统音乐概览 [ Lai zi Zhongguo de shengyin: Zhongguo chuantong yinyue gailan ]. Translated by Li Mingyue . Shanghai: Shanghai yinyue chubanshe.

Guy, Nancy , ed. ( 2021 ). Resounding Taiwan: Musical Reverberations Across a Vibrant Island . New York: Routledge.

Hall, Stuart. ( 1990 ). “Cultural Identity and Diaspora.” In Identity, Community, Culture, Difference , edited by Jonathan Rutherford , 222–37. London: Lawrence and Wishart.

Hall, Stuart. ( 1995 ). “New Cultures for Old.” In A Place in the World? Places, Cultures, and Globalization , edited by Doreen Massey and Pat Jess , 175–213. New York: Oxford University Press.

Harris, Rachel , Rowan Pease , and Shzr Ee Tan , eds. ( 2013 ). Gender in Chinese Music . Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press.

Irvine, Thomas. ( 2020 ). Listening to China: Sound and the Sino-Western Encounter, 1770–1839 . Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Lam, Joseph S. C. ( 2017 ). “China.” In Oxford Bibliographies in Music , edited by Kate Van Orden . Accessed October 11, 2021. https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199757824/obo-9780199757824-0013.xml . DOI: 10.1093/OBO/9780199757824-0013.

Lawson, Francesca , R. S. ( 2020 ). “Hidden Musicality in Chinese Xiangsheng : A Response to the Call for Interdisciplinary Research in Studying Speech and Song.” Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 7, article no. 24. DOI:10.1057/s41599-020-0528-y

McKerrell, Simon. ( 2021 ). “ Towards Practice Research in Ethnomusicology. ” Ethnomusicology Forum 31 (2): 10–27. DOI:10.1080/17411912.2021,1964374.

Provine, Robert C. , Yosihiko Tokumaru , and J. Lawrence Witzleben , eds. ( 2002 ). The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. Volume 7, East Asia: China, Japan and Korea . New York: Routledge.

Rao, Nancy Y. ( 2017 ). Chinatown Opera Theater in North America . Urbana: University of Illinois University Press.

Rao, Nancy Y. ( 2019 ). “ On Division of Intellectual Labor. ” Intégral 33: 77–81.

Rees, Helen. ( 2009 ). Lives in Chinese Music . Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

Rees, Helen. ( 2012 ). “Intangible Cultural Heritage in China Today: Policy and Practice in the Early Twenty-First Century.” In Music as Intangible Cultural Heritage: Policy, Ideology, and Practice in the Preservation of East Asian Traditions , edited by Keith Howard , 23–54. Farnham, UK: Ashgate.

Sato, Jin , and Shigeto Sonoda . ( 2021 ). “ Asian Studies ‘Inside-Out’: A Research Agenda for the Development of Global Asian Studies. ” International Journal of Asian Studies 18 (2): 207–16.

Seeger, Charles. ( 1977 a). “ The Musicological Juncture: 1976. ” Ethnomusicology 21 (2): 179–88.

Seeger, Charles. ( 1977 b). “Speech, Music, and Speech about Music.” In Studies in Musicology, 1935 – 1975 , by Charles Seeger , 16–30. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Shen Qia . ( 1999 ). “ Ethnomusicology in China. ” Translated with a response by Jonathan P. J. Stock . Journal of Music in China 1: 7–38.

Shih, Shu-mei. ( 2011 ). “ The Concept of the Sinophone. ” Proceedings of the Modern Languages Association 126 (3): 709–18.

Stock, Jonathan P. J.   2018 . “Music in China.” In Oxford Bibliographies in Chinese Studies , edited by Tim Wright . Accessed October 11, 2021. http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199920082/obo-9780199920082-0021.xml . DOI: 10.1093/OBO/9780199920082-0021.

Tan Shzr Ee . ( 2021 ). “ Whose Decolonisation? Checking for Intersectionality, Lane-Policing and Academic Privilege from a Transnational (Chinese) Vantage Point. ” Ethnomusicology Forum 30 (1): 140–62. DOI: 10.1080/17411912.2021.1938447.

Thrasher, Alan R. , ed. ( 2016 ). Qupai in Chinese Music: Melodic Models in Form and Practice . New York: Routledge.

Titon, Jeff T. (1989). “Ethnomusicology as the Study of People Making Music.” Paper delivered at the annual conference of the Northeast Chapter of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Hartford, CT, April 22, 1989. Reprinted in Jeff T. Titon, Toward a Sound Ecology: New and Selected Essays , 27–37. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2020.

Tsai, Eva , Tung-hung Ho , and Miaoju Jian . ( 2020 ). Made in Taiwan: Studies in Popular Music . New York: Routledge.

Wang, Grace. ( 2015 ). Soundtracks of Asian America: Navigating Race through Musical Performance . Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

Wang Ying-fen . ( 2012 ). “Lessons from the Past: Nanguan/Nanyin and the Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Taiwan.” In Music as Intangible Cultural Heritage: Policy, Ideology, and Practice in the Preservation of East Asian Traditions , edited by Keith Howard , 161–79. Farnham, UK: Ashgate.

Warren, Jeff. ( 2014 ). Music and Ethical Responsibility . Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Witzleben, J. Lawrence. ( 1995 ). Silk and Bamboo Music in Shanghai: The Jiangnan Sizhu Instrumental Ensemble Tradition . Kent, OH: Kent State University Press.

Wong, Mathew Y. H. and Ying-ho Kwong . ( 2019 ). “Academic Censorship in China: The Case of The China Quarterly .” PS, Political Science & Politics 52 (2): 287–92. DOI:10.1017/S1049096518002093.

Yandong Grand Singers. ( 2019 ). Everyone Listen Close: Wanp-Wanp Jangl Kap . Pan Records, PAN 2122, compact disc.

Yang Hon-Lun and Michael Saffler , eds. ( 2017 ). China and the West: Music, Representation, and Reception . Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Yang Mu . ( 2003 ). “ Ethnomusicology with Chinese Characteristics. ” Yearbook for Traditional Music 35: 1–38. DOI: 10.2307/4149320.

Zbikowski, Lawrence M. ( 1999 ). “Seeger’s Unitary Field Reconsidered.” In Understanding Charles Seeger, Pioneer in American Musicology , edited by Bell Yung and Helen Rees , 130–49. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

Zhang Boyu . ( 2015 ). “Applied Ethnomusicology in China: An Analytical Review of Practice.” In The Oxford Handbook of Applied Ethnomusicology , edited by Svanibor Pettan and Jeff Todd Titon , 735–50. New York: Oxford University Press.

Zheng, Su. ( 2010 ). Claiming Diaspora: Music, Transnationalism, and Cultural Politics . New York: Oxford University Press.

• About Oxford Academic
• Publish journals with us
• University press partners
• What we publish
• New features  
• Open access
• Institutional account management
• Rights and permissions
• Get help with access
• Accessibility
• Advertising
• Media enquiries
• Oxford University Press
• Oxford Languages
• University of Oxford

Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide

• Copyright © 2024 Oxford University Press
• Cookie settings
• Cookie policy
• Privacy policy
• Legal notice

This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

• Privacy Policy

Home » 500+ Music Research Topics

500+ Music Research Topics

Music is a universal language that has the power to evoke emotions, bring people together, and express complex ideas and feelings. As a result, it has been the subject of extensive research and analysis across a wide range of fields, from psychology and neuroscience to sociology and cultural studies. Whether you are a music student, researcher , or simply a curious enthusiast, there are countless fascinating and important topics to explore within the realm of music research. From the history and evolution of different musical genres to the impact of music on human behavior and cognition, the possibilities for investigation and discovery are virtually endless. In this post, we will highlight some of the most interesting and relevant music research topics that you can explore in your own studies or simply as a way to deepen your appreciation and understanding of this rich and diverse art form.

Music Research Topics

Music Research Topics are as follows:

• The impact of music on memory retention.
• The evolution of hip-hop music and its influence on popular culture.
• The relationship between music and emotions.
• The role of music in religious and spiritual practices.
• The effects of music on mental health.
• The impact of music on athletic performance.
• The role of music in therapy and rehabilitation.
• The evolution of classical music through the ages.
• The impact of technology on music creation and distribution.
• The relationship between music and language acquisition.
• The cultural significance of music in different parts of the world.
• The influence of popular music on politics and social issues.
• The impact of music on academic performance.
• The role of music in film and television.
• The use of music in advertising and marketing.
• The psychology of musical preferences.
• The effects of music on sleep patterns and quality.
• The impact of music on creativity and productivity.
• The influence of music on fashion and style.
• The impact of music education on childhood development.
• The role of music in memory recall and nostalgia.
• The effects of music on physical health.
• The relationship between music and brain development.
• The impact of music on the immune system.
• The influence of music on social behavior.
• The evolution of jazz music and its impact on society.
• The role of music in cultural preservation and identity.
• The effects of music on stress levels and anxiety.
• The relationship between music and social movements.
• The impact of music on language learning and pronunciation.
• The effects of music on learning and cognition.
• The influence of music on political ideologies and movements.
• The impact of music on academic achievement.
• The relationship between music and cultural assimilation.
• The role of music in international diplomacy.
• The effects of music on physical performance and endurance.
• The impact of music on memory consolidation and recall.
• The influence of music on fashion trends and subcultures.
• The role of music in socialization and identity formation.
• The effects of music on perception and attention.
• The impact of music on decision making and judgment.
• The relationship between music and romantic attraction.
• The role of music in social justice movements.
• The effects of music on motor skills and coordination.
• The influence of music on cultural exchange and globalization.
• The impact of music on language and cultural barriers.
• The relationship between music and cultural appropriation.
• The role of music in community building and activism.
• The effects of music on motivation and goal setting.
• The influence of music on fashion advertising and marketing.
• The impact of music on social inequality and discrimination.
• The relationship between music and cultural hegemony.
• The role of music in political propaganda and manipulation.
• The effects of music on physical therapy and rehabilitation.
• The influence of music on cultural diplomacy and international relations.
• The impact of music on the environment and sustainability.
• The relationship between music and social hierarchies.
• The role of music in cultural exchange and intercultural communication.
• The effects of music on creative thinking and problem solving.
• The influence of music on consumer behavior and product preferences.
• The impact of music on social mobility and economic inequality.
• The relationship between music and cultural diversity.
• The role of music in intergenerational communication and conflict resolution.
• The effects of music on mood and emotional regulation.
• The influence of music on cultural authenticity and representation.
• The impact of music on memory in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
• The impact of music on recovery and rehabilitation in individuals with physical injuries.
• The role of music in promoting cultural exchange and understanding in international education.
• The role of music in promoting cultural sensitivity and understanding in international relations.
• The role of music in promoting cultural sensitivity and understanding in international human rights.
• The effects of music on cognitive functioning and mental health in individuals with ADHD.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the food and beverage industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-sexual orientations.
• The impact of music on job satisfaction and retention in the finance industry.
• The role of music in promoting cultural diversity and understanding in international development.
• The effects of music on emotional regulation and depression in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the transportation industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-abilities.
• The impact of music on academic performance and motivation in college students.
• The role of music in promoting cross-cultural understanding and acceptance in international cooperation.
• The effects of music on social skills and behavior in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the entertainment industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-language backgrounds.
• The impact of music on creativity and innovation in the tech startup industry.
• The role of music in promoting cultural sensitivity and understanding in international peacekeeping.
• The effects of music on cognitive functioning and mental health in individuals with traumatic brain injury.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the travel industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-socioeconomic backgrounds.
• The impact of music on job satisfaction and productivity in the education industry.
• The role of music in promoting cultural diversity and understanding in international cooperation.
• The effects of music on emotional regulation and anxiety in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the home appliance industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-culture backgrounds.
• The impact of music on academic performance and motivation in graduate students.
• The role of music in promoting cross-cultural understanding and acceptance in international diplomacy.
• The effects of music on social skills and behavior in individuals with attention deficit disorder.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the construction industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-spiritual backgrounds.
• The impact of music on creativity and productivity in the healthcare industry.
• The role of music in promoting cultural sensitivity and understanding in international justice.
• The effects of music on cognitive functioning and mental health in individuals with Parkinson’s disease.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the hospitality industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-political backgrounds.
• The impact of music on job satisfaction and retention in the automotive industry.
• The role of music in promoting cultural diversity and understanding in international diplomacy.
• The effects of music on emotional regulation and depression in individuals with major depressive disorder.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the telecommunications industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-ethnic and racial backgrounds.
• The impact of music on academic performance and motivation in high school students with disabilities.
• The role of music in promoting cross-cultural understanding and acceptance in international trade.
• The effects of music on social skills and behavior in individuals with borderline personality disorder.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the fashion industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-heritage backgrounds.
• The effects of music on cognitive functioning and mental health in individuals with schizophrenia.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the technology industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-race identities.
• The impact of music on job satisfaction and retention in the hospitality industry.
• The role of music in promoting cultural diversity and understanding in global development.
• The effects of music on emotional regulation and anxiety in individuals with social phobia.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the toy industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-faith backgrounds.
• The impact of music on academic performance and motivation in high school students.
• The effects of music on social skills and behavior in individuals with oppositional defiant disorder.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the beauty industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-ethnicity backgrounds.
• The impact of music on creativity and productivity in the fashion industry.
• The role of music in promoting cultural sensitivity and understanding in international aid.
• The effects of music on cognitive functioning and mental health in individuals with dementia.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the fitness industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-gender identities.
• The impact of music on job satisfaction and productivity in the technology industry.
• The role of music in promoting cultural diversity and understanding in international tourism.
• The effects of music on emotional regulation and depression in individuals with anxiety disorders.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the pet industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-education backgrounds.
• The impact of music on academic performance and motivation in middle school students.
• The effects of music on social skills and behavior in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the home decor industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-sex identities.
• The impact of music on creativity and innovation in the gaming industry.
• The role of music in promoting cultural sensitivity and understanding in international conflict resolution.
• The effects of music on cognitive functioning and mental health in individuals with bipolar disorder.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the sports industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-nationality and mixed-linguistic backgrounds.
• The impact of music on job satisfaction and retention in the retail industry.
• The role of music in promoting cultural diversity and understanding in global governance.
• The effects of music on emotional regulation and anxiety in individuals with panic disorder.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the electronics industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-citizenship backgrounds.
• The impact of music on academic performance and motivation in elementary school students.
• The role of music in promoting cross-cultural understanding and acceptance in international security.
• The effects of music on social skills and behavior in individuals with conduct disorder.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the agriculture industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-religious backgrounds.
• The effects of music on cognitive functioning and mental health in individuals with traumatic brain injuries.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with disability identities.
• The role of music in promoting cross-cultural understanding and acceptance in the healthcare industry.
• The effects of music on emotional regulation and anxiety in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with LGBTQ+ identities.
• The impact of music on job satisfaction and productivity in the gig economy.
• The role of music in promoting cultural sensitivity and understanding in education policy.
• The effects of music on social skills and behavior in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-age identities.
• The impact of music on creativity and innovation in the advertising industry.
• The role of music in promoting cultural diversity and understanding in urban planning.
• The effects of music on cognitive functioning and mental health in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the food industry.
• The impact of music on job satisfaction and retention in the nonprofit sector.
• The role of music in promoting cultural understanding and acceptance in international business.
• The effects of music on emotional regulation and depression in individuals with chronic pain.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the gaming industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-sexual orientation identities.
• The role of music in promoting cross-cultural communication and understanding in foreign policy.
• The effects of music on social skills and behavior in individuals with social anxiety disorder.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the craft industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-disability identities.
• The impact of music on creativity and productivity in the media industry.
• The role of music in promoting cultural sensitivity and understanding in corporate social responsibility.
• The effects of music on cognitive functioning and mental health in individuals with substance use disorders.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the automotive industry.
• The impact of music on job satisfaction and productivity in the education sector.
• The role of music in promoting cultural diversity and understanding in international law.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the wellness industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-nationality backgrounds.
• The impact of music on academic performance and motivation in adult learners.
• The role of music in promoting cultural understanding and acceptance in global governance.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the furniture industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-generational backgrounds.
• The impact of music on creativity and innovation in the film industry.
• The role of music in promoting cultural integration and social cohesion in diverse communities.
• The effects of music on cognitive functioning and mental health in individuals with multiple sclerosis.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the tech industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in second-generation immigrants.
• The role of music in promoting cross-cultural communication and understanding in diplomacy.
• The effects of music on emotional regulation and self-esteem in individuals with eating disorders.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the publishing industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in biracial and multiracial families.
• The impact of music on creativity and innovation in the workplace.
• The role of music in promoting cultural awareness and sensitivity in the criminal justice system.
• The effects of music on social skills and behavior in individuals with schizophrenia.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with refugee backgrounds.
• The role of music in promoting cultural understanding and acceptance in global marketing.
• The effects of music on emotional regulation and anxiety in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed religious backgrounds.
• The impact of music on academic achievement and retention in community college students.
• The role of music in promoting cultural exchange and understanding in international development.
• The effects of music on social skills and behavior in individuals with bipolar disorder.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the luxury goods industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with immigrant parents.
• The impact of music on creativity and productivity in the tech industry.
• The role of music in promoting cultural sensitivity and understanding in journalism.
• The effects of music on emotional regulation and depression in individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the wine industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with non-binary gender identities.
• The impact of music on job satisfaction and productivity in remote workers.
• The role of music in promoting cultural diversity and understanding in international relations.
• The role of music in promoting cultural awareness and sensitivity in diplomacy.
• The effects of music on emotional regulation and self-esteem in individuals with body dysmorphia.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with immigrant grandparents.
• The role of music in promoting cultural understanding and acceptance in global advertising.
• The effects of music on social skills and behavior in individuals with borderline intellectual functioning.
• The relationship between music and cultural representation in the fragrance industry.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and mental health in individuals with mixed-citizenship status.
• The impact of music on creativity and productivity in the creative industries
• The relationship between music and social cohesion in diverse communities.
• The role of music in social justice movements and protests.
• The effects of music on pain management and perception.
• The influence of music on cultural hybridity and globalization.
• The impact of music on social identity and self-esteem.
• The relationship between music and cultural imperialism.
• The role of music in therapeutic settings for children and adolescents.
• The effects of music on language development in bilingual children.
• The influence of music on cultural representation in the media.
• The impact of music on interpersonal relationships and communication.
• The relationship between music and cultural hegemony in the digital age.
• The role of music in community-based initiatives for social change.
• The effects of music on mental health in marginalized communities.
• The influence of music on cultural identity and self-expression.
• The impact of music on academic engagement and success in at-risk students.
• The relationship between music and cultural appropriation in popular culture.
• The role of music in cultural diplomacy and international relations in the 21st century.
• The effects of music on cognitive processing in individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• The influence of music on cultural hybridity and transnationalism.
• The impact of music on social justice advocacy and awareness-raising.
• The relationship between music and cultural resistance in marginalized communities.
• The role of music in the negotiation of cultural identities in the diaspora.
• The effects of music on language processing and learning in second language acquisition.
• The influence of music on cultural exchange and intercultural communication in the digital age.
• The impact of music on academic achievement in students with disabilities.
• The relationship between music and cultural hegemony in the music industry.
• The role of music in the socialization and empowerment of girls and women.
• The effects of music on physical health in individuals with chronic pain.
• The influence of music on cultural authenticity and representation in the tourism industry.
• The impact of music on the construction of gender and sexuality in popular culture.
• The relationship between music and cultural appropriation in the fashion industry.
• The role of music in promoting cross-cultural understanding and empathy.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

You may also like

200+ Funny Research Topics

500+ Sports Research Topics

300+ American History Research Paper Topics

500+ Cyber Security Research Topics

500+ Environmental Research Topics

500+ Economics Research Topics

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List

Effects of music therapy on depression: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Qishou tang.

1 Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, Anhui, China

Zhaohui Huang

2 Anhui Provincial Center for Women and Child Health, Hefei, Anhui, China

3 National Drug Clinical Trial Institution, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, Anhui, China

Associated Data

All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.

We aimed to determine and compare the effects of music therapy and music medicine on depression, and explore the potential factors associated with the effect.

PubMed (MEDLINE), Ovid-Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Clinical Evidence were searched to identify studies evaluating the effectiveness of music-based intervention on depression from inception to May 2020. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were estimated with random-effect model and fixed-effect model.

A total of 55 RCTs were included in our meta-analysis. Music therapy exhibited a significant reduction in depressive symptom (SMD = −0.66; 95% CI = -0.86 to -0.46; P <0.001) compared with the control group; while, music medicine exhibited a stronger effect in reducing depressive symptom (SMD = −1.33; 95% CI = -1.96 to -0.70; P <0.001). Among the specific music therapy methods, recreative music therapy (SMD = -1.41; 95% CI = -2.63 to -0.20; P <0.001), guided imagery and music (SMD = -1.08; 95% CI = -1.72 to -0.43; P <0.001), music-assisted relaxation (SMD = -0.81; 95% CI = -1.24 to -0.38; P <0.001), music and imagery (SMD = -0.38; 95% CI = -0.81 to 0.06; P = 0.312), improvisational music therapy (SMD = -0.27; 95% CI = -0.49 to -0.05; P = 0.001), music and discuss (SMD = -0.26; 95% CI = -1.12 to 0.60; P = 0.225) exhibited a different effect respectively. Music therapy and music medicine both exhibited a stronger effects of short and medium length compared with long intervention periods.

Conclusions

A different effect of music therapy and music medicine on depression was observed in our present meta-analysis, and the effect might be affected by the therapy process.

Introduction

Depression was reported to be a common mental disorders and affected more than 300 million people worldwide, and long-lasting depression with moderate or severe intensity may result in serious health problems [ 1 ]. Depression has become the leading causes of disability worldwide according to the recent World Health Organization (WHO) report. Even worse, depression was closely associated with suicide and became the second leading cause of death, and nearly 800 000 die of depression every year worldwide [ 1 , 2 ]. Although it is known that treatments for depression, more than 3/4 of people in low and middle-income income countries receive no treatment due to a lack of medical resources and the social stigma of mental disorders [ 3 ]. Considering the continuously increased disease burden of depression, a convenient effective therapeutic measures was needed at community level.

Music-based interventions is an important nonpharmacological intervention used in the treatment of psychiatric and behavioral disorders, and the obvious curative effect on depression has been observed. Prior meta-analyses have reported an obvious effect of music therapy on improving depression [ 4 , 5 ]. Today, it is widely accepted that the music-based interventions are divided into two major categories, namely music therapy and music medicine. According to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), “music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program” [ 6 ]. Therefore, music therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals, and includes the triad of music, clients and qualified music therapists. While, music medicine is defined as mainly listening to prerecorded music provided by medical personnel or rarely listening to live music. In other words, music medicine aims to use music like medicines. It is often managed by a medical professional other than a music therapist, and it doesn’t need a therapeutic relationship with the patients. Therefore, the essential difference between music therapy and music medicine is about whether a therapeutic relationship is developed between a trained music therapist and the client [ 7 – 9 ]. In the context of the clear distinction between these two major categories, it is clear that to evaluate the effects of music therapy and other music-based intervention studies on depression can be misleading. While, the distinction was not always clear in most of prior papers, and no meta-analysis comparing the effects of music therapy and music medicine was conducted. Just a few studies made a comparison of music-based interventions on psychological outcomes between music therapy and music medicine. We aimed to (1) compare the effect between music therapy and music medicine on depression; (2) compare the effect between different specific methods used in music therapy; (3) compare the effect of music-based interventions on depression among different population [ 7 , 8 ].

Materials and methods

Search strategy and selection criteria.

PubMed (MEDLINE), Ovid-Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Clinical Evidence were searched to identify studies assessing the effectiveness of music therapy on depression from inception to May 2020. The combination of “depress*” and “music*” was used to search potential papers from these databases. Besides searching for electronic databases, we also searched potential papers from the reference lists of included papers, relevant reviews, and previous meta-analyses. The criteria for selecting the papers were as follows:(1) randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials; (2) music therapy at a hospital or community, whereas the control group not receiving any type of music therapy; (3) depression rating scale was used. The exclusive criteria were as follows: (1) non-human studies; (2) studies with a very small sample size (n<20); (3) studies not providing usable data (including sample size, mean, standard deviation, etc.); (4) reviews, letters, protocols, etc. Two authors independently (YPJ, HZH) searched and screened the relevant papers. EndNote X7 software was utilized to delete the duplicates. The titles and abstracts of all searched papers were checked for eligibility. The relevant papers were selected, and then the full-text papers were subsequently assessed by the same two authors. In the last, a panel meeting was convened for resolving the disagreements about the inclusion of the papers.

Data extraction

We developed a data abstraction form to extract the useful data: (1) the characteristics of papers (authors, publish year, country); (2) the characteristics of participators (sample size, mean age, sex ratio, pre-treatment diagnosis, study period); (3) study design (random allocation, allocation concealment, masking, selection process of participators, loss to follow-up); (4) music therapy process (music therapy method, music therapy period, music therapy frequency, minutes per session, and the treatment measures in the control group); (5) outcome measures (depression score). Two authors independently (TQS, ZH) abstracted the data, and disagreements were resolved by discussing with the third author (YPJ).

Assessment of risk of bias in included studies

Two authors independently (TQS, ZH) assessed the risk of bias of included studies using Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias assessment tool, and disagreements were resolved by discussing with the third author (YPJ) [ 10 ].

Music therapy and music medicine

Music Therapy is defined as the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. Music medicine is defined as mainly listening to prerecorded music provided by medical personnel or rarely listening to live music. In other words, music medicine aims to use music like medicines.

Music therapy mainly divided into active music therapy and receptive music therapy. Active music therapy, including improvisational, re-creative, and compositional, is defined as playing musical instruments, singing, improvisation, and lyrics of adaptation. Receptive music therapy, including music-assisted relaxation, music and imagery, guided imagery and music, lyrics analysis, and so on, is defined as music listening, lyrics analysis, and drawing with musing. In other words, in active methods participants are making music, and in receptive music therapy participants are receiving music [ 6 , 7 , 9 , 11 – 13 ].

Evaluation of depression

Depression was evaluated by the common psychological scales, including Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D), Cornell Scale (CS), Depression Mood Self-Report Inventory for Adolescence (DMSRIA), Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15); Geriatric Depression Scale-30 (GDS-30), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD/HAMD), Montgomery-sberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Short Version of Profile of Mood States (SV-POMS).

Statistical analysis

The pooled effect were estimated by using the standardized mean differences (SMDs) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) due to the different depression rate scales were used in the included papers. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed by I-square ( I 2 ) and Q-statistic (P<0.10), and a high I 2 (>50%) was recognized as heterogeneity and a random-effect model was used [ 14 – 16 ]. We performed subgroup analyses and meta-regression analyses to study the potential heterogeneity between studies. The subgroup variables included music intervention categories (music therapy and music medicine), music therapy methods (active music therapy, receptive music therapy), specific receptive music therapy methods (music-assisted relaxation, music and imagery, and guided imagery and music (Bonny Method), specific active music therapy methods (recreative music therapy and improvisational music therapy), music therapy mode (group therapy, individual therapy), music therapy period (weeks) (2–4, 5–12, ≥13), music therapy frequency (once weekly, twice weekly, ≥3 times weekly), total music therapy sessions (1–4, 5–8, 9–12, 13–16, >16), time per session (minutes) (15–40, 41–60, >60), inpatient settings (secure [locked] unit at a mental health facility versus outpatient settings), sample size (20–50, ≥50 and <100, ≥100), female predominance(>80%) (no, yes), mean age (years) (<50, 50–65, >65), country having music therapy profession (no, yes), pre-treatment diagnosis (mental health, depression, severe mental disease/psychiatric disorder). We also performed sensitivity analyses to test the robustness of the results by re-estimating the pooled effects using fixed effect model, using trim and fill analysis, excluding the paper without information on music therapy, excluding the papers with more high biases, excluding the papers with small sample size (20< n<30), excluding the papers using an infrequently used scale, excluding the studies focused on the people with a severe mental disease. We investigated the publication biases by a funnel plot as well as Egger’s linear regression test [ 17 ]. The analyses were performed using Stata, version 11.0. All P-values were two-sided. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Characteristics of the eligible studies

Fig 1 depicts the study profile, and a total of 55 RCTs were included in our meta-analysis [ 18 – 72 ]. Of the 55 studies, 10 studies from America, 22 studies from Europe, 22 studies from Asia, and 1 study from Australia. The mean age of the participators ranged from 12 to 86; the sample size ranged from 20 to 242. A total of 16 different scales were used to evaluate the depression level of the participators. A total of 25 studies were conducted in impatient setting and 28 studies were in outpatients setting; 32 used a certified music therapist, 15 not used a certified music therapist (for example researcher, nurse), and 10 not reported relevent information. A total of 16 different depression rating scales were used in the included studies, and HADS, GDS, and BDI were the most frequently used scales ( Table 1 ).

PRISMA diagram showing the different steps of systematic review, starting from literature search to study selection and exclusion. At each step, the reasons for exclusion are indicated. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052562.g001.

Note: BDI = Beck Depression Inventory; CDI = Children’s Depression Inventory; CDSS = depression scale for schizophrenia; CES-D = Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression; CS = Cornell Scale; DMSRIA = Depression Mood Self-Report Inventory for Adolescence; EPDS = Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; GDS-15 = Geriatric Depression Scale-15; GDS-30 = Geriatric Depression Scale-30; HADS = Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HRSD (HAMD) = Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression; MADRS = Montgomery-sberg Depression Rating Scale; PROMIS = Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System; SDS = Self-Rating Depression Scale; State-Trait Depression Questionnaire = ST/DEP; SV-POMS = short version of Profile of Mood States; NA = not available.

Of the 55 studies, only 2 studies had high risks of selection bias, and almost all of the included studies had high risks of performance bias ( Fig 2 ).

The overall effects of music therapy

Of the included 55 studies, 39 studies evaluated the music therapy, 17 evaluated the music medicine. Using a random-effects model, music therapy was associated with a significant reduction in depressive symptoms with a moderate-sized mean effect (SMD = −0.66; 95% CI = -0.86 to -0.46; P <0.001), with a high heterogeneity across studies ( I 2 = 83%, P <0.001); while, music medicine exhibited a stronger effect in reducing depressive symptom (SMD = −1.33; 95% CI = -1.96 to -0.70; P <0.001) ( Fig 3 ).

Twenty studies evaluated the active music therapy using a random-effects model, and a moderate-sized mean effect (SMD = −0.57; 95% CI = -0.90 to -0.25; P <0.001) was observed with a high heterogeneity across studies ( I 2 = 86.3%, P <0.001). Fourteen studies evaluated the receptive music therapy using a random-effects model, and a moderate-sized mean effect (SMD = −0.73; 95% CI = -1.01 to -0.44; P <0.001) was observed with a high heterogeneity across studies ( I 2 = 76.3%, P <0.001). Five studies evaluated the combined effect of active and receptive music therapy using a random-effects model, and a moderate-sized mean effect (SMD = −0.88; 95% CI = -1.32 to -0.44; P <0.001) was observed with a high heterogeneity across studies ( I 2 = 70.5%, P <0.001) ( Fig 4 ).

Among specific music therapy methods, recreative music therapy (SMD = -1.41; 95% CI = -2.63 to -0.20; P <0.001), guided imagery and music (SMD = -1.08; 95% CI = -1.72 to -0.43; P <0.001), music-assisted relaxation (SMD = -0.81; 95% CI = -1.24 to -0.38; P <0.001), music and imagery (SMD = -0.38; 95% CI = -0.81 to 0.06; P = 0.312), improvisational music therapy (SMD = -0.27; 95% CI = -0.49 to -0.05; P = 0.001), and music and discuss (SMD = -0.26; 95% CI = -1.12 to 0.60; P = 0.225) exhibited a different effect respectively ( Fig 5 ).

Sub-group analyses and meta-regression analyses

We performed sub-group analyses and meta-regression analyses to study the homogeneity. We found that music therapy yielded a superior effect on reducing depression in the studies with a small sample size (20–50), with a mean age of 50–65 years old, with medium intervention frequency (<3 times weekly), with more minutes per session (>60 minutes). We also found that music therapy exhibited a superior effect on reducing depression among people with severe mental disease /psychiatric disorder and depression compared with mental health people. While, whether the country have the music therapy profession, whether the study used group therapy or individual therapy, whether the study was in the outpatients setting or the inpatient setting, and whether the study used a certified music therapist all did not exhibit a remarkable different effect ( Table 2 ). Table 2 also presents the subgroup analysis of music medicine on reducing depression.

In the subgroup analysis by total session, music therapy and music medicine both exhibited a stronger effects of short (1–4 sessions) and medium length (5–12 sessions) compared with long intervention periods (>13sessions) ( Fig 6 ). Meta-regression demonstrated that total music intervention session was significantly associated with the homogeneity between studies ( P = 0.004) ( Table 3 ).

A, evaluating the effect of music therapy; B, evaluating the effect of music medicine.

Sensitivity analyses

We performed sensitivity analyses and found that re-estimating the pooled effects using fixed effect model, using trim and fill analysis, excluding the paper without information regarding music therapy, excluding the papers with more high biases, excluding the papers with small sample size (20< n<30), excluding the studies focused on the people with a severe mental disease, and excluding the papers using an infrequently used scale yielded the similar results, which indicated that the primary results was robust ( Table 4 ).

Evaluation of publication bias

We assessed publication bias using Egger’s linear regression test and funnel plot, and the results are presented in Fig 7 . For the main result, the observed asymmetry indicated that either the absence of papers with negative results or publication bias.

A, evaluating the publication bias of music therapy; B, evaluating the publication bias of music medicine; BDI = Beck Depression Inventory; CDI = Children’s Depression Inventory; CDSS = depression scale for schizophrenia; CES-D = Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression; CS = Cornell Scale; DMSRIA = Depression Mood Self-Report Inventory for Adolescence; EPDS = Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; GDS-15 = Geriatric Depression Scale-15; GDS-30 = Geriatric Depression Scale-30; HADS = Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HRSD (HAMD) = Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression; MADRS = Montgomery-sberg Depression Rating Scale; PROMIS = Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System; SDS = Self-Rating Depression Scale; State-Trait Depression Questionnaire = ST/DEP; SV-POMS = short version of Profile of Mood Stat.

Our present meta-analysis exhibited a different effect of music therapy and music medicine on reducing depression. Different music therapy methods also exhibited a different effect, and the recreative music therapy and guided imagery and music yielded a superior effect on reducing depression compared with other music therapy methods. Furthermore, music therapy and music medicine both exhibited a stronger effects of short and medium length compared with long intervention periods. The strength of this meta-analysis was the stable and high-quality result. Firstly, the sensitivity analyses performed in this meta-analysis yielded similar results, which indicated that the primary results were robust. Secondly, considering the insufficient statistical power of small sample size, we excluded studies with a very small sample size (n<20).

Some prior reviews have evaluated the effects of music therapy for reducing depression. These reviews found a significant effectiveness of music therapy on reducing depression among older adults with depressive symptoms, people with dementia, puerpera, and people with cancers [ 4 , 5 , 73 – 76 ]. However, these reviews did not differentiate music therapy from music medicine. Another paper reviewed the effectiveness of music interventions in treating depression. The authors included 26 studies and found a signifiant reduction in depression in the music intervention group compared with the control group. The authors made a clear distinction on the definition of music therapy and music medicine; however, they did not include all relevant data from the most recent trials and did not conduct a meta-analysis [ 77 ]. A recent meta-analysis compared the effects of music therapy and music medicine for reducing depression in people with cancer with seven RCTs; the authors found a moderately strong, positive impact of music intervention on depression, but found no difference between music therapy and music medicine [ 78 ]. However, our present meta-analysis exhibited a different effect of music therapy and music medicine on reducing depression, and the music medicine yielded a superior effect on reducing depression compared with music therapy. The different effect of music therapy and music medicine might be explained by the different participators, and nine studies used music therapy to reduce the depression among people with severe mental disease /psychiatric disorder, while no study used music medicine. Furthermore, the studies evaluating music therapy used more clinical diagnostic scale for depressive symptoms.

A meta-analysis by Li et al. [ 74 ] suggested that medium-term music therapy (6–12 weeks) was significantly associated with improved depression in people with dementia, but not short-term music therapy (3 or 4 weeks). On the contrary, our present meta-analysis found a stronger effect of short-term (1–4 weeks) and medium-term (5–12 weeks) music therapy on reducing depression compared with long-term (≥13 weeks) music therapy. Consistent with the prior meta-analysis by Li et al., no significant effect on depression was observed for the follow-up of one or three months after music therapy was completed in our present meta-analysis. Only five studies analyzed the therapeutic effect for the follow-up periods after music therapy intervention therapy was completed, and the rather limited sample size may have resulted in this insignificant difference. Therefore, whether the therapeutic effect was maintained in reducing depression when music therapy was discontinued should be explored in further studies. In our present meta-analysis, meta-regression results demonstrated that no variables (including period, frequency, method, populations, and so on) were significantly associated with the effect of music therapy. Because meta-regression does not provide sufficient statistical power to detect small associations, the non-significant results do not completely exclude the potential effects of the analyzed variables. Therefore, meta-regression results should be interpreted with caution.

Our meta-analysis has limitations. First, the included studies rarely used masked methodology due to the nature of music therapy, therefore the performance bias and the detection bias was common in music intervention study. Second, a total of 13 different scales were used to evaluate the depression level of the participators, which may account for the high heterogeneity among the trials. Third, more than half of those included studies had small sample sizes (<50), therefore the result should be explicated with caution.

Our present meta-analysis of 55 RCTs revealed a different effect of music therapy and music medicine, and different music therapy methods also exhibited a different effect. The results of subgroup analyses revealed that the characters of music therapy were associated with the therapeutic effect, for example specific music therapy methods, short and medium-term therapy, and therapy with more time per session may yield stronger therapeutic effect. Therefore, our present meta-analysis could provide suggestion for clinicians and policymakers to design therapeutic schedule of appropriate lengths to reduce depression.

Supporting information

S1 checklist, funding statement.

The Key Project of University Humanities and Social Science Research in Anhui Province (SK2017A0191) was granted by Education Department of Anhui Province; the Research Project of Anhui Province Social Science Innovation Development (2018XF155) was granted by Anhui Provincial Federation of Social Sciences; the Ministry of Education Humanities and Social Sciences Research Youth fund Project (17YJC840033) was granted by Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. These funders had a role in study design, text editing, interpretation of results, decision to publish and preparation of the manuscript.

Data Availability

• PLoS One. 2020; 15(11): e0240862.

Decision Letter 0

PONE-D-20-17706

Effects of music therapy on depression: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Dear Dr. Ye,

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to PLOS ONE. After careful consideration, we feel that it has merit but does not fully meet PLOS ONE’s publication criteria as it currently stands. Therefore, we invite you to submit a revised version of the manuscript that addresses the points raised during the review process.

Please submit your revised manuscript by Sep 19 2020 11:59PM. If you will need more time than this to complete your revisions, please reply to this message or contact the journal office at gro.solp@enosolp . When you're ready to submit your revision, log on to https://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/ and select the 'Submissions Needing Revision' folder to locate your manuscript file.

Please include the following items when submitting your revised manuscript:

• A rebuttal letter that responds to each point raised by the academic editor and reviewer(s). You should upload this letter as a separate file labeled 'Response to Reviewers'.
• A marked-up copy of your manuscript that highlights changes made to the original version. You should upload this as a separate file labeled 'Revised Manuscript with Track Changes'.
• An unmarked version of your revised paper without tracked changes. You should upload this as a separate file labeled 'Manuscript'.

If you would like to make changes to your financial disclosure, please include your updated statement in your cover letter. Guidelines for resubmitting your figure files are available below the reviewer comments at the end of this letter.

If applicable, we recommend that you deposit your laboratory protocols in protocols.io to enhance the reproducibility of your results. Protocols.io assigns your protocol its own identifier (DOI) so that it can be cited independently in the future. For instructions see:  http://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/submission-guidelines#loc-laboratory-protocols

We look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

Kind regards,

Sukru Torun

Academic Editor

Additional Editor Comments:

Dear Author,

Thank you for your valuable submission. I think it would be appropriate to emphasize the main problem first. Various musical interventions are used in medical settings to improve the patient's well-being, and of course, there are many publications on this subject. However, it is important to properly differentiate between these interventions for some important reasons I have pointed out below.

The music therapy definition you made, as "Music therapy was defined as music therapy provided by a qualified music teacher, psychological therapist, or nurse" is not universally accepted specific definition for music therapy. Moreover, the specific methods used in receptive music therapy include music-assisted relaxation, music and imagery, and Guided Imagery and Music (Bonny Method). Each of these may have different levels of effects on depression. It is not clear that which receptive music therapy studies in your review have used which of these methods. So, the majority of studies that you accepted as the receptive music therapy seems to be music medicine studies indeed. Similar critiques may also be apply to some of the studies you describe as active music therapy. Today, it is widely accepted that these music-based interventions should be divided into two major categories, namely music therapy (MT) and music medicine (MM). MM mainly based on patients' pre-recorded or rarely listening to live music and the direct effects of the music they listen to. In other words, MM aims to use music like medicines. It often managed by a medical professional other than a music therapist, and not needed a therapeutic relationship with the patients. Conversely, music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed music therapist who has completed an approved music therapy program. So, music therapy is a relational, interaction based form of therapy within a therapeutic relationship between the therapist and the client, and includes the triad of the music, the client and the music therapist. Since music therapy interventions is an evidence-based procedure using special music therapy methods of interventions and a more pragmatic approach than other music-based interventions, their effect levels and results are also different.

In the context of the above mentioned explanations, it is clear that to evaluate the effects of music therapy and other music based intervention studies together on depression can be misleading. The subjects I have mentioned so far have never been addressed in the introduction and discussion sections of your manuscript. I think that will be perceived as a major deficiency at least by the readers who are closer to the subject. In this sense, I think that an attentive revision considering the following views will be valuable and needed:

- The universally accepted definitions of music therapy (including active and receptive music therapy) and music medicine should be taken into account.

- It should be clarified that how many studies in your review did included a certified music therapist.

- Analyses, results and discussion should be submitted to the readers in accordance with all this distinctions and definitions. (The way to this seems to be to compare the effects of music medicine and music therapy on depression in parallel with the possible differences of music interventions used, and to discuss their possible implications on the results.)

- Another important point is that you did not mention nor discuss any of important reviews on same subject (for example please see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CD004517","term_id":"30321255","term_text":"CD004517"}} CD004517 .pub3/epdf/full or https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01109/full or https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CD006911","term_id":"30323649","term_text":"CD006911"}} CD006911 .pub3/full)

I am aware that such a major revision will, in a sense, be a challenging way that may require a new analysis of your data. However, I believe you would appreciate that a study aimed at shedding light on potential music-based interventions in an important public health problem such as depression should not be misleading.

Thank you for your effort in advance.

Besides, according to the statistical reviewer who only reviewed the statistical approach used in this paper, there are two caveats:

1. The authors state that they excluded studies with fewer than 20 participants in one place in the paper (page 4), but fewer than 30 participants in another place in the paper (Table 4). This needs to be corrected for consistency.

2. The authors mention stronger effects of short and medium length vs. long music therapy periods in their results but there is no accompanying figure. I think it would be beneficial to show these findings in a figure (Forest plot).

Journal Requirements:

When submitting your revision, we need you to address these additional requirements.

1. Please ensure that your manuscript meets PLOS ONE's style requirements, including those for file naming. The PLOS ONE style templates can be found at

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/file?id=wjVg/PLOSOne_formatting_sample_main_body.pdf and

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/file?id=ba62/PLOSOne_formatting_sample_title_authors_affiliations.pdf

2. Please include your tables as part of your main manuscript and remove the individual files. Please note that supplementary tables (should remain/ be uploaded) as separate "supporting information" files.

3. Thank you for stating the following in the Acknowledgments Section of your manuscript:

"This work was supported by the Key Project of University Humanities and Social Science

Research in Anhui Province (SK2017A0191), Research Project of Anhui Province Social Science

Innovation Development (2018XF155), Ministry of Education Humanities and Social Sciences

Research Youth fund Project (17YJC840033)."

We note that you have provided funding information that is not currently declared in your Funding Statement. However, funding information should not appear in the Acknowledgments section or other areas of your manuscript. We will only publish funding information present in the Funding Statement section of the online submission form.

Please remove any funding-related text from the manuscript and let us know how you would like to update your Funding Statement. Currently, your Funding Statement reads as follows:

"The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript."

4. PLOS requires an ORCID iD for the corresponding author in Editorial Manager on papers submitted after December 6th, 2016. Please ensure that you have an ORCID iD and that it is validated in Editorial Manager. To do this, go to ‘Update my Information’ (in the upper left-hand corner of the main menu), and click on the Fetch/Validate link next to the ORCID field. This will take you to the ORCID site and allow you to create a new iD or authenticate a pre-existing iD in Editorial Manager. Please see the following video for instructions on linking an ORCID iD to your Editorial Manager account: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xcclfuvtxQ

5. Please amend your list of authors on the manuscript to ensure that each author is linked to an affiliation. Authors’ affiliations should reflect the institution where the work was done (if authors moved subsequently, you can also list the new affiliation stating “current affiliation:….” as necessary).

6. Please ensure that you refer to Figure 5 in your text as, if accepted, production will need this reference to link the reader to the figure.

7. Please include captions for your Supporting Information files at the end of your manuscript, and update any in-text citations to match accordingly. Please see our Supporting Information guidelines for more information: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/supporting-information .

[Note: HTML markup is below. Please do not edit.]

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Partly

Reviewer #3: Yes

2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #2: No

3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #2: Yes

4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: Thank you for conducting this research and submitting it for publication consideration.

I recognize that English may not be the primary language of the authors. There are a few instances where the language could be improved, but that is mostly a copy-editing issue. There is also a lot of passive voice in the paper. I recommend making the voice active. This will enhance the readability of the paper.

I have a few comments that I hope will improve the paper.

1. Not all countries have an established music therapy profession. I recognize that this creates challenges for the authors! I'm wondering if the authors might consider including this as a factor in the analysis? For example, if a nurse provides "music therapy" in a country that does not have music therapy as a profession, is the effect equivalent as when a qualified music therapist in a country that has music therapy as a profession provides it? This might provide some incentive for occupational regulation and establishing professional music therapy associations.

2. please fix the "short title" (oxygen)

3. Music therapy with fewer minutes might yield superior effects. This may be misleading. Is there a minimum number of minutes? How many minutes might be optimal for therapeutic outcome? I believe it does make sense that longer sessions may result in less impact - quantity/duration does not always result in enhanced outcome.

4. I believe a stronger case needs to be made for the study. There are existing meta-analyses of MT for depression (Aalbers et al., 2017 Cochrane Review). What makes the current study unique and different? What are the gaps in the literature that warrant this study? Have there been a lot of recent additions to the literature that warrant a new meta-analysis?

5. A stronger discussion of the limitation of this study. Many studies did not evaluate a group with major depression/major depressive disorder (music therapy for chronic pain is important, but the variance of the populations under study does constitute a limitation). So, this study is not exclusive to adults with a major mental health condition. Might effects be different for people who are depressed versus people who are not depressed?

6. Instead of "blinding/blinded" please use "masking/masked."

7. Is there a citation that supports your classification of active versus receptive? (I would think Bruscia would be a good place to start with that...)

8. One item that I am not seeing is group therapy versus individual therapy. Did the authors screen for that? If so, is there an optimal group size? Are effects stronger when in a group format versus an individual format? This would have serious implications for clinical practice.

9. What about inpatient settings (such as a secure [locked] unit at a mental health facility) versus outpatient settings?

10. One item that I believe is missing is the dose. Not necessarily the duration (number of minutes) of each session, but the total number of sessions a participant has received. Gold has done some work in this area. Is there is a certain number of sessions that are needed to reach a therapeutic outcome? The number of sessions/week is good, but the number of total sessions is important.

11. Table 1 has the mean age. I recommend including the SD as well.

Thank you for taking the time to consider these suggestions. While receiving critical feedback can be difficult, please understand that my intentions are to improve the paper and ensure it has maximum impact. This is an important addition to the literature and I am grateful to the authors for their scholarship. I wish you the best!

Reviewer #2: This article addresses an important topic that is of interest to music therapists, psychiatrists and teachers and metal health practitioners. The statistics look promising. However, the major concern is that the definition of music therapy is theoretically and practically incorrect and misleading:

"7 Music therapy was defined as music therapy provided by a qualified music teacher, psychological

8 therapist, or nurse. " The study is missing several research studies that I am aware of and this makes its content suspicious. Also missing is a more depth-ful analysis of what active and passive music therapy is, and if it is indeed performed by those in other professions who have no training in 'musuc therapy;'-than the contents and findings are misleading and irrelevant.

Reviewer #3: I only reviewed the statistical approach used in this paper, which appeared appropriate for the research question under study. There are two caveats:

6. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article ( what does this mean? ). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy .

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #3: No

[NOTE: If reviewer comments were submitted as an attachment file, they will be attached to this email and accessible via the submission site. Please log into your account, locate the manuscript record, and check for the action link "View Attachments". If this link does not appear, there are no attachment files.]

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool,  https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com/ . PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Registration is free. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email PLOS at  gro.solp@serugif . Please note that Supporting Information files do not need this step.

Author response to Decision Letter 0

29 Sep 2020

Response to Reviewers

Dear Editors and Reviewers:

Thank you for your letter and for the reviewers’ comments concerning our manuscript entitled " Effects of music therapy on depression: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (PONE-D-20-17706)".

Those comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our paper, as well as the important guiding significance to our researches. We have studied comments carefully and have made revision which we hope meet with approval. All the revised portions were marked in red font in the new document. The main corrections in the paper and the responds to the reviewer’s comments are as flowing:

Response：We have studied comments carefully and revised the manuscript extensively according to the reviewer’s comments.

Firstly, We have amended the music therapy definition mainly based on the World Federation of Music Therapy (WFMT) and The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), WFMT defines music therapy as “the professional use of music and its elements as an intervention inmedical, educational, and everyday environments with individuals, groups, families, or communities who seek to optimize their quality of life and improve their physical, social,communicative, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual health and wellbeing”. AMTA defines music therapy as “Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program”. [American Music Therapy Association (2020). Definition and Quotes about Music Therapy. Available online at: https://www.musictherapy.org/about/quotes/ (Accessed Sep 13, 2020).][van der Steen, J. T., et al. (2017). "Music-based therapeutic interventions for people with dementia." Cochrane Database Syst Rev 5: {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CD003477","term_id":"30320215","term_text":"CD003477"}} CD003477 .]

Secondly, we have re-studed all included papers carefully and added the specific intervention methods of each paper in table 1 (Table 1. Characteristics of clinical trials included in this meta-analysis). Two main types of music therapy were distinguished in our present study - receptive (or passive) and active music therapy. The specific methods used in receptive music therapy in our included papers including music-assisted relaxation, music and imagery, and guided imagery and music (Bonny Method), while the specific methods used in active music therapy included recreative music therapy, improvisational music therapy, song writing, and so on.

Thirdly, we have added some contents regarding the distinction between music therapy and music medicine in introduction and discussion sections of our manuscript.

The following contents are added in introduction section, “Today, it is widely accepted that the music-based interventions should be divided into two major categories, namely music therapy and music medicine. According to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), “music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program”. Therefore, music therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individualst, and includes the triad of the music, the client and the qualified music therapist. [American Music Therapy Association (2020). Definition and Quotes about Music Therapy. Available online at: https://www.musictherapy.org/about/quotes/ (Accessed Sep 13, 2020).] While, music medicine is defined as mainly listening to prerecorded music provided by medical personnel or rarely listening to live music. In other words, music medicine aims to use music like medicines. It often managed by a medical professional other than a music therapist, and not needed a therapeutic relationship with the patients. Therefore, the essential difference of music therapy and music medicine is whether a therapeutic relationship is developed between a trained music therapist and the client.

[Bradt, J., et al. (2015). "The impact of music therapy versus music medicine on psychological outcomes and pain in cancer patients: a mixed methods study." Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer 23(5): 1261-1271.

[Yinger, O. S. and L. Gooding (2014). "Music therapy and music medicine for children and adolescents." Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America 23(3): 535-553.]

【Tony Wigram．Inge Nyggard Pedersen＆Lars Ole Bonde，A Compmhensire Guide to Music Therapy．London and Philadelphia：Jessica Kingsley Publishen．2002：143．】

In the context of the clear distinction between these two major cagerories, it is clear that to evaluate the effects of music therapy and other music based intervention studies together on depression can be misleading. While, the distinction was not always clear in most of prior papers, and we found that no meta-analysis comparing the effects of music therapy and music medicine was conducted. Just a few studies made a comparison of music-based interventions on psychological outcomes between music therapy and music medicine. We aimed to (1) compare the effect between music therapy and music medicine on depression; (2) compare the effect between different specific methods used inmusic therapy on depression; (3) compare the effect of music-based interventions on depression among different population.

[Bradt, J., et al. (2015). "The impact of music therapy versus music medicine on psychological outcomes and pain in cancer patients: a mixed methods study." Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer 23(5): 1261-1271.[Yinger, O. S. and L. Gooding (2014). "Music therapy and music medicine for children and adolescents." Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America 23(3): 535-553.]

The last, we have made a new analysis of our data. 1) including three new papers and re-analying of our data, 2) adding the comparison of music therapy and music medicine, 3) adding the comparison of impatient setting and outpatients setting, 4) adding the comparison of depressed people and not depressed people, 5）adding the comparison of countries have having music therapy profession and not, 6) adding the comparison of group therapy and individual therapy, 7) added the comparison of different intervention dose, and so on.

Response: (1)We have amended the of definitions of music therapy. The revised difinitons of music therapy was “Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program”. [American Music Therapy Association (2020). Definition and Quotes about Music Therapy. Available online at: https://www.musictherapy.org/about/quotes/ (Accessed Sep 13, 2020).]

We have added some contents on the distinction between music therapy (MT) and music medicine (MM) in introduction and discussion sections of our manuscript.

We have added the analysis of the comparion of music therapy (MT) and music medicine (MM) in Methord and Results sections

Response: we have re-studed all included papers carefully and added a new varible (Intervenor or therapist) into table 1, and the corresponding description was addded in the results section. Of 55 studies, 32 used a certified music therapist, 15 not used a certified music therapist (for example researcher, nurse), and 10 not reported relevent information.

Response: We have divided music-based interventions into two major categories, namely music therapy and music medicine according to the difinition. With respect to specific methods used in music therapy, we also have divided music therapy into receptive (or passive) and active music therapy. The specific methods used in receptive music therapy in our included papers including music-assisted relaxation, music and imagery, and guided imagery and music (Bonny Method), and the specific methods used in active music therapy included recreative music therapy and improvisational music therapy.

We have added some sub-group analyses by different music intervention categories, different music therapy categories, and specific music therapy methords.

The the above mentioned content have been added to Intruduction Analyses, results and discussion section.

Response: we are very sorry for not mentioning these important reviews. We have studied these reviews carefully and discussed these reviews in Discussion sections.

Some prior reviews have evaluated the effects of music therapy for reducing depression. Aalbers and colleagues included nine studies in their review; they concluded that music therapy provides short-term benefificial effects for people with depression, and suggested that high-quality trials with large sample size were needed. However, this review was limited to studies of individuals with a diagnosis of depression, and did not differentiate music therapy from music medicine. Another paper reviewed the effectiveness of music interventions in treating depression. The authors included 26 studies and found a signifiant reduction in depression in the music intervention group compared with the controp group. The authors made a clear distincition on the definition of music therapy and music medicine; however, they did not include all relevant data from the most recent trials and did not conduct a meta-analysis. A recent meta-analysis compared the effects of music therapy and music medicine for reducing depression in people with cancer with seven RCTs; the authors found a moderately strong, positive impact of music intervention on depression , but found no difference between music therapy and music medicine.

【Aalbers, S., et al. (2017). "Music therapy for depression." Cochrane Database Syst Rev 11: {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CD004517","term_id":"30321255","term_text":"CD004517"}} CD004517 .】

【Leubner, D. and T. Hinterberger (2017). "Reviewing the Effectiveness of Music Interventions in Treating Depression." Front Psychol 8: 1109.】

【Bradt, J., et al. (2016). "Music interventions for improving psychological and physical outcomes in cancer patients." Cochrane Database Syst Rev(8): {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CD006911","term_id":"30323649","term_text":"CD006911"}} CD006911 .】

To date, many new trials focued on music therapy and depression in differnt poupulation (such as people with cancer, people with dementia, people with chronic disease, and so on ) have been performed, but they have not yet been systematically reviewed.

Response: Those comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our paper, as well as the important guiding significance to our researches. We have studied comments carefully and have made revision according to the comments.

Response: We are sorry for making this mistake. In the Methord section, we defined exclusive criteria as studies with a very small sample size (n<20),while in table 4 we performed the sensitivity analyses by excluding the papers with smale sample size ( 20< n<30). We have amended the table 4.

Response: We have added these findings with a forest plot (figure 6) according to the comment.

 1. Please ensure that your manuscript meets PLOS ONE's style requirements, including those for file naming. The PLOS ONE style templates can be found at

Response: We have amended our manuscript according to PLOS ONE's style requirements

Please include your tables as part of your main manuscript and remove the individual files. Please note that supplementary tables (should remain/ be uploaded) as separate "supporting information" files.

Response: We have adjusted these content according to the comment.

 3. Thank you for stating the following in the Acknowledgments Section of your manuscript:

Response: We would like to update our funding statement as follows: The funders had a role in study design, text editing, interpretation of results, decision to publish and preparation of the manuscript.

4.LOS requires an ORCID iD for the corresponding author in Editorial Manager on papers submitted after December 6th, 2016. Please ensure that you have an ORCID iD and that it is validated in Editorial Manager. To do this, go to ‘Update my Information’ (in the upper left-hand corner of the main menu), and click on the Fetch/Validate link next to the ORCID field. This will take you to the ORCID site and allow you to create a new iD or authenticate a pre-existing iD in Editorial Manager. Please see the following video for instructions on linking an ORCID iD to your Editorial Manager account: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xcclfuvtxQ

Response: We have created a new ORCID iD accordingly to your instructions.

Response: we are sorry for making this mistake, we have amended our list of authors on the manuscript accordingly.

Response: We have checked the refer to Figure 5 and found that the refer to figure 5 was a mistake, and we have amended it.

7. Please include captions for your Supporting Information files at the end of your manuscript, and update any in-text citations to match accordingly. Please see our Supporting Information guidelines for more information:  http://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/supporting-information .

 Response: we only have a Supporting Information files (PRISMA-2009-Checklist), and we have added the captions for this Supporting Information files accordingly. We also have updated in-text citations to match accordingly.

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Response: Thinks very much for your comment.

Response: Thinks very much for your comment. Our manuscript have been edited for proper English language, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and overall style by one qualified native English speaking editors.

Response: This suggestion is valuable and we have tried to judge if the countries in our inluded papers have an established music therapy profession by checking the author's work address, literature review, visiting the important website about music therapy, and consulting to some famous music therapist via emails. The following table showed that four countries may be not have a music therapy profession. We have added the comparison of the country having music therapy profession and not.

https://erikdalton.com/find-a-certified-therapist/

https://www.musictherapy.org/about/listserv/

Table 1. The information on the music therapy profession in the inluded papers

Country Country having music therapy profession

Korea Korean Music Therapy Association

South Korea Korean Music Therapy Association

UK British Association for Music Therapy

Australia Australian Music Therapy Association

Canada Canadian Association of Music Therapists

China Chinese Professional Music Therapist Association

Taiwan China Chinese Professional Music Therapist Association

Denmark Dansk forbund for musikterapie

Finland Finnish Society for Music Therapy

Hong Kong China Hong Kong Music Therapy and Counseling Association

Serbia Music Therapists of Serbia organize workshops

Switzerland Swiss Association of Music Therapy

USA The American Music Therapy Association

Singapore The Association for Music Therapy (Singapore)

Brazil Uniao Braileira Das Associacoes De Musicoterapia

Germany YES

Northern Ireland YES

Spanish YES

Venezuela No

2.please fix the "short title" (oxygen)

Response: We’re sorry for making this mistake, and we have corrected this mistake.

Music therapy with fewer minutes might yield superior effects. This may be misleading. Is there a minimum number of minutes? How many minutes might be optimal for therapeutic outcome? I believe it does make sense that longer sessions may result in less impact - quantity/duration does not always result in enhanced outcome.

Response: In 33 included trials, intervention time each session was different, the mimimum time was 15 minutes in only one study (Burrai et al., 2019b), followed by 20 minuters in four studies (Chirico et al., 2020; Guétin et al., 2009; Hanser et al., 1994; Sigurdardóttir et al., 2019). In our subgroup analysis by time per session (minutes), we divided time per session into three groups, namely 15-40, 41-60, >60, and this presentation might be unclear.

In order to respond this comment, we have re-divided the time per session into four groups, namely 15-40, 41-60, 61-120, to explore the optimal minuter per session for therapeutic outcome.

I believe a stronger case needs to be made for the study. There are existing meta-analyses of MT for depression (Aalbers et al., 2017 Cochrane Review). What makes the current study unique and different? What are the gaps in the literature that warrant this study? Have there been a lot of recent additions to the literature that warrant a new meta-analysis?

Response: Some prior reviews have evaluated the effects of music therapy for reducing depression. Aalbers and colleagues (Aalbers et al., 2017）included nine studies in their review; they concluded that music therapy provides short-term benefificial effects for people with depression, and suggested that high-quality trials with large sample size were needed. However, this review was limited to studies of individuals with a diagnosis of depression, and did not differentiate music therapy from music medicine.

Another paper reviewed the effectiveness of music interventions in treating depression. The authors (Leubner D., 2017) included 26 studies and found a signifiant reduction in depression in the music intervention group compared with the controp group. The authors made a clear distincition on the definition of music therapy and music medicine; however, they did not include all relevant data from the most recent trials and did not conduct a meta-analysis. A recent meta-analysis (Bradt et al., 2016) compared the effects of music therapy and music medicine for reducing depression with seven RCTs; the authors found a moderately strong, positive impact of music intervention on depression , but found no difference between music therapy and music medicine. However, this review was limited to studies of individuals with a diagnosis of cancer.

Figure 1 presents the number of published paper ( search from Pubmed) focued on music therapy and depression from 1983 to 2020, the published paper was in the rapidly growing stage during the past five years. While, the above mentioned reviews all included papers published before 2017. To date, many new trials focued on music therapy and depression in differnt poupulation (such as people with cancer, people with dementia, people with chronic disease, and so on ) have been performed, but they have not yet been systematically reviewed.

While, no meta-analysis compared the the difference of music therapy on depression in differnt poupulation (such as people with depression, people with dementia, people with chronic disease, health people, and so on ) have been performed.

Figure 1 The pubished papers from 1983 to 2020 focused on music therapy and depression (searched from Pubmed)

In our persent meta-analysis, we aimed to (1) compare the effect between music therapy and music medicine on depression; (2) compare the effect between different specific methods used inmusic therapy on depression; (3) compare the effect of music-based interventions on depression among different population.

We have added the above content to Intruduction and Dissussion sections.

5.A stronger discussion of the limitation of this study. Many studies did not evaluate a group with major depression/major depressive disorder (music therapy for chronic pain is important, but the variance of the populations under study does constitute a limitation). So, this study is not exclusive to adults with a major mental health condition. Might effects be different for people who are depressed versus people who are not depressed?

Response: This is a very important comment. According to this comment, we have made some revision.

Firstly, we have added a sensitivity analysis by excluding the studes focused on the people with a major mental health condition.

Secondly, we have re-grouped the populations into three groups, namely mental health, severe mental disease /psychiatric disorder, and depression and we have added the subgroup analysis (table 2 in revised manuscript)..

Thirdly, we have added the analysis of the difference between people who are depressed versus people who are not depressed accordingly (table 2 in revised manuscript).

6.Instead of "blinding/blinded" please use "masking/masked."

Response: We have replaced "blinding/blinded" with "masking/masked" according to this comment.

Response: In active methods (improvisational, re-creative, compositional), participants are ‘making music’ , and in receptive music therapy (music-assisted relaxation, music and imagery, guided imagery and music, lyrics analysis ), participants are ‘receiving’ (e.g. listening to) music (Bruscia 2014; Wheeler 2015).

We have amended the difinition and added the citation to the Result section according to this commment.

[Bruscia KE. Defining Music Therapy. 3rd Edition.University Park, Illinois, USA: Barcelona Publishers, 2014.]

[Wheeler BL. Music Therapy Handbook. New York, New York, USA: Guilford Publications, 2015.]

Response: Of the 55 studies, 38 used group therapy, 17 used individual therapy, and 2 not reported. We have added the comparison of group therapy versus individual therapy according to this comment (table 2 in revised manuscript).

Response: Of 55 studies, a total of 25 studies were conducted in impatient setting,28 studies were in outpatients setting setting, and 2 studies not repoted the setting. We have added the subgroup analysis by inpatient settings (secure [locked] unit at a mental health facility versus outpatient settings) according to this comment (table 2 in revised manuscript).

Response: We have added the subgroup analysis by total sessions a participant has received according to this comment.

Response: We have added the SD in table 1

Response: Thanks very much for your important comments, these comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our paper, as well as the important guiding significance to our researches.

Response: (1) We have amendded the difinition of music therapy. According to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), “music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program”.. [American Music Therapy Association (2020). Definition and Quotes about Music Therapy. Available online at: https://www.musictherapy.org/about/quotes/ (Accessed Sep 13, 2020).]

(2)We are very sorry for missing several research studies in our present meta-analysis. According to this comment, we have performed more extensive electronic search using the following terms: depression or mood disorders or affective disorders and music. We also performed manual search for the reference of all relevent reviews. In order to ensure the study quality of included papers, we excluded the studies with a very small sample size (n<20), we also excluded the non-english papers due to our language barrier. We included 23 new papers and deleted 1 old paper, in the last a total of 55 paper were included in our present analysis. The following are the new included papers and some excluded papers:

New-included papers

1)Albornoz Y. The effects of group improvisational music therapy on depression in adolescents and adults with substance abuse: a randomised controlled trial. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy 2011;20(3):208–24.

2)Hendricks CB, Robinson B, Bradley B, Davis K. Using music techniques to treat adolescent depression. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development 1999; 38:39–46. （unavaliable）

3)Hendricks CB. A study of the use of music therapy techniques in a group for the treatment of adolescent depression. Dissertation Abstracts International 2001;62(2-A):472.

4)Radulovic R. The using of music therapy in treatment of depressive disorders. Summary of Master Thesis. Belgrade: Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade, 1996.

5)Zerhusen JD, Boyle K, Wilson W. Out of the darkness: group cognitive therapy for depressed elderly. Journal of Military Nursing Research 1995;1:28–32. PUBMED: 1941727]

6)Chen SC, Yeh ML, Chang HJ, Lin MF. Music, heart rate variability, and symptom clusters: a comparative study. Support Care Cancer. 2020;28(1):351-360. doi:10.1007/s00520-019-04817-x

7)Chang, M. Y., Chen, C. H., and Huang, K. F. (2008). Effects of music therapy on psychological health of women during pregnancy. J. Clin. Nurs. 17, 2580–2587. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2007.02064.x

8)Chen XJ, Hannibal N, Gold C. Randomized Trial of Group Music Therapy With Chinese Prisoners: Impact on Anxiety, Depression, and Self-Esteem. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol. 2016;60(9):1064-1081. doi:10.1177/0306624X15572795

9)Esfandiari, N., and Mansouri, S. (2014). The effect of listening to light and heavy music on reducing the symptoms of depression among female students. Arts Psychother. 41, 211–213. doi: 0.1016/j.aip.2014.02.001

10)Fancourt, D., Perkins, R., Ascenso, S., Carvalho, L. A., Steptoe, A., and Williamon, A. (2016). Effects of group drumming interventions on anxiety, depression, social resilience and inflammatory immune response among mental health service users. PLoS ONE 11:e0151136. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151136

11)Giovagnoli AR, Manfredi V, Parente A, Schifano L, Oliveri S, Avanzini G. Cognitive training in Alzheimer's disease: a controlled randomized study. Neurol Sci. 2017;38(8):1485-1493. doi:10.1007/s10072-017-3003-9

12)Harmat, L., Takács, J., and Bodizs, R. (2008). Music improves sleep quality in students. J. Adv. Nurs. 62, 327–335. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04602.x

13)Liao J, Wu Y, Zhao Y, et al. Progressive Muscle Relaxation Combined with Chinese Medicine Five-Element Music on Depression for Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Chin J Integr Med. 2018;24(5):343-347. doi:10.1007/s11655-017-2956-0

14)Lu, S. F., Lo, C. H. K., Sung, H. C., Hsieh, T. C., Yu, S. C., and Chang, S. C. (2013). Effects of group music intervention on psychiatric symptoms and depression in patient with schizophrenia. Complement. Ther. Med. 21, 682–688. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2013.09.002

15)Mahendran R, Gandhi M, Moorakonda RB, et al. Art therapy is associated with sustained improvement in cognitive function in the elderly with mild neurocognitive disorder: findings from a pilot randomized controlled trial for art therapy and music reminiscence activity versus usual care. Trials. 2018;19(1):615. Published 2018 Nov 9. doi:10.1186/s13063-018-2988-6

16)Nwebube C, Glover V, Stewart L. Prenatal listening to songs composed for pregnancy and symptoms of anxiety and depression: a pilot study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017;17(1):256. Published 2017 May 8. doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1759-3

17)Porter S, McConnell T, McLaughlin K, et al. Music therapy for children and adolescents with behavioural and emotional problems: a randomised controlled trial. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2017;58(5):586-594. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12656

18)Raglio A, Giovanazzi E, Pain D, et al. Active music therapy approach in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a randomized-controlled trial. Int J Rehabil Res. 2016;39(4):365-367. doi:10.1097/MRR.0000000000000187

19)Torres E, Pedersen IN, Pérez-Fernández JI. Randomized Trial of a Group Music and Imagery Method (GrpMI) for Women with Fibromyalgia. J Music Ther. 2018;55(2):186-220. doi:10.1093/jmt/thy005

20)Verrusio, W., Andreozzi, P., Marigliano, B., Renzi, A., Gianturco, V., Pecci, M. T., et al. (2014). Exercise training and music therapy in elderly with depressive syndrome: a pilot study. Complement. Ther. Med. 22, 614–620. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2014.05.012

21)Wang, J. , Wang, H. and Zhang, D. (2011) Impact of group music therapy on the depression mood of college students. Health, 3, 151-155

22)Yap AF, Kwan YH, Tan CS, Ibrahim S, Ang SB. Rhythm-centred music making in community living elderly: a randomized pilot study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017 Jun 14;17(1):311. doi: 10.1186/s12906-017-1825-x. PMID: 28615007; PMCID: PMC5470187.

23)Koelsch, S., Offermanns, K., and Franzke, P. (2010). Music in the treatment of affective disorders: an exploratory investigation of a new method for music-therapeutic research. Music Percept. Interdisc. J. 27, 307–316. doi: 10.1525/mp.2010.27.4.307

Excluded papers：

24)Bally, K., Campbell, D., Chesnick, K., and Tranmer, J. E. (2003). Effects of patient controlled music therapy during coronary angiography on procedural pain and anxiety distress syndrome. Crit. Care Nurse 23, 50–58. （not provide useable data）

25)Atiwannapat P, Thaipisuttikul P, Poopityastaporn P, Katekaew W. Active versus receptive group music therapy for major depressive disorder - a pilot study. Complementary Therapies in Medicine 2016;26:141–5. (sample size<20)

26)Garrido S, Stevens CJ, Chang E, Dunne L, Perz J. Music and Dementia: Individual Differences in Response to Personalized Playlists. J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;64(3):933-941. doi:10.3233/JAD-180084 （not randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials）

27)Sánchez A, Maseda A, Marante-Moar MP, de Labra C, Lorenzo-López L, Millán-Calenti JC. Comparing the Effects of Multisensory Stimulation and Individualized Music Sessions on Elderly People with Severe Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Alzheimers Dis. 2016;52(1):303-315. doi:10.3233/JAD-151150 （the control group also received music intervention）

28)Mondanaro JF, Homel P, Lonner B, Shepp J, Lichtensztein M, Loewy JV. Music Therapy Increases Comfort and Reduces Pain in Patients Recovering From Spine Surgery. Am J Orthop (Belle Mead NJ). 2017;46(1):E13-E22. (No full text available)

29)Castillo-Pérez, S., Gómez-Pérez, V., Velasco, M. C., Pérez-Campos, E., and Mayoral, M. A. (2010). Effects of music therapy on depression compared with psychotherapy. Arts Psychother. 37, 387–390. doi: 0.1016/j.aip.2010.07.001 （not provide useable data)

30)Alcântara-Silva TR, de Freitas-Junior R, Freitas NMA, et al. Music Therapy Reduces Radiotherapy-Induced Fatigue in Patients With Breast or Gynecological Cancer: A Randomized Trial. Integr Cancer Ther. 2018;17(3):628-635. doi:10.1177/1534735418757349（not provide useable data)

31)Cheung CWC, Yee AWW, Chan PS, et al. The impact of music therapy on pain and stress reduction during oocyte retrieval - a randomized controlled trial. Reprod Biomed Online. 2018;37(2):145-152. doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2018.04.049（not provide useable data)

32)Pezzin LE, Larson ER, Lorber W, McGinley EL, Dillingham TR. Music-instruction intervention for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder: a randomized pilot study. BMC Psychol. 2018;6(1):60. Published 2018 Dec 19. doi:10.1186/s40359-018-0274-8 (the control group also received music intervention)

33)Silverman, M. J. (2011). Effects of music therapy on change and depression on clients in detoxification. J. Addict. Nurs. 22, 185–192. doi: 10.3109/10884602.2011.616606 （the control group also received music intervention）

34)Särkämö T, Laitinen S, Numminen A, Kurki M, Johnson JK, Rantanen P. Clinical and Demographic Factors Associated with the Cognitive and Emotional Efficacy of Regular Musical Activities in Dementia. J Alzheimers Dis. 2016;49(3):767-81. doi: 10.3233/JAD-150453. PMID: 26519435.

35)Tuinmann G, Preissler P, Böhmer H, Suling A, Bokemeyer C. The effects of music therapy in patients with high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell support: a randomized pilot study. Psychooncology. 2017 Mar;26(3):377-384. doi: 10.1002/pon.4142. Epub 2016 May 5. PMID: 27146798.（not provide useable data)

36)Hsu, W. C., and Lai, H. L. (2004). Effects of music on major depression in psychiatric inpatients. Arch. Psychiat. Nurs. 18, 193–199. doi: 10.1016/j.apnu.2004.07.007（not provide useable data)

（3）We have added some new analyses of our data. 1) including three new papers and re-analying of our data, 2) adding the comparison of music therapy and music medicine (figure 3 in revised manuscript) , 3) adding some subgroup analyses by country having music therapy profession, intervention settings, therapy mode, specific music therapy methord, intervenor /therapist, and total intervention session (table 2 in revised manuscript) .

Response: We are sorry for making this mistake. In the Methord section, we defined exclusive criteria as studies with a very small sample size (n<20),while in table4 we performed the sensitivity analyses by excluding the papers with smale sample size ( 20< n<30). We have amended the table 4.

Response: We have added these findings with a forest plot (figure 6 in revised manuscript) according to the comment.

6. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Submitted filename: Response to Reviewers.docx

Decision Letter 1

PONE-D-20-17706R1

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

An invoice for payment will follow shortly after the formal acceptance. To ensure an efficient process, please log into Editorial Manager at http://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/ , click the 'Update My Information' link at the top of the page, and double check that your user information is up-to-date. If you have any billing related questions, please contact our Author Billing department directly at gro.solp@gnillibrohtua .

If your institution or institutions have a press office, please notify them about your upcoming paper to help maximize its impact. If they’ll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team as soon as possible -- no later than 48 hours after receiving the formal acceptance. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information, please contact gro.solp@sserpeno .

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Thank you for your satisfactory effort to correct the many important issues highlighted in my and our reviewers' comments, and to make necessary adjustments that meet our recommendations to improve the quality of your article.

Acceptance letter

30 Oct 2020

Dear Dr. Ye:

I'm pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been deemed suitable for publication in PLOS ONE. Congratulations! Your manuscript is now with our production department.

If your institution or institutions have a press office, please let them know about your upcoming paper now to help maximize its impact. If they'll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team within the next 48 hours. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information please contact gro.solp@sserpeno .

If we can help with anything else, please email us at gro.solp@enosolp .

Thank you for submitting your work to PLOS ONE and supporting open access.

PLOS ONE Editorial Office Staff

on behalf of

Prof. Dr. Sukru Torun

Advanced Search (Items only)

Dissertations

Dublin core, collection items, tripitaka (buddhisttext) and thai classical instruments, by c chalermsak boonmanam, music in the bharatacattiram of arapattanavalar, by n girish kumar, a survey of telugu works in music literature published during 1859 to 1930, compositions of maha vaidyanathayyar by n vijayalakshmi, aumapatam: a critical study, by peter vonessen, adhunik sangit ki sastriya parampara: bharatasiddhanta, by maharani sharma, tantravadyon ke gharanon ke paripeksya me adhunika kalakara, by pramiti chaudhary, banaras gharane ki gayan parampara: bade ramadasaji, by vidyadhar prasad misra, graha as an element of tala, by k harish narayan, tiruvempavai in thailand and india, by pannipa kaveetanathum, sangita sara sangrahamu of tiruvenkata kavi - a study, murchana paddhati ka vivecana tatha pracina, madhyakalina va adhunik sangita me uski bhumika, by asvin bhagavat, a comparative study of hindustani and karnataka raga systems, by b ratnamma, a study of pre-composed kalpana svaras in music publications, by k n renganatha sharma, modeling gamakas of carnatic music as a synthesizer for prescriptive notation, influence of culture on instrumental music teaching , by georgina barton, list of dissertations on music at the samskrta university, kalady, list of dissertations on music at the university of madras, list of dissertations on music at the mysore university, list of dissertations from sangita monthly magazine, 2015, list of dissertations on music at the annamalai university, list of dissertations on music at the kalai kaviri of fine arts, tiruchi, index of doctoral dissertations in music from association of indian universities, list of dissertations on music at the padmavathi mahila visva vidyalayam, tirupati, list of dissertations on music at the kerala university, tiruvanantapuram, list of dissertations on music at the calicut university, kozikode, the musicological portions of the sangita narayan: a critical edition and commentary by j b katz, karnatic rhythmical structures by rafael reina, sankara pallaki seva prabandham of sahaji, by s annapurna, visualization of indian classical music, by nameetha shah -2001, desi ragas of post-sangitaratnakara period, by r hemalatha, ragangaraga-s in sangita sampradaya pradarsini, by r hemalatha, books of vina ramanuja and taccuru brothers - fellowship project report by r latha, analysis of a bharatanatyam composition, by priyashri v rao, dance performance and its components: a historical study, by priyashri v rao, examination of the disputes regarding the authorship of the compositions of svati tirunal, by shyamala kannan nair, svara taladi lakshanam, by girija easwaran, subbarama dikshitarin sangita-sampradaya-pradarsiniyil gamakangal, by r s jayalakshmi, pathantara-s in the compositions of musical trinity, by ritha rajan, theories of poetry of anandavardhana and susanne langer by hema ramanathan, list of phd dissertations in music from indira gandhi open university, list of phd, mphil and ma dissertations from jain (deemed to be university), bengaluru, list of phd and mphil dissertations from potti sriramulu telugu university, hyderabad, divyanama & utsava-sampradaya kirtana-s of tyagaraja, by s k rajalakshmi, musical compositions of subbarama diksitar, by n vijayalakshmi, manodharma sangitamulo kalapramanamu, by b radha sarangapani, sampradayavil icai medaigalin nerkanal, by s kamakshi, modeling and composite synthesis of creative music in carnatic classical, by mahesha p, gamaka in ālāpana performance in karnatic music, maisuru vasudevacar krtigalil kanappadum ragangal, by s suguna.

Custom Essay, Term Paper & Research paper writing services

• testimonials

Toll Free: +1 (888) 354-4744

Email: [email protected]

Writing custom essays & research papers since 2008

Best 100 music research topics (just updated).

If you are reading this, you are probably looking for the best music research topics for your next essay. Truth be told, choosing the right topic is very important. It can make the difference between a B and an A, or even between an A and an A+. Unfortunately, choosing the best topics is not as simple as you think. Even though the internet is full of music research topics, most of them are plain and, quite frankly, boring.

Your professor wants more than this. Let’s see why you need the most interesting topics and where you can find them. Of course, you are free to use any of our 100 topics for free and even reword them as you see fit. Read on!

Choosing Good Music Research Topics

By now, you are probably wondering why everyone keeps telling you to come up with the best music topics. The truth is that there are many, many benefits to choosing an awesome topic. Here are just some of them, so you can get a better idea of the importance of a great idea:

• Excellent music research paper topics show your professor that you really did your best to get a top grade.
• A good topic is one that you know much about. It should be relatively easy to you to research it and to write about it.
• An awesome topic will pique the interest of your professor and will keep him or her reading. You will often get bonus points for this.
• Great topics make you stand out from your classmates. Your professor will notice you, and the grade will reflect this.

Where Can You Find Decent Music Topics?

Finding amazing music research topics is easier said than done. Yes, the Internet is full of websites that are offering ideas. There are even websites where you can buy bundles of topics. However, the music argumentative essay topics you will get from these websites are not of the highest quality. Most of them are actually quite boring. And remember, you classmates are probably searching for music history research paper topics on the same websites as you do. You want your research topics on music or book review topics to be original, so your professor can have a reason to award your paper some bonus points. The best place to get excellent music topics to write about is this page. The list of ideas is updated frequently, so you can get an original topic for free right now.

Music History Research Topics

Are you looking for the most interesting music history research topics? If you do, just pick one from our list for free:

• How did the Catholic church influence Renaissance music?
• Social issues described in Baroque-period music.
• Analyze the evolution of Romantic-era music.
• How did the Baroque Opera come to be?
• Who invented Medieval music and when?
• Why has western music almost disappear in the last 10 years?
• Analyze the evolution of music in the Classical era.
• Analyzing violin music performance during the Romantic Era.

Music Argument Topics

Are you looking to find an argument and support it? Then you absolutely need to check out our exceptional list of music argument topics:

• Music today is better than music in the 90s.
• The most lucrative career for a musician.
• Music helps you memorize faster.
• The most popular kind of metal music.
• The evolution of blues songs over the last 30 years.
• Music helps children develop faster.
• Hip-hop is a misunderstood music genre.
• Jazz music is not obsolete.

Music Theory Topics

Interested in writing about music theory? Our amazing academic writers have put together a list of music theory topics for you:

• Analyze the most important aspects of modern music.
• Classical music has specific medical applications.
• Hidden symbols in Renaissance-period music.
• The unique features of Baroque-age music.
• Analyze the evolution of music in the Baroque era.
• The best music compositors in the Romantic era.
• Remarkable characteristics of Romantic-age songs.
• The peculiarities of Asian modern music.

Music Industry Topics

Writing about the music industry can be fun and entertaining. Your professor will love it. Pick one of our music industry topics and start writing:

• What do you associate rock music with and why?
• Should the music industry pay songwriters more?
• How does illegal pirating of songs affect the music industry?
• Do music sharing sites help new artists become famous.
• Analyze the evolution of music labels in the US.
• What differentiates a music label from all others?
• Music talent shows and their effects on a musician’s career.
• The difficulties of signing a contract with a major music label in the US.

Research Paper Topics on Music for High School

Are you a high school student? In this case, you will need our research paper topics on music for high school:

• The best compositors of the Baroque Era.
• What differentiates modern music from classical music?
• Notable women in classical music.
• Analyze the evolution of music in the Modern age.
• How was Beethoven’s music influenced by his loss of hearing?
• How would our world be without music?
• Does music cause negative effects on US teens?

Music Thesis Topics

Writing a thesis about music is not easy. In fact, it can be one of the most difficult projects in your academic career. Start right now by choosing one of the best music thesis topics:

• What made a musician stand out in the Baroque Age?
• The most notable musical experiments in the Classical age.
• Comparing Renaissance and Medieval music styles.
• Analyze the evolution of music in the Renaissance age.
• How did royalty in the UK benefit from music in the Renaissance era?
• Discuss a folk song from the Renaissance age.
• Differences between Asian and European classical music.

Music Controversial Topics

Music, like most other disciplines, has plenty of controversial topics you can talk about. Don’t waste any time and pick one of these music controversial topics:

• Does digital music cut the profits of musicians?
• Who owns the intellectual property to a song?
• The difficulties of getting songwriting credit.
• Illegal downloads are changing the music industry.
• Should music education still be included in the curriculum?
• Analyze medieval liturgical music.
• Music should be free for everyone to download and use.

Persuasive Speech Topics About Music

Are you required the write a persuasive speech about music? If you are, you may need a bit of help. Pick one of these persuasive speech topics about music (updated for 2023):

• Music has a significant effect on advertising.
• The changes rap music has brought to the US culture.
• Indie is a term that should not apply to music.
• Metal music should be banned from the US.
• Does listening to music have a great influence on mental health?
• The amazing evolution of music in the Medieval age.
• People should be free to listen to the music they like for free.
• The fashion industry wouldn’t be where it is today without music.

Easy Topics About Music

Perhaps you don’t want to spend 5 or 6 hours writing the research paper . You need an easier topic. Choose one of these easy topics about music and write the essay fast:

• How can one become a symbol of modern music?
• My favorite singer today.
• Which musician from the past would you bring back to life and why?
• Do politics influence modern music?
• Compare and contrast two music genres.
• Analyze the evolution of music in the modern age in the United States.
• The side effects of turning the volume too loud.
• How is classical music used in Disney movies?

Music Education Research Topics

Are you interested in talking about music education? Perhaps you’ll have some suggestions to make after you’ve done the research. Just choose one of the music education research topics below:

• Can E-Learning be applied to music education?
• Can music teachers offer distance learning services?
• The advantages and disadvantages of Zoom music lessons.
• Why are music worksheets so important for high school students?
• How did the Internet change music education?
• Why are modern music studies so important?
• Should we learn more about Asian music in school?
• How can students learn music while respecting COVID19 measures?

Highly Interesting Music Topics

We know you want a top grade on your next music research paper. We advise you to select one of these highly interesting music topics and surprise your professor:

• How did pop music came to existence and why?
• Analyze the history of hip-hop music.
• Compare metal music with classical music.
• Why is rock music so popular in the United Kingdom?
• Which song would best present our species to aliens?
• Compare and contrast Korean and Chinese music.
• Analyze the popular themes of Japanese music.
• The stunning rise of K-pop bands.

Informative Speech Topics About Music

It’s difficult to find good informative speech topics about music these days. If you want to stand out from the rest of your classmates, choose one of our topics:

• Discuss the ideas presented in romantic music.
• What do people who appreciate classic music have in common?
• Analyze the most popular Bach music.
• Describe the role of market music in the Baroque era.
• Analyze the evolution of European music.
• Ways to make classical music popular with teens in the UK.
• Discuss the most popular musical instrument in the Classical age.

Music Essay Topics for College

Are you a college student? If you want an A+ on your next research paper, use one of these music essay topics for college students:

• Does modern music contain medieval themes?
• Analyze a song from the Renaissance age.
• Why is blues music so important for our culture?
• Who invented the blues genre and when?
• Analyze the evolution of American folk music.
• Most popular names in Baroque-age songs.
• Modern interpretations of medieval songs.
• Listening to blues music can lead to depression.

Need some more music history paper topics? Or perhaps you need a list of music related research topics to choose from for your thesis. Our best paper writer can help you in no time. Get in touch with us and we guarantee that we will find the perfect music topic for your needs. You will be well on your way to getting the A+ you need. Give us a try and get an amazing research topic on music in 10 minutes or less!

Affiliation: School of Arts and Humanities

The Master of Arts in Music program at Truman State University is designed to prepare promising graduate students for leadership roles in one of four areas: music performance, composition, conducting and scholarship (musicology, theory).  Each of these four areas comprises an emphasis group within the Master of Arts in Music degree.

The course of studies includes professional training, the development of research skills and a liberal arts perspective to help individual students turn talent, inspiration, creativity and dedication into significant potential for service to the development of musical culture in its multiple dimensions.

The Master of Arts in Music degree program at Truman is guided by the following student-based program objectives:

• The student will possess the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes required to enter and succeed in doctoral programs at primary institutions.
• The student will possess the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes required to enter and succeed in their chosen professional musical field.
• The student will publicly present significant works (compositions, performances, thesis and other research) informed by contemporary musical culture as well as by historical traditions.
• The student will exhibit appropriate habits of professional and scholarly behavior.
• The student will demonstrate component skills of musical leadership: originality, communication, persuasiveness and organization.
• The student will possess the historical, theoretical and technical knowledge required to make critically informed musical decisions.

All Master of Arts in Music degree emphasis groups culminate in either a recital (performance or conducting) or thesis (composition or scholarly thesis).

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Admission to graduate study in music at Truman State University is selective and is based on the following criteria:

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with an acceptable undergraduate grade point average. Preferential acceptance is given to those students who possess a 3.0 undergraduate grade point average or above and acceptable test scores. Students who have less than a 2.75 undergraduate grade point average are not eligible for admission.
• A letter of application, a résumé, three letters of recommendation, and an interview with the Coordinator of Music Admissions and/or the Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Music.
• Demonstration of competence is required for admission to each emphasis group within the degree.  For the Performance and Conducting emphasis groups, the applicant must audition.  For the Composition and Scholarship (musicology or music theory) emphasis groups, the applicant must submit a portfolio of work appropriate for their course of study.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• If necessary, a matriculating graduate student who has deficiencies in music theory or music history may be asked to complete a 1-credit independent study that may involve reviewing specific texts, auditing sections of undergraduate history or theory courses, or similar. This is done to help ensure that the student has the necessary background to succeed in those graduate courses. Whether or not additional coursework is required is determined by appropriate members of the Graduate Faculty, based on information gathered from the student’s undergraduate transcripts and from communications between the student and members of the Graduate Faculty.
• Graduate students whose program of studies requires a recital must pay an additional fee. 

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Before graduation, the student desiring a Master of Arts in Music degree must complete the following:

• The 32 credit MA in Music curriculum.
• A comprehensive oral examination administered by a graduate committee.
• A graduate recital (Performance or Conducting emphasis groups) or a thesis (Scholarship or Composition emphasis groups).  A thesis will require an oral defense administered by a graduate committee.
• The specified requirements of the Graduate Office pertaining to grade point average, transfer credit, residence, course number, time limitations, repeat courses, and examinations.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:

Core of general studies in music: 12 credits.

• MUSI 631G - Analytical Techniques for 19th and 20th Century Music Credit(s): 3
• MUSI 640G - Music of the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical Eras Credit(s): 3
• MUSI 641G - Music of the Romantic and Contemporary Eras Credit(s): 3
• MUSI 682G - Introduction to Research in Music Credit(s): 3

Other Studies in Music: 20 Credits

Emphasis Groups:

Performance Emphasis: 20 Credits

• Graduate Electives in Music: 9
• MUSI 65xG Literature and Pedagogy of Performing Medium: 2
• MUSI 5xxG Applied Music: 6
• MUSI 689G - Graduate Performance Recital Credit(s): 3

Conducting Emphasis: 20 Credits

• Graduate Electives in Music: 7
• MUSI 688G - Graduate Conducting Credit(s): 3
• MUSI 690G - Graduate Conducting Recital with Score Reading Credit(s): 6
• MUSI 691G - Advanced Instrumental Conducting: Band Credit(s): 2 OR

MUSI 692G - Advanced Choral Conducting    Credits: 2 OR

MUSI 693G - Advanced Instrumental Conducting: Orchestra    Credits: 2

Composition Emphasis: 20 Credits

• Graduate Electives in Music: 2-5
• MUSI 530G - Topics in Contemporary Music Credit(s): 3
• MUSI 634G - Composition Credit(s): 3 (Must be taken three times for 9 credits.)
• MUSI 686G - Research in Music (Composition) Credit(s): 3 to 6

Research (Thesis) Emphasis: 20 Credits

• MUSI 683G - Research in Music Credit(s): 3 (Must be taken three times for 9 credits.)
• MUSI 685G - Research in Music (Thesis) Credit(s): 3 to 6

Electives in Music:

The number of elective credits required for each emphasis group is listed above.

• MUSI 5xxG Applied Music: 1-3
• MUSI 5xxG Graduate Ensemble: 1 limit one ensemble per semester
• MUSI 600G - Directed Readings Music Credit(s): 1 to 3
• MUSI 603G - Private Study in Composition Credit(s): 1 to 3
• MUSI 684G - Teaching Elementary/General Music Credit(s): 3
• MUSI 691G - Advanced Instrumental Conducting: Band Credit(s): 2
• MUSI 692G - Advanced Choral Conducting Credit(s): 2
• MUSI 693G - Advanced Instrumental Conducting: Orchestra Credit(s): 2
• MUSI 695G - Administration of School Music Credit(s): 2
• MUSI 696G - Resources in Choral/Vocal Music Credit(s): 2

• The Graduate School >
• Graduate News >
• Novel global study using investigators as participants finds shared acoustic relationships among the world’s languages and music

Novel global study using investigators as participants finds shared acoustic relationships among the world’s languages and music

By Bert Gambini

Release Date: May 15, 2024

BUFFALO, N.Y. – A University at Buffalo psychologist is part of a global research team that has identified specific acoustic relationships that distinguish speech, song and instrumental music across cultures.

The study published in the journal Science Advances , which involved experts in ethnomusicology, music psychology, linguistics and evolutionary biology, compared instrumental melodies along with songs, lyrics and speech in 55 languages. The findings provide an international perspective supporting ideas about how the world’s music and languages evolved into their current states.

“There are many ways to look at the acoustic features of singing versus speaking, but we found the same three significant features across all the cultures we examined that distinguish song from speech,” said Peter Pfordresher, PhD , a professor of psychology in the UB College of Arts and Sciences, and one of the 75 contributors to a unique project that involved the researchers assuming the dual roles of investigator and participant.

The three features are:

• Singing tends to be slower than speaking across all the cultures studied.
• People tend to produce more stable pitches when singing as opposed to speaking.
• Overall, singing pitch is higher than spoken pitch.

The exact evolutionary pressures responsible for shaping human behaviors are difficult to identify, but the new paper provides insights regarding the shared, cross-cultural similarities and differences in language and music − both of which are found in highly diverse forms across every human culture.

Pfordresher says the leading theory, advanced by the paper’s senior author, Patrick Savage, PhD, senior research fellow at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, is that music evolved to promote social bonding .

“When people make music, and this is the case around the world, they tend to do so collectively. They synchronize and harmonize with each other,” says Pfordresher. “The features we found that distinguish music from speech fit well with that theory.”

Think about tempo as a mechanism to encourage music’s social aspects. Being in sync becomes more difficult as tempo increases. When the tempo slows, the rhythm becomes predictable and easier to follow. Music becomes a more social enterprise.

It’s the same with pitch stability, according to Pfordresher.

“It’s much easier to match a stable pitch with someone else, to be in sync with the collective, than is the case when a pitch is wavering,” he says.

Similarly, it’s possible that the higher pitches found in singing happen as a byproduct of songs being produced at a slower rate.

“Slower production rates require a greater volume of air in the lungs,” explains Pfordresher. “Greater air pressure in the vocal system increases pitch.”

Conversational speech, in contrast, is not synchronized. Conversations generally alternate between people.

“I would speculate that conversational speech is faster than song because people want to hold on to the stage. They don’t want to provide false cues that they’ve finished, in essence handing the conversation off to another speaker,” says Pfordresher. “Pausing in a conversation or speaking slowly often indicates that it’s another person’s turn to speak.”

The study’s novel structure, with its investigators as participants, is part of the increasingly global nature of music cognition research. Savage and Yuto Ozaki, PhD, the lead author from Keio University in Japan, recruited researchers from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific, who spoke languages that included Yoruba, Mandarin, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Ukrainian, Russian, Balinese, Cherokee, Kannada, Spanish, Aynu, English and dozens more .

“First, we used this structure to counteract the unfortunate tradition of extractive research in cross-cultural musical studies in which researchers from the developed world collect, or extract, data from a culture in the developing world, and use the data to promote their own success,” says Pfordresher.

The second reason has more to do with the validity of the data.

“Our analyses require annotation of syllable and note onsets in songs and speech from around the world,” says Pfordresher. “No single investigator knows all of these languages. By having each investigator participate and thus check their own annotations, we add additional validity to our study.”

Each investigator-participant chose a song of national significance from their culture. Pfordresher selected “America the Beautiful.” Savage chose “Scarborough Fair.” Ozaki sang the Japanese folk song “Ōmori Jinku.”

Participants sang the song first; performed an instrumental version next on an instrument of their choice; and then recited the lyrics. They also provided an explanation for their choice as a free-form speech condition of the study. All four conditions were recorded and then segmented.

To avoid the possibility of bias creeping into the data, Pfordresher explained that not all investigators were involved in generating the study’s initial set of hypotheses. All of the authors looked at the data, but did so to make sure there were no differences between the initial group and those others.

“We do hope to follow up this study with other research that has authors from around the world sample data from within their cultures,” says Pfordresher.

Media Contact Information

Bert Gambini News Content Manager Humanities, Economics, Social Sciences, Social Work, Libraries Tel: 716-645-5334 [email protected]