Alinka E. Greasley

Exploring engagement with music in everyday life using experience sampling methodology

Recent qualitative research has highlighted differences in people’s music-listening behaviour according to their level of involvement with and interest in music, yet these findings are mainly based on retrospective accounts of patterns of behaviour (Greasley, 2008; Greasley & Lamont, 2006; Lonie, 2009). Experience sampling methodology (ESM) is a valuable tool for studying music in everyday contexts, and it has been shown to increase people’s conscious awareness of the role of music in their lives (Sloboda, O’Neill, & Ivaldi, 2001). Using ESM, the present study explored differences in people’s everyday engagement with music by recruiting three different types of listener: those identified as having low, moderate, or high engagement with music. Over seven days, quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 25 young adults (aged 18–30) on what they were doing while hearing music (e.g., activities) and the functions/effects of music (e.g., reasons influencing choices). Post-study interviews with 23 participants then generated retrospective accounts about specific musical experiences. Analysis revealed two broad types of listener: the less engaged, who listened for fewer hours a week (min = 3 hours, mean = 12 hours), were less likely to be hearing self-chosen music, and were more likely to listen to music to pass time, out of habit or to help them feel less alone; and the highly engaged, who listened for a greater number of hours per week (mean = 21 hours, max = 40 hours), were more likely to be hearing self-chosen music, and were more likely to use music to evoke specific moods, create an atmosphere, or enhance an activity. The study confirmed the usefulness of ESM for investigating the complex (and interacting) factors involved in people’s daily musical choices, and highlighted ways in which music can fulfil different functions concurrently. Findings show that future research on everyday musical behaviour should continue to account for the context of music listening in shaping responses to and uses of music; and account for individual differences in people’s levels of engagement with music.

Exploring Musical Preferences: An In-Depth Qualitative Study of Adults' Liking for Music in Their Personal Collections

A wide range of psychological approaches have been used to explore musical preferences, yet few studies have focused on peoples own preferred music. This article reports the results of a qualitative study into the breadth, content, and rationale of musical preferences. In-depth interviews were conducted with adults (age range 18–73 years) at home with their music collections, which acted as an aide memoire to their preferred styles. Results show that people typically prefer a wide range of styles, providing support for the increasing trend towards omnivorous musical tastes; that there are considerable differences in the extent to which musical characteristics (e.g., lyrics, instrumentation) and responses to music (e.g., cognitive, affective) shape preferences; and that musical preferences play a key role in shaping self-identity. Findings highlight the merit of using qualitative interviewing, with its emphasis on subjective perceptions, interpretations, and evaluations for exploring musical likes and dislikes, and have implications for future studies in the field. In particular, the research underlines the need for a shift away from approaches that explore musical preferences by presenting listeners with a list of predetermined style categories, as these are likely to be interpreted in different ways.

Becoming a psychology undergraduate: integrating study skills and integrating students

Three years of action research into a study skills and transition programme for psychology undergraduates are reported. The programme began as a ‘bolt-on’ response to perceptions of student deficit and developed to focus on transition to university. Data from three cohorts and over 600 students show attendance to be associated with higher academic grades and progression rates. The programme has also helped to establish relationships with peers and staff, prepare students for assessments, set expectations about study, and provided an opportunity to ask questions, to work collaboratively and to learn about referencing and plagiarism. Concerns with study skills highlighted by Wingate (2006) and others are discussed.

Personal collections as material assemblages: a comparison of wardrobes and music collections

This article takes the case studies of music and clothing collections in the home to explore the possibilities for developing comparative research into everyday consumption by focusing upon personal collections. Drawing on two empirical research projects, it challenges dominant understandings of collections as ‘special’ or separated off from daily practices by considering music and clothing collections as the site for everyday consumption practices as well as the locus of memories. Collections are reframed as ‘assemblages’ to explore the diverse materialities and temporalities that constitute the collections. Agency is distributed through the assemblage which allows for a problematisation of notions of individual consumer choice as the article explores the logics of the collections themselves. Focusing upon ‘collections’ paves the way for comparative work on different genres of consumption and to explore the diverse materialities of things and their relationalities. It widens our understanding of consumption to incorporate the use of things both in the enactment of daily life and which are kept or stored.

Mindfulness for singers: The effects of a targeted mindfulness course on learning vocal technique

This paper reports the development and implementation of a unique Mindfulness for Singers (MfS) course designed to improve singers’ vocal technique. Eight university students completed the intervention. FFMQ scores showed general improvement across all five facets of mindfulness. Qualitative results showed benefits of daily mindfulness exercises on breathing, micro-muscular awareness, vocal tone, text communication and problem solving. Exercises also positively affected teacher/pupil relationships, concentration and focus in lessons and practice. Teachers identified 6 of the 8 participants in a blind controlled study indicating that vocal students at any level would benefit greatly from a mindfulness course as a holistic intervention.

The relationship between musical preferences and Type D personality

Emotion regulation is one of the main reasons that people listen to music, and personality traits have been shown to exert significant influence in shaping musical preferences. Type D personality is a psychological risk factor for adverse health outcomes. However, no music studies have yet examined the effect of Type D personality on musical preferences, which may provide some preliminary insight into clinical applications. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between Type D personality and musical preferences. An online survey investigating musical preferences (Revised version of the Short Test of Musical Preferences [STOMP-R]) and Type D personality was administered. In total, 196 participants completed the survey, of which half were from an Eastern culture and half from a Western culture. Forty per cent of the participants were categorised as having Type D personality, and no significant association of gender or nationality with Type D classification was observed. However, the links between Type D personality and the Punk genre (p = .047), and between non-Type D personality and the Jazz genre (p = .008) were indicated. Moreover, differences were observed in the factor structure of STOMP-R. The exploratory results facilitate the understanding of links between personality traits and music listening and provide new insight into musical preference dimensions.

Investigating the Value of DJ Performance for Contemporary Music Education and Sensorimotor Synchronisation (SMS) Abilities

Two studies were conducted to establish a more complete picture of the skills that might be accessed through learning to DJ and the potential value of those skills for music education. The first employed open-ended methods to explore perspectives on the value of DJing for music education. The second employed experimental methods to compare the ability of DJs to synchronise movement to auditory metronomes. Twenty-one participants (seven professionally trained musicians, seven informally trained DJs, seven non-musicians) took part in both studies. Qualitative data suggested that all participant groups felt DJs learn valuable musical skills such as rhythm perception, instrumental skills, knowledge of musical structure, performance skills, and a majority agreed that DJing had equal relevance with other musical forms e.g. classical music. Quantitative data showed that informally trained DJs produced more regular timing intervals under baseline and distracting conditions than the other experimental groups. The implications of the findings for the inclusion of DJing into formal music curricula are discussed.