Andrea Schiavio | Being musical beings. Tales of embodiment and musical synergies

In this talk the question of what constitutes the musical mind will be explored. The historically limited definition of mind-as-information-processing, which exalts individual aspects of musicking and arguably legitimises a depersonalised view on musical learning and practice, is challenged. New perspectives on musical mind are discussed, and its capacity to establish meaningful musical synergies with other people or with musical instruments is highlighted. These perspectives are supported by socially constructed and embodied views of musical thought and action, inspired by recent 4E approaches in the cognitive sciences. Illustrations drawn from recent qualitative and quantitative studies invite reflection on differing musical synergies and call for a rethink of the concept of musical mind.