Music and Empathy

In recent years, empathy has received considerable research attention as a means of understanding a range of psychological phenomena. Music and Empathy seeks to promote and stimulate further research, exposing current developmental, cognitive, social and philosophical perspectives, and considers the notion in relation to our engagement with different types of music and media. Following a Prologue, the volume presents twelve chapters in two main areas of enquiry, entitled 'Empathy and Musical Engagement' and 'Empathy in Performing Together', and will be of interest to music educators, musicologists, performers and practitioners, as well as scholars with an interest in empathy research.

Elaine King is Senior Lecturer in Music at the University of Hull. She co-edited Music and Gesture (Ashgate 2006), New Perspectives on Music and Gesture (Ashgate 2011) and Music and Familiarity (Ashgate 2013), and has published book chapters and articles on aspects of ensemble rehearsal and performance. She is a member of the Royal Musical Association (Council, 2009-12) and Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research (Conference Secretary, 2006-12) as well as Associate Editor of Psychology of Music. She is an active cellist, pianist and conductor. Caroline Waddington received her Master of Music in Solo Performance from the Royal Northern College of Music and her PhD in Music from the University of Hull, for which she carried out research on peak performance and empathy in ensemble playing. She enjoys a busy portfolio career in music performance, research and education. Caroline also has a strong commitment to arts and health work and delivers various projects in hospitals, hospices and special schools around the UK.

Introduction Prologue: Revisiting the Problem of Empathy Part 1: Empathy and Musical Engagement Chapter 1: Towards a Developmental Model of Musical Empathy Using Insights from Children who are on the Autism Spectrum or who have Learning Difficulties Chapter 2: Synchronisation - A Musical Substrate for Positive Social Interaction and Empathy Chapter 3: Music: The Language of Empathy Chapter 4: The Social Side of Music Listening: Empathy and Contagion in Music-Induced Emotions Chapter 5: Audience Responses in the Light of Perception-Action Theories of Empathy Chapter 6: Viewing Empathy in Jazz Performance Part 2: Empathy in Performing Together Chapter 7: Otherwise Than Participation: Unity and Alterity in Musical Encounters Chapter 8: In Dub Conference: Empathy, Groove and Technology in Jamaican Popular Music Chapter 9: Empathy of the Musical Brain in Musicians Playing In Ensemble Chapter 10: When it Clicks: Co-Performer Empathy in Ensemble Playing Chapter 11: Developing Trust with Others: Or, How to Empathise Like a Performer Chapter 12: The Empathic Nature of the Piano Accompanist