Musical Imaginations：Multidisciplinary Perspectives On Creativity, Performance And Perception

Musicalimaginationandcreativityareamongstthemostabstractandcomplexaspectsofmusicalbehaviour,though,untilrecently,theyhavebeendifficulttosubjecttoempiricalenquiry.However,musicpsychologyandsomeallieddisciplineshavenowdeveloped,boththeoreticallyandmethodologically,tothepointwheresomeofthesetopicsarenowfirmlywithinourgrasp.Thestudyofcreativityandimaginationisgrowingrapidlyindisciplinesincludingpsychology,sociology,neuroscience,andeducation.Theinter-andmultidisciplinarystudyofmusic,anddevelopmentsinmusicpsychologyinparticular,meanthatstudiesofmusicalimaginationandcreativityinactionarenowdistinctlypossible'MusicalImaginations'isawideranging,multidisciplinaryreviewofthelatesttheoryandresearchonmusicalcreativity,performanceandperceptionbysomeofthemosteminentscholarsintheirrespectivedisciplines.Thetopicsaddressedinthisbookincludetheinvestigationofcreativityandimaginationinmusicandemotion,compositionandimprovisation,performanceandperformancetraditions,listeningstrategies,differentmusicalgenresandculturalbeliefsystems,socialcollaboration,identityformation,andthedevelopmentofpsychologically-basedstrategiesandinterventionsfortheenhancementofperformingmusicians.Withcreativitynowatopicofsignificantinterest,thisbookwillbevaluabletoallthoseinthefieldsofpsychology,sociology,neuroscience,education,aswellastomusiciansthemselves-dealingwithpracticalaswellastheoreticalissuesinmusictherapy,performanceandeducation.Thestudyofcreativityandimaginationisgrowingrapidlyindisciplinesincludingpsychology,sociology,neuroscience,andeducation.Theinter-andmultidisciplinarystudyofmusic,anddevelopmentsinmusicpsychologyinparticular,meanthatstudiesofmusicalimaginationandcreativityinactionarenowdistinctlypossible.Thisbookundertakesamultidisciplinaryreviewofthesedevelopments.Itcontainsawiderangeofcontributionsbysomeofthemosteminentscholarsintheirrespectivedisciplines,representingacomprehensiveaccountofthestateoftheartoftheoryandresearchonmusicalcreativity,performanceandperception.