Abstract
Music making and music listening today: Challenges and opportunities
“Music making and music listening today: Challenges and opportunities” spans a wide array of topics, including music creation, perception, and the impact of music on individuals and groups. Contributions cover areas such as affect dynamics (Borghesi et al.), immersive listening (Vogt et al.), collaborative creativity (Sarcinella et al.), emotion attribution (Cancer et al.), autobiographical memory (O’Shea et al.), and memory stimulation (Bencivenni et al.).
As Guest Editors, we are pleased to present a collection of articles that explore the evolving ways in which individuals interact with music, both as creators and listeners. These contributions address critical challenges in the field, from methodological innovations to understanding the social and cognitive impacts of music, while also highlighting exciting opportunities for future research and application.
A section devoted to affective dynamics and the listening experience begins with Borghesi et al.’s description (2025, pp. 405–424) of their methodological approach for analyzing affect dynamics in music using Markov chain analysis. In this method, conditioned probabilities are used to construct a transition matrix to identify patterns in the way affective states shift during the listening of music. This approach offers an objective means of quantifying and comparing affect dynamics across different conditions, such as music and image viewing, which the authors plan to explore in future work. The use of discrete time- and discrete space-Markov chains provides a framework for understanding the temporal evolution of emotional responses to music.
Building upon the understanding of listening experiences, Vogt et al. (pp. 425–448) present their research on measuring the immersive music-listening experience. The study they report aimed to validate the Immersive Music Experience Inventory (IMEI). The IMEI is a 10-item questionnaire that uses a four-point Likert scale to measure the degree to which listeners are absorbed by music (Sander et al., 2023). The development of reliable instruments such as the IMEI paves the way for future investigations into how spatialization and other audio features can enhance feelings of presence and immersion during music listening, advancing audio technology and user experience.
The realms of music creation and the voice are explored by Sarcinella et al. (2025, pp. 449–469), who examined the dynamics of collaborative musical creativity in a real-world setting. The Networked Flow (NF) model was applied in a study that investigated how factors such as affect, group flow, and social presence influence creative outcomes in a musical contest involving collaborations between bands and rappers. This research provides valuable insights into fostering effective collaboration in musical contexts, offering opportunities for designing musical experiences that promote successful artistic collaboration.
Two studies elucidate the intricate relationship between music, emotion, and cognitive processes. Cancer et al. (2025, pp. 470–483) explored music-related emotion attributions in adolescents with borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits and a healthy control group. The study investigated felt emotional responses, the perceived emotional quality of music, and emotions ascribed to the composer. By comparing these attributions between the two groups, the research offers opportunities for tailoring music-based interventions for adolescents with BPD traits.
O’Shea et al. (2025, pp. 484–501) report an investigation of the nature of music-evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs) in healthy aging. Their mixed-methods study examined the characteristics of MEAMs and their relationship with the emotional valence, intensity, and arousal of the music. This research contributes to understanding how music can serve as a powerful cue for personal memory retrieval in older adults, offering opportunities for music-based interventions aimed at maintaining cognitive function and well-being in aging. The findings highlight the richness and detail of MEAMs, offering opportunities for music in memory-related interventions.
Complementing this article, Bencivenni et al. (2025, pp. 502–515) present a pilot study evaluating the feasibility of a novel music-based protocol for memory stimulation in elderly people with early cognitive decline or dementia. Their research addressed the critical challenge of developing effective non-pharmacological interventions for cognitive impairment. The preliminary findings suggest that a structured music-based protocol can improve memory and potentially enhance global cognitive functions and quality of life in this population, opening promising opportunities for music therapy in the context of aging and dementia.
Collectively, the articles in this Special Issue underscore the dynamic and evolving nature of music-making and music-listening today. They highlight the challenges of developing rigorous methodologies, understanding individual and group dynamics in musical contexts, and harnessing the potential of music for well-being and cognitive enhancement. At the same time, they illuminate the opportunities for innovative research, technological advancements in audio, and the application of music in diverse fields such as education, therapy, and social engagement. We hope that these contributions stimulate further inquiry and collaboration in this vibrant and interdisciplinary field.
We extend our sincere gratitude to all the authors for their insightful contributions and to the reviewers for their meticulous evaluations. Special thanks are also due to the Associate Editor, Andrea Schiavio, and the outgoing Editor-in-Chief of Musicae Scientiae, Jane Ginsborg, for supporting the publication of this Special Issue.