Musical engagement across the lifespan

Most people find listening to music to be an enjoyable and rewarding experience; and one that helps individuals to regulate their mood, fosters social interaction, supports a sense of self and promotes psychological well-being. However, research on this topic has tended to focus on the experiences of adolescentes and young adults. Nonetheless, there is good reason to suspect that older adults might engage with music differently to their younger counterparts (Lonsdale & North, 2011). As the proportion of older adults in many developed nations is set to increase significantly over the next few decades it is important that research accurately reflects the role that music plays in an ageing society.

The proposed PhD project could employ either qualitative or quantitative methods to investigate how people of all ages use, respond to, and value music and how this might change across the lifespan.

The project should also seek to explore the possible reasons for any age-related changes in musical engagement (e.g., personality, identity, emotional intelligence, lifestyle & technological factors, etc.).

A project could also consider focusing on significant transitions in an individual's life (e.g., starting school, leaving home for university, becoming a parent & retirement) to establish the extent to which these developmental milestones affect people's engagement with music. Research students will have the opportunity to apply ideas and theoretical frameworks from a variety of different topic areas and disciplines to tackle these questions.

There is an additional requirement to undertake up to 6 hours undergraduate teaching/week during semesters and to participate in a teaching skills course without further remuneration.

Please direct any questions about the project to Dr Adam Lonsdale (alonsdale@brookes.ac.uk)