Behavioral Sciences
August 9, 2018
Andrea Schiavio, Dylan van der Schyff
79 citations
Mind is increasingly understood as embodied, embedded, extended, and enactive (4E), but these ideas have rarely been applied to musical development. This article explores how 4E cognitive science can inform music pedagogy by connecting the concept of autopoiesis—the self-regenerating nature of living systems—with the emergent dynamics of musical growth. It argues that principles of self-organization align with several new teaching approaches and that these conceptual tools support interactive and collective music pedagogy. The work promotes collaboration among musicians, pedagogues, and cognitive scientists to enrich understanding of musical learning.
Frontiers in psychology
January 1, 2017
Andrea Schiavio, Dylan Van der Schyff, Silke Kruse-Weber et al.
44 citations
The paper argues that early musical behaviors in infants can be understood through the 4E approach to cognition—embodied, embedded, enacted, and extended. Drawing on observational research by François Delalande and Piaget's play stages, the authors introduce "teleomusicality," goal-directed behaviors for exploring and playing with sounds, distinct from earlier "protomusicality" (music-like utterances and emotional interactions not focused on sound itself). A shift from protomusicality to teleomusicality occurs between 6 and 10 months of age, marked by an attentive shift. The framework includes Original Teleomusical Acts (OTAs) seen in exploratory behaviors and Constituted Teleomusical Acts (CTAs), which involve more complex goal-directed chains for musical activity.
Phenomenology and the cognitive sciences
January 1, 2021
Simon Høffding, Andrea Schiavio
25 citations
Music-making is better understood as an exploratory activity than solely as aesthetic expression. Drawing on enactive and phenomenological analysis of infants in early musical activities, an expert jazz improviser, and members of a prominent string quartet, the authors argue that music-making involves a dual intentionality: one directed outward toward the sonic, material, and social environment, and one directed inward toward bodily awareness and reflective mental states. In enactivist terms, exploration is a fundamental way of making sense of oneself as coupled with the world. This perspective highlights the developmental, sensorimotor, and advanced cognitive resources involved in music-making.
Frontiers in psychology
January 1, 2025
Serena Paese, Andrea Schiavio
1 citation
A four-week mindfulness course that includes body-centered meditation, meditation on thoughts, and affect-centered meditation can enhance wellbeing, boost emotional balance, and reduce the occurrence of music performance anxiety. Qualitative data from 12 musicians who participated in two short mindfulness courses and provided diary entries and open-ended responses support these benefits. The findings suggest that these meditation types positively impact musicians' wellbeing and performance skills, though further research is warranted to explore additional methods.
Psychological Perspectives on Musical Experiences and Skills
June 20, 2024
Andrea Schiavio, Dylan Van der Schyff
1 citation
This chapter introduces the '4E cognition' framework—embodied, embedded, extended, and enactive—and applies it to music. By examining musical examples in perception, remote learning, performance, and development, it shows how bodily interaction with the environment shapes musical experience and learning. The authors argue that this perspective reveals a continuum between musical activity and human flourishing. The chapter traces the framework's origins in philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science, then explores each 'E' in musical contexts, aiming to demonstrate the framework's relevance for music research.