The Relationship Between Musical Training and The Experience of Emotion in Music

Kayla McDonald

Music has long been thought to elicit strong emotional responses, and existing research supports this claim. This study examines the relationship between musical training and the recognition and experience of emotion cues in music. General empathy is also explored. Participants listened to segments taken from Schubert's Moment Musicaux and indicated emotional response. Results suggest there is no effect of musical training but there is a significant effect of global empathy on emotion response in active music listening.