21st century conceptions of musical ability

This study explored conceptions of musical ability using an inventory derived from previous qualitative research. Participants included 102 musicians, 95 educators, 132 adult amateur musicians, 60 adults who were not actively engaged in making music, 193 children actively engaged in making music in addition to their engagement with the school curriculum and 71 children with no engagement with music outside of the school curriculum. Overall, musical ability was most strongly perceived as relating to a sense of rhythm, followed by the ability to understand and interpret the music, express thoughts and feelings through sound, being able to communicate through sound, motivation to engage with music, personal commitment to music, and being able to successfully engage musically with others. Least important were having technical skills, being able to compose or improvise, being able to read music, and understanding musical concepts and musical structures. Factor analysis revealed six factors which differentiated between the six sample groups, with the musicians (professional, amateur and children) and non-musicians demonstrating that musical ability is perceived in complex ways which depend on the environment within which individuals are located, and their particular musical experiences or lack of them.