Exploring the Musicality of Adult Non-Musicians

While the development of musicality, how one interacts with their socio-acoustic environment, is well-documented in musicians, its progression in adult non-musicians remains less explored. This study aims to understand how musicality develops and is expressed in adult non-musicians by employing a mixed-methods, multiple case study approach with five adult non-musicians. The main research question was ‘what musical socio-cultural experiences are discernible in adult non-musicians and how could these experiences have affected participants’ musicality levels? Musical aural skills were assessed using the mini-PROMS musicality test (Zentner & Strauss, 2017) and semi-structured interviews were conducted to uncover contributing socio-cultural experiences. All participants displayed at least a basic level of musical proficiency, with content analysis of the interviews revealing five overarching themes: the role of music in daily life; pivotal musical experiences; cognitive processes; key external influences; and acquired skills. These findings shed light on the significance of music in the lives of all adults and how musical abilities can still develop in non-formal educational environments. Future studies should compare the themes discovered in this study to elucidate their interrelationships in the development of musicality during the entire human lifespan, from childhood to old age.