Editors’ introduction: connectivity and diversity in music cognition

Scholarly interest in the context of music listening and its influence on music cognition and connection is flourishing after decades of a predominantly individualistic approach. This article introduces a special issue that explores research on the theme of connectivity and diversity in music cognition research arising from the ICMPC16-ESCOM11 conference. The conference itself, held online during the later stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, transcended national borders, bringing together researchers and practitioners from multiple continents in a digital context. In this introduction, we set the scene for this topic as it related to the conference. The included papers are the outcome of workshops held as part of the conference. The first paper in the special issue explores the use of embodied consciousness as part of pedagogical strategies to help music performers connect with embodied memories that can support their understanding of the work they are performing. The second paper considers uses of music in the early stages of motherhood, including a comparison between the active choice to regularly sing or listen to music and its perceived effects for the mother and her infant. The papers and associated commentaries offer a window into the rich research theme of connectivity and diversity that is likely to be influential over the years to come.