Following the publication of our paper "Micro-variations in timing and loudness affect music-evoked mental imagery", the University of Sydney has just shared a media release! How tiny tweaks in music shape what we imagine www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...

The first study from my PhD project is now available! 🎉 "Micro-variations in timing and loudness affect music-evoked mental imagery" Supervised by wonderful @steffenherff.bsky.social @andytonality.bsky.social and @muireannirish.bsky.social. Read here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

“Whether we’re celebrating or grieving, music is something we can turn to." A new study led by @steffenherff.bsky.social from @sydney.edu.au's Sydney Conservatorium of Music has shown for the first time empirically that music can keep you company by facilitating imagined social interactions.

@cerenayyildiz.bsky.social from the @smmb-lab.bsky.social just did a wonderful interview on live TV discussing our recent research looking at 'Can Music be good company'. #musicscience #mentalimagery @sydney.edu.au

Wonderful to see our research being featured on the ABC's Weekend Breakfast. In a wonderful chat between @cerenayyildiz.bsky.social from the Sydney, Music, Mind, and Body Lab, and Fauziah Ibrahim & Tom Oriti from the ABC, they discussed how music can be good company. @sydney.edu.au

Can you think of examples of books, films, TV shows, etc. featuring earworms or other types of imagined music? Please share them here! musicinmyhead.org/inner-music-...

My supervisor, Dr @steffenherff.bsky.social, and I wrote this piece for The Conversation on music and imagination: “Can music be good company?” …based on our lab’s recent work @smmb-lab.bsky.social theconversation.com/can-music-be...

Can music be good company? We contributed a small piece to the @theconversation.com drawing from recent work in the field of music and mental imagery. #musicscience #mentalimagery theconversation.com/can-music-be...

Delighted to share our new work 'Solitary silence and social sounds: music can influence mental imagery, inducing thoughts of social interactions'. We show that music is indeed good company! #musicscience #mentalimagery www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We had a great time in São Paulo! A massive thanks to all attendees, both in person and online, as well as the organisers of the #icmpc18 who made this such a rich experience. #musicscience

Massimo Grassi, Do musicians have better short-term memory than nonmusicians? Multilab study shows musos are different from non-musos. + shows small effects can be reliably detected. + multilab benefits> diverse, globally rep. samples w/ research work distributed #ICMPC2025 #MusicScience #ICMPC18

Fernando Castellar from the SMMBL shows how the use of music and mental imagery differs between athletes and coaches and as a function of competitive level. #icmpc18 #musicscience

In addition to her talk on the effect of rhythmic layering on mental imagery, @cerenayyildiz.bsky.social from the SMMBL also contributed a poster showing compelling interactions between musical micro variations and individual absorption tendencies on mental imagery #icmpc18 #musicscience

Fernando Castellar from the SMMBL presents new data on how music & mental imagery affect performance in a sporting task. He shows that even after a single, short mental imagery session, skill acquisition is already dramatically increased! #icmpc18 #musicscience

At #icmpc18 @adefathiawati.bsky.social from the SMMBL shares new data about the prevalence of Music Performance Anxiety, as well as deployed mitigation strategies amongst tertiary music student in Australia.

@ugurmkaya.bsky.social from the SMMBL shares at the #icmpc18 how expert vocalists can intentionally shape the mental imagery of listeners. In a mixed method design he collected 6 hours(!) of singing and interview recordings for each participating vocalists. #musicscience

Ade (@adefathiawati.bsky.social) from our lab highlighted updated trends in Music Performance Anxiety among tertiary music students across Australia, as well as the mitigation strategies students use 📊 #ICMPC18 @smmb-lab.bsky.social

Ugur @ugurmkaya.bsky.social from our lab just gave a great talk at #ICMPC18 on how vocalists draw on their own intuitions to influence the vividness and emotional quality of listeners’ mental imagery. 🎤 @smmb-lab.bsky.social

#icmpc18 more excellent research coming from @smmb-lab.bsky.social. Ade Fathiawati shares her findings on psychological and pharmacological strategies to mitigate performance anxiety among students.

My lab colleague Fernando Castellar presented his poster on ‘The prevalence of music, mental imagery, and their combined use as a mental training technique by athletes and coaches’ at #ICMPC18 today! 🏋️🏌️‍♂️⛹️‍♀️🎶🎧💭 it’s inspiring to see how far his research has come! @smmb-lab.bsky.social

My wonderful PhD supervisor, @steffenherff.bsky.social, gave a fantastic talk at #ICMPC18 on “Expertise predicts more efficient muscle spike shapes in drummers” today! 🥁 Incredible to see how nuanced motor control evolves with skill 💪 #ICMPC18 @smmb-lab.bsky.social

Dr. Steffen Herff from @smmb-lab.bsky.social shares very rich findings at #icmpc18 about expertise-related muscle activation in drummers. This work has important implications for biofeedback interventions to help musicians develop their skills and avoid playing-related injury. #musicscience

Miriam Olsen, @smmb-lab.bsky.social,The efficacy of using biofeedback... : A systematic review and meta-analysis >biofeedback has potential to regulate muscle activity, improve musical performance & reduce musicians' health symptoms >could supplement normal practice #ICMPC2025 #MusicScience

Congratulations to @harinlee.info for winning the #ICMPC18 best student paper award! 🥇

Suvi Saarikallio, Psychological functions of personally meaningful vs mundane music listening emotions/memories more prevalent in personally meaningful compared to music in general (where fun/background = more prevalent), so we need to consider personal context of music #ICMPC2025 #MusicScience

Please feel free to drop by at the poster session tomorrow where I will share our findings on individual differences interacting with micro-variations in timing and loudness to affect music-induced mental imagery! ⏱️📣🎶💭 #musicscience #ICMPC18

been in the Dance, Music, and Social Synchrony symposium at #ICMPC2025. really neat findings from multiple studies shared + a nice model from the neurolive team. #MusicScience

@miriamolsen.bsky.social from our @smmb-lab.bsky.social presented a talk on ‘The efficacy of using biofeedback to reduce playing-related musculoskeletal pain and improve performance in musicians: A systematic review and meta-analysis’ at #ICMPC18! 🎶👩‍🎤💪

🎉 New Publication Alert! 🎉 Incredibly excited to share our new paper, "Music as Social Surrogate? A Qualitative Analysis of Older Adults’ Choices of Music to Alleviate Loneliness", now published in Musicae Scientiae! 📰 Read here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Sydney Music, Mind and Body Lab @smmb-lab.bsky.social is at #icmpc18 in São Paulo! 🇧🇷 The conference started with a great keynote by Vinoo Alluri!

At #ICMPC18, Gerard Breaden Madden shares some pretty convincing evidence why it is important to regularly clean your musical instruments...I'm probably going to have nightmares about the slide showing bacteria colonies grown from woodwind reeds... #musicscience

@miriamolsen.bsky.social of the SMMBL critically evaluates the efficacy of Biofeedback systems to support musicians' health: They are pretty effective!! #icmpc18 #musicscience

@cerenayyildiz.bsky.social from the SMMBL shares at #ICMPC18 the results of her latest study, showing how layering rhythms and instruments affects imagination! #MusicScience #MentalImagery

We are very much looking forward to the #ICMPC18. The program looks excellent. Members of the SMMBL are also involved in 9 contributions this year, if any pique your interest, drop by! #MusicScience