This study aims to investigate how a few months of regulative music therapy (RMT) influences the mind and body in subjects with music experience. Twelve healthy subjects (4 males and 8 females, mean age: 26.5±7.9 years) were recruited and categorized based on music experience into two groups: a group with music experience and a group without music experience. Saliva samples were collected before and after each experiment, and the subjects’ salivary levels of cortisol and secretory immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) were analyzed in relation to their musical experience. The subjects also completed the psychological stress response scale (SRS)-18 questionnaire before and after the experiment, and the resultant data were examined vis-à-vis music experience. In addition, the subjects were asked to give feedback via free description and interview. The study revealed both a physiological stress index (S-IgA levels) and a psychological stress index (SRS-18 scores) of the subjects with music experience were affected by continuing RMT, resulting in noteworthy stress reductions. However, according to the open answers, the subjects with music experience were very sensitive to the instrument they had practiced for a long time and particular about their taste in performance.

Brass instrument players alter the sound by regulating lip and oral conditions. Previous studies have measured the perioral muscles’ activity during performance and identified the main muscles contributing to phonation and its change. However, the dynamics and synergies of muscle activity during phonation and its individual differences have not been sufficiently clarified. In the present study, muscle activity of the perioral muscles and the masseter and sternocleidomastoid muscles were measured during the performance of two horn players (an expert and an intermediate player: the intermediate was a pupil of the expert). Time series waveforms of their muscle activities were visually compared between the players. Rapid changes in the muscle activity of the expert player were observed at the timing of the rise and fall of muscle activity, which were commonly reported in previous studies that investigated muscle activity in playing the piano and percussion instruments. The combination of muscles that coordinatedly activated differed between players. Individual differences were also observed in the activity of the masseter and sternocleidomastoid muscles. The results were discussed in terms of neural adaptation and motor control.

In the field of music perception and cognition, experimental and survey-based studies frequently reveal considerable individual differences in participants’ responses. This paper provides an overview of the attributes contributing to such differences, focusing particularly on the psychological attributes related to music. For this purpose, this paper introduces key measurement methods for capturing these attributes, including tendencies in music listening, musicality, and subjective benefits. Finally, future considerations and directions are discussed.