Cognitive ecology: music, gesture and cognition
Bruce D. Johnson · 2014
This paper is condensed from an article that will be published in a collection of essays on musicians and audiences. My paper has four components. First, I reaffirm the qualitative and quantitative significance of live music and its audiences. I then wish to argue that the importance of live music performance hinges precisely on the corporeality that distinguishes it from mediatised performances. Further, that corporeal gestures play an essential cognitive role in the relationship between participants. Finally I identify a category of musical event which illustrates the argument most intensely.