The relationship between small music ensemble experience and empathy skill: A survey study
A small music ensemble represents a unique form of human social activity, involving a highly complex set of interpersonal communicative skills. To achieve a joint musical goal, ensemble performers actively strive to reach out to the “other,” by sensitively attending to, and aligning their emotions with, those of their co-performers. This suggests that engagement in small music ensembles may be a fruitful domain to cultivate the habit of empathizing. The current study explored the relationship between college music students’ small ensemble experiences and their empathy skills. Undergraduate music performance majors in their senior year ( N = 165) voluntarily completed an online survey that included questions about their background and participation in and attitudes toward small ensembles. They also completed a self-assessment questionnaire that measured their dispositional empathy levels. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that students’ levels of participation in various small ensemble activities significantly predicted their empathy skills, even after controlling for the effect of personal factors. Personality also appeared to play a significant role in predicting music students’ empathy skills.