This new publication is a collaboration involving several of our guest speakers. The Music Ensemble dataset is a large international study that looks at how musical experience relates to thinking skills, personality, and background. It includes information from 1,438 young adults (aged 18–30) from 35 research locations across Europe, North America, South America, and Australia.
Participants took part in in-person lab sessions where they completed a range of tests. These measured things like memory (including verbal, visual, and musical memory), problem-solving, language skills, and how well they understand music. They also filled out questionnaires about their musical abilities, enjoyment of music, personality traits, education, income level, and other personal details.
The study followed the same standardized procedure at all locations and was carefully planned in advance. It also includes a large group of musicians and non-musicians who were closely matched by age, gender, and education (678 matched pairs).
This dataset makes it possible to explore how musical training is connected to differences in thinking skills, personality, and life background. It can also be used for learning and practicing statistical analysis methods.
Publication
Music Ensemble: a large dataset on musicianship, cognition, and personality in musicians and nonmusicians. Sci Data 2026 Feb 18. Online ahead of print.