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This study describes a preliminary test of the hypothesis that, when people engage in musical and linguistic activities designed to enhance the interactive, turn-taking properties of typical conversation, they benefit in ways that enhance empathy and self-esteem, relative to people who experience activities that are similar except that synchronous action is emphasized, with no interactional turn-taking. Twenty-two 12–14 year olds identified as socially vulnerable (e.g., for anxiety) received six enjoyable 1-h sessions of musical improvisation, language games that developed sensitivity to linguistic rhythm and melody, and cross-over activities like rap. The Turn-taking group (n = 11), practiced characteristics of conversation in language games, and these were also introduced into musical activities. This involved much turn-taking and predicting what others would do. A matched control group, the Synchrony group, did similar activities but in synchrony, with less prediction and no turn-taking. Task complexity increased over the six sessions. Psychometric testing before and after the series showed that the Turn-taking group increased in empathy on self-report (Toronto Empathy Questionnaire) and behavioral (‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes’) measures, and in the General subtest of the Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventory. While more work is needed to confirm the conclusions for relevant demographic groups, the current results point to the social value of musical and linguistic activities that mimic entrained, tightly coordinated parameters of everyday conversational interaction, in which, at any one time, individuals act as equal participants who have different roles.

Musik eksperimental sering dikatakan sebagai musik kontemporer atau musik yang berbeda dari konvensi musik tradisional. Perbedaannya, dalam musik eksperimental mengedepankan pengalaman auditif yang ‘tidak biasa’. Hal tersebut bisa dilihat dari bermacam elemen, seperti dari pemilihan alat, cara memainkan alat yang non-konvensional sehingga menghasilkan timbre yang tidak lazim, serta pola garap musik yang memfokuskan pada eksplorasi bunyidalam pembangun suara sehingga menghasilkan output yang kadangkala tidak familiar di telinga. Berpijak dari penjelasan mengenai musik eksperimental tersebut, timbul ketertarikan penulis untuk menciptakan sebuah karya musik kontemporer dengan mengadopsi salah satu rumus/sistem kerja matematika yaitu pencarian KPK (Kelipatan persekutuan terkecil), dengan menggunakan metode pohon faktor (faktorisasi prima) sebagai cara kerja dalam penciptaan karya musik eksperimental yang berjudul Angkep Wilang. Formulasi serta cara kerja aritmatika ini penulis transformasikan ke dalam media ansambel gamelan Bali, dengan memadukan dua jenis laras yang terdapat pada gamelan Bali yaitu laras pelog dan laras slendro. Jenis gamelan yang digunakan sebagai perwakilan dari laras pelog adalah Semar Pagulingan Saih Pitu, sedangkan untuk laras sle­ndro menggunakan gamelan Angklung Saih Lima. Metode penciptaan karya yang digunakan dalam komposisi musik ini mengacu pada konsep kekaryaan yang dikemukakan oleh Alma M. Hawkins,yaitu exploration, improvisation, dan forming. Abstract Experimental Music: Angkep Wilang. Experimental music is often said to be contemporary music or music that is different from traditional music conventions. The difference is that experimental music puts forward an 'unusual' auditive experience. This can be seen from various elements, such as the selection of instruments, unconventional ways of playing instruments that produce unusual timbres, and patterns of musical compositions that focus on sound exploration in sound construction to produce output that is sometimes unfamiliar to the ear. Based on this explanation of experimental music, the author's interest arose in creating a contemporary piece of music by adopting one of the mathematical formulas/work systems, namely the search for the LCM (least common multiple), using the factor tree method (prime factorisation) as a way of working in creation. An experimental piece of music is entitled Angkep Wilang. The writer transforms the formulation and the practice of working this arithmetic into a Balinese gamelan ensemble medium by combining the two types of tunings found in Balinese gamelan, namely the pelog tunings and the slendro tunings. The kind of gamelan used to represent the pelog tunings is Semar Pagulingan Saih Pitu, while for the slendro tunings, the gamelan Angklung Saih Lima is used. The numbers used in the search are 28 and 20; these two numbers are obtained through the media used to realise the concepts that have been designed. The work creation method used in this musical composition refers to the creative idea put forward by Alma M. Hawkins, namely exploration, improvisation, and forming. Keywords: Angkep Wilang; Experimental; LCM

Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins. By Aidan Levy. New York: Hachette Books, 2022. [xii, 772 p. ISBN 9780306902796 (hardcover), $35; ISBN 9780306902802 (paperback), $22.99; ISBN 9780306902826 [...]