October 2026
It’s been a busy year for my Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship research at Durham University.
Following the initial pilot study, which explored how musical expertise and context influence the narratives people imagine while listening to music, the main study began in June 2026.
The research examines whether music–colour synaesthesia influences how expert musicians construct imagined narratives, experience musical tension and identify meaningful changes as music unfolds.
One of the major developments has been adapting the experimental procedure for remote participation, allowing musicians with and without synaesthesia to take part from different locations.
With recruitment approaching completion, the next stage will involve analysing the relationships between synaesthetic experience, musical structure, event segmentation and narrative engagement.
I’m looking forward to seeing what the data reveal about the role of synaesthesia in musical imagination.
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