Focus of Attention Affects Togetherness Experiences and Body Interactivity in Piano Duos

Group music-making is a socially rewarding activity that strengthens social bonds and leads to feelings of musical togetherness, that is, feelings of musical alignment and social connection. For skilled ensemble musicians, social rewards are closely tied to the aesthetic rewards that come from achieving a high-quality performance. What playing conditions encourage or discourage togetherness experiences? The purpose of this study was to show how joint and mutual attention contribute to experiences of togetherness, and how togetherness relates to communicative body motion in classical piano duo playing. The study tests two hypotheses: (a) that attention focus affects pianists' togetherness experiences and communicative body motion; and (b) that pianists' body motion can index the strength of their togetherness experiences. Piano duos performed two pieces under conditions that manipulated their attention focus to encourage or discourage joint or mutual attention. Body motion data were collected using optical motion capture, and pianists rated the quality of their playing experience on a number of scales via self-report questionnaire. Results show that joint and mutual attention improved togetherness ratings, while self-directed attention decreased enjoyment. Pianists moved their bodies less when the focus was self-directed and more at the end of the session than during a baseline performance. Coupling of motion periodicities, contrary to expectations, was lower in conditions that promoted joint attention than in the baseline. The main conclusion of the study is that joint and mutual attention strengthen togetherness experiences and affect communicative body motion, but that measures of body motion provide unreliable indicators of togetherness. The study leads to a more nuanced understanding of the construct of togetherness and how it can be measured.