Psychology of Music
This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
Psychology of Music publishes peer-reviewed papers directed at increasing the scientific understanding of any psychological aspect of music. The journal is issued bi-monthly, and includes studies on listening, performing, creating, memorising, analysing, describing, learning, and teaching, as well as applied social, developmental, attitudinal and therapeutic studies. Psychology of Music was established in 1973 as the journal for the Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research (SEMPRE), and has been published by Sage since 2003.
"Without doubt, Psychology of Music is the pre-eminent journal in the field. Its reputation as the source of some of the most sophisticated and elegant research in music psychology has long been unparalleled." Professor Robert Walker
"... absorbing, well-researched and tidily presented, frequently thought-provoking and stimulating. The range of topics and educational levels covered is wide and varied. Journals like this serve an admirable purpose to make readily available reliable up-to-date research to support and encourage all musicians and teachers in their joint pursuits." Colin Touchin
As of January 2025, the journal now accepts manuscripts which are either original empirical investigations containing systematic qualitative or quantitative analyses of relevant data, or theoretical critical papers. Special emphasis is placed on studies carried out in naturalistic settings, and contributions which address the interface between music psychology and music education. Our Research Spotlights series include collections of free-to-access articles from the archive organised around key topics and themes. These are curated by individuals across the field, and include an introduction to the topic or theme.
View the institutional subscription rates: An institutional subscription to Psychology of Music includes a subscription to Research Studies in Music Education (two issues a year, also published by Sage on behalf of SEMPRE). All issues of Psychology of Music are available online. Subscriptions are available in various formats (combined print and online, print only and e-access only).
Psychology of Music and SEMPRE provide an international forum for researchers working in the fields of psychology of music and music education. Individual SEMPRE Membership rates are modest and include a subscription to Psychology of Music. Contact the SEMPRE membership secretary for more information: membership@sempre.org.uk.
Submit your manuscript today at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/pom.
As a journal of SEMPRE, Psychology of Music shares the Society’s aim of providing an international forum for researchers working in the fields of psychology of music and music education. The scope of the journal embraces work directed at increasing the scientific understanding of any psychological aspect of music. This includes rigorous and systematic studies on listening, performing, creating, memorising, analysing, describing, learning, and teaching, as well as applied social, developmental, attitudinal and therapeutic studies.
Special emphasis is placed on studies carried out in naturalistic settings, and contributions which address the interface between music psychology and music education.
Psychology of Music publishes high quality research for an international community of researchers, educators, and practitioners. The journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We depend on the generous work of specialist peer-reviewers, and an editorial team including expert Associate and Consulting editorial board members who kindly provide this service alongside their main professional commitments.
We invite submissions of up to 6000 words in one of two formats:
a) Original empirical investigations containing systematic qualitative or quantitative analyses of relevant data. Special emphasis is placed on studies carried out in naturalistic settings, and contributions which address the interface between music psychology and music education; or
b) Theoretical critical papers which stimulate intellectual discourse and further research through engagement with existing concepts, models, or frameworks. Within the broad submission format of a Theoretical critical paper, contributors may offer critical, methodological, conceptual, or systematic review papers, where these constitute a rigorous, structured approach to evaluating and advancing theoretical knowledge.
We do not publish conference reports and no longer accept book reviews. However, contributors keen to offer these are welcome to contact the Editors-in-Chief, who may be able to advise on publication routes in their capacity as SEMPRE committee members.
The submission process requires authors to demonstrate their compliance with ethical research practices. Original empirical investigations should meet the standards outlined in the APA Ethics and Code of Conduct. The submission process further asks authors to report on the availability of their underlying data. Our current journal policy encourages all authors to follow FAIR principles to make their research accessible, discoverable and citable. Contributors and reviewers can find detailed advice on journal policy within the manuscript preparation section of the Psychology of Music Submission Guidance pages. For further information and FAQs, visit the Sage Research Data policy pages.
The Editors-in-Chief welcome queries from authors on any aspect of ethics (Michelle Phillips) or open data (Nikki Moran). Queries on scope or methodology may be addressed to either Michelle or Nikki. Questions regarding the submission process should be directed to psychologyofmusic@gmail.com
| Nikki Moran | Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh, UK |
| Michelle Phillips | Royal Northern College of Music, UK |
| Alexandra Lamont | Independent Scholar, UK |
| Karen Wise | Guildhall School of Music & Drama, UK |
| Katerina Drakoulaki | Mount Holyoke College, MA, USA |
| Mayumi Adachi | Hokkaido University, Japan |
| Paolo Ammirante | Ryerson University, Canada |
| Richard Ashley | Northwestern University, USA |
| Arielle Bonneville-Roussy | Université de Québec à Montreal, Canada |
| Warren Brodsky | Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel |
| Dan Cameron | McMaster University, Canada |
| Hugo Cogo-Moreira | Østfold University College, Norway |
| Annabel J. Cohen | University of Prince Edward Island, Canada |
| Caroline Curwen | Durham University, UK |
| Jane Davidson | University of Melbourne, Australia |
| Genevieve Dingle | University of Queensland, Australia |
| Tuomas Eerola | University of Durham, UK |
| Karen Goodman | Monclair State University, USA |
| Alinka Greasley | University of Leeds, UK |
| Martin Hartmann | University of Jyväskylä, Finland |
| Allan Hewitt | University of Strathclyde, UK |
| Beatriz Ilari | Thornton School of Music, University of Southern California, USA |
| Kelly Jakubowski | Durham University, UK |
| Jennifer Blackwell | Northwestern University, USA |
| Elaine King | University of Hull, UK |
| Amanda Krause | James Cook University, Australia |
| Gunter Kreutz | Carl von Ossietzky Universitat Oldenburg, Germany |
| Fang Liu | University of Reading, UK |
| Raymond MacDonald | University of Edinburgh, UK |
| Kathryn Marsh | University of Sydney, Australia |
| Adrian C. North | Curtin University, Australia |
| Katherine O'Neill | University of York, UK |
| Susan O'Neill | Institute of Education, University College London, UK |
| Adam Ockelford | University of Roehampton, UK |
| Ioulia Papageorgi | University of Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Landon Peck | University of Sheffield, UK |
| Michelle Phillips | Royal Northern College of Music, UK |
| Dawn Rose | Lucerne University of Applied Arts and Sciences, Switzerland |
| E. Glenn Schellenberg | University of Toronto, Canada |
| Emery Schubert | The University of New South Wales, Australia |
| Neta Spiro | Royal College of Music, UK |
| Jonna Vuoskoski | University of Oslo, Norway |
| Graham Welch | University College London, UK |
| Clemens Wöllner | University of Music Freiburg |
| Margaret S. Barrett | Monash University, Australia |
| Pamela Burnard | University of Cambridge, UK |
| Eugenia Costa-Giomi | Ohio State University, USA |
| Ian Cross | University of Cambridge, UK |
| Jane Ginsborg | Royal Northern College of Music, UK |
| David J. Hargreaves | Roehampton University, UK |
| Patrik N. Juslin | Uppsala University, Sweden |
| Don Knox | Glasgow Caledonian University, UK |
| Mats Küssner | Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany |
| Siw Graabræk Nielsen | Norwegian Academy of Music, Norway |
| Mark Reybrouck | Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium |
| Renee Timmers | University of Sheffield, UK |
Manuscript submission guidelines can be accessed on Sage Journals.