Music psychologists investigate all aspects of musical behavior by applying methods and knowledge from all aspects of psychology. Topics of study include for example:
* everyday music listening
* musical rituals and gatherings
* the specific skills and processes involved in learning a musical instrument or singing in a choir
* musical behaviors such as dancing and responding emotionally to music
* development of musical behaviours and abilities throughout the lifespan
* the role of music in forming personal and group identities
* preferences: the reasons why we like some kinds of music and not others
* the structures that we hear within music: melody, phrasing, harmony, tonality, rhythm, meter
* the psychological processes involved in musical performance
