Developing compositional strategies based on the auraldiversity of Neurodivergent musicians

神经分化的人一直对人类文化做出贡献。然而，像自闭症患者这样的神经少数群体长期以来一直是歧视的对象，从微小的侵犯到对他们存在权利的系统性质疑。在这种神经分化的医学观点中，使思维与社会接受的规范不同的特征被视为需要“治愈”的负面属性。因此，尽管神经分化个体占人口的15-20%，但关于神经分化文化的文献有限也就不足为奇了。对神经发散者的音乐体验的研究很少，重点放在音乐的治疗用途上。这类研究的重点往往是在没有涉及神经分化群体的情况下确定的，因此它无法解决这些群体感兴趣的领域。另一方面，本项目从神经发散艺术家的角度探讨神经发散与音乐的关系，拓展我们对神经发散文化的理解。它解决了三个问题：神经发散型音乐家的听觉多样性（听觉多样性）如何影响他们的创作过程？我们如何制定组合策略，使这种多样性增值？如何利用这些策略来实现音乐世界的范式转变，促进神经和听觉的多样性？这个项目的预期结果是我们对神经发散音乐文化的理解的进步。该项目将涉及神经分化表演者和作曲家，积极为这些被污名化的少数群体开发表演机会。从长远来看，预计通过该项目开发的知识和网络将导致创建神经分化音乐中心，促进神经多样性。我正在进行的研究对音乐教育具有特殊的价值，我在2022年进行的一个行动研究项目证明了这一点。研究结果表明，显然需要一些策略来帮助神经发散型音乐家理解和表达他们对声音的具体思考方式，为他们提供工具来开发一种创造性的实践，以实现他们的多样性。通过扩展这些发现，我的研究将直接有助于为神经发散型音乐家创造更公平和包容的环境。

Neurodivergent people have always contributed to human cultures. Yet neurominorities such as Autistic people have long been the subject of discrimination, from microaggressions to a systematic questioning of their right to exist.In this medicalised view of neurodivergence, characteristics that make a mind different from socially accepted norms are seen as negative attributes that need to be "cured". It is therefore unsurprising that limited literature on Neurodivergent culture exists, despite the fact Neurodivergent individuals represent 15-20% of the population. Research on the musical experiences of Neurodivergent people is meagre, and emphasis is placed on therapeutic uses of music. The focus of such research is often decided without involving Neurodivergent communities, and as a result it fails to address areas that are of interest to these communities.This project on the other hand approaches the relationship between neurodivergence and music from the perspective of Neurodivergent artists, expanding our understanding of Neurodivergent culture. It addresses three questions: how does the auraldiversity (the diversity of hearing) of Neurodivergent musicians influence their creative process? How can we develop compositional strategies that valorise this diversity? And how can these strategies be used to work towards a paradigm shift in the music world, promoting neuro- and auraldiversity?An expected outcome of this project is the advancement of our understanding of Neurodivergent musical culture. The project will involve Neurodivergent performers and composers, actively developing performance opportunities for these stigmatised minorities. Over the long term, it is expected that the knowledge and networks developed through this project will lead to the creation of a Neurodivergent Music Centre, promoting neurodiversity.The study I am conducting has a particular value to music education, as was evidenced by an action research project I conducted in 2022. Results indicated a clear need for strategies to enable Neurodivergent musicians to understand and express the embodied ways they think about sound, giving them tools to develop a creative practice that valorises their diversity. By expanding on these findings, my research will directly contribute to creating more equitable and inclusive environments for Neurodivergent musicians.