School of Psychology

Dr. Alexandra Lamont

Title:	Senior Lecturer in Music Psychology
Phone:	+44 (0)1782 733323
Email:	a.m.lamont@keele.ac.uk
Location:	Dorothy Hodgkin Building 1.86
Role:	Research Lead, Psychology of Health & Wellbeing Group Internationalisation Director, School of Psychology and Faculty of Natural Sciences
Contacting me:	Please make an appointment via email.

Biography
Research and Scholarship
Publications
Teaching
Further Information
More

I came to Keele in 2001 primarily to teach on the MSc in Music Psychology and have been involved with postgraduate teaching and research ever since. I have studied and taught in the fields of music, education and psychology, and my interests are diverse. In psychology, my expertise lies in positive psychology, developmental psychology and in research methods, as well as my specialism in music psychology. I am also interested in musical development and music education, and in the sociology and psychology of music consumption.

My recent work has taken me into the international arena in both teaching and research. I led the final few years of the Keele-Ludong (China) transnational education programme in Psychology, and am currently the School Internationalisation Director for Psychology and the Faculty Internationalisation Director for Natural Sciences.

My research centres on issues of musical development and musical engagement across the lifecourse. I have carried out studies with infants in the laboratory, research with children at schools using a range of methods, and studies of adults both in laboratory settings and more often in real life contexts. My main research question is why and how people choose to engage with music. Why does a toddler respond well to a familiar piece of music? What can children learn about themselves through music? Why do we experience strong emotions in relation to music at festivals and live concerts? What kinds of social bonds are formed through active musical engagement? My research focuses on exploring these questions in everyday settings and placing musical experience in the wider context of people's lives.

I am currently working on research evaluating the development of a choir for older singers over a ten year period, with Katie Wright-Bevans and Michael Murray, and on writing up projects relating to music as a leisure activity across the lifespan and the impact of strong emotional experiences of music. I am also developing new projects drawing on positive psychology to explore the effect of music listening and attending live musical events. I am the current lead of the Psychology of Health & Wellbeing research theme and have recently completed a five year term as Editor of the journal Psychology of Music.

Selected Publications

Lamont A, Murray M, Hale R, Wright-Bevans K. 2018. Singing in later life: The anatomy of a community choir. PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC, vol. 46(3), 424-439. link> doi> full text>
Taylor J, Lamont A, Murray M. 2018. Talking about sunbed tanning in online discussion forums: Assertions and arguments. Psychol Health, vol. 33(4), 518-536. link> doi> full text>
Cogo-Moreira H and Lamont AM. 2017. Multidimensional measurement of exposure to music in childhood: Beyond the musician/ non-musician dichotomy. Psychology of Music. doi> link> full text>
Taylor J, Murray M, Lamont A. Talking about sunbed tanning: Social representations and identity-work. Soc Sci Med, vol. 184, 161-168. link> doi> full text>
Barros CG, Swardfager W, Moreno S, Bortz G, Ilari B, Jackowski AP, Ploubidis G, Little TD, Lamont A, Cogo-Moreira H. 2017. Assessing Music Perception in Young Children: Evidence for and Psychometric Features of the M-Factor. Front Neurosci, vol. 11, 18. link> doi> full text>

Full Publications List show

Books

Berryman JC, Smythe PK, Taylor A, Lamont A, Joiner R. 2002. Developmental Psychology and You. BPS Blackwell, Oxford.

Journal Articles

Lamont A, Murray M, Hale R, Wright-Bevans K. 2018. Singing in later life: The anatomy of a community choir. PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC, vol. 46(3), 424-439. link> doi> full text>
Taylor J, Lamont A, Murray M. 2018. Talking about sunbed tanning in online discussion forums: Assertions and arguments. Psychol Health, vol. 33(4), 518-536. link> doi> full text>
Cogo-Moreira H and Lamont AM. 2017. Multidimensional measurement of exposure to music in childhood: Beyond the musician/ non-musician dichotomy. Psychology of Music. doi> link> full text>
Taylor J, Murray M, Lamont A. Talking about sunbed tanning: Social representations and identity-work. Soc Sci Med, vol. 184, 161-168. link> doi> full text>
Barros CG, Swardfager W, Moreno S, Bortz G, Ilari B, Jackowski AP, Ploubidis G, Little TD, Lamont A, Cogo-Moreira H. 2017. Assessing Music Perception in Young Children: Evidence for and Psychometric Features of the M-Factor. Front Neurosci, vol. 11, 18. link> doi> full text>
Hallett R and Lamont A. 2017. Music Use in Exercise: A Questionnaire Study. MEDIA PSYCHOLOGY, vol. 20(4), 658-684. link> doi> full text>
Hallett R and Lamont A. 2016. Evaluation of a motivational pre-exercise music intervention. J Health Psychol, 1359105316674267. link> doi> full text>
Lamont AM. Empirical Musicology Review. Empirical Musicology.
Lamont. What Else Can Music Preferences do? A Commentary on Clark and Giacomantonio. Empirical Musicology Review. full text>
Lamont. What Else Can Music Preferences do? A Commentary on Clark and Giacomantonio. Empirical Musicology Review. full text>
Hallett R and Lamont AM. 2014. How do gym members engage with music during exercise?. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health. doi> full text>
Greasley A, Lamont A, Sloboda J. 2013. Exploring Musical Preferences: An In-Depth Qualitative Study of Adults' Liking for Music in Their Personal Collections. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN PSYCHOLOGY, vol. 10(4), 402-427. link> doi>
Lamont AM, Greasley A, Sloboda J. 2013. Exploring musical preferences: An in-depth qualitative study of adults’ liking for music in their personal collections. Qualitative Research in Psychology, vol. 10(2), 402-427.
Lamont A. 2013. Untitled. PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC, vol. 41(1), 3-4. link> doi>
Lamont A. 2012. Emotion, engagement and meaning in strong experiences of music performance. PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC, vol. 40(5), 574-594. link> doi>
Lamont A, Daubney A, Spruce G. 2012. Singing in primary schools: case studies of good practice in whole class vocal tuition. BRITISH JOURNAL OF MUSIC EDUCATION, vol. 29(2), 251-268. link> doi>
Greasley AE and Lamont A. 2011. Exploring engagement with music in everyday life using experience sampling methodology. MUSICAE SCIENTIAE, vol. 15(1), 45-71. link> doi>
Lamont A and Eerola T. 2011. Music and emotion: Themes and development. MUSICAE SCIENTIAE, vol. 15(2), 139-145. link> doi>
Lamont A. 2011. The beat goes on: music education, identity and lifelong learning. Music Education Research, vol. 13(4), 369-388. doi>
Lamont A. 2011. University students' strong experiences of music: Pleasure, engagement, and meaning. Musicae Scientiae: the journal of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music, vol. 15(2), 229-249. doi>
LAMONT A and HEYE A. 2010. Mobile listening situations in everyday life: The use of MP3 players while travelling. Musicae Scientiae, vol. 14(1), 95-120. doi>
Lamont AM and Webb R. 2010. Short- and long-term musical preferences: What makes a favourite piece of music?. Psychology of Music, vol. 38(2), 222-241. doi>
Lamont A. 2009. The Social and Applied Psychology of Music. MUSICAE SCIENTIAE, vol. 13, 463-466. link> doi>
LAMONT AM and Maton K. 2008. Choosing music: Exploratory studies into the low uptake of music GCSE. Journal of Music Education, vol. 25(3), 267-282. doi>
Lamont A. 2008. The child as musician: A handbook of musical development. MUSICAE SCIENTIAE, vol. 12, 169-171. link> doi>
LAMONT AM. 2008. Young children’s musical worlds: musical engagement in 3-5-year-olds. Journal of Early Childhood Research, vol. 6(3), 247-261. doi>
Leighton G and Lamont A. 2006. Exploring children's singing development: do experiences in early schooling help or hinder?. Music Education Research, vol. 8(3), 311-330. doi>
Lamont AM. 2005. What do monkeys' music choices mean?. Trends Cogn Sci, vol. 9(8), 359-361. link> doi>
Lamont A. 2003. Toddlers' Musical Preferences: Musical Preference and Musical Memory in the Early Years. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 999, 518-519. doi>
Lamont A, Hargreaves DJ, Marshall NA, Tarrant M. 2003. Young people's music in and out of school. British Journal of Music Education, vol. 20(3), 229-241. doi>
Lamont A. 2002. Musical development and learning: The international perspective. PSYCHOLOGIST, vol. 15, 138. link>
Lamont A and Dibben N. 2001. Motivic Structure and the Perception of Similarity. Music Perception, vol. 18(3), 245-274. doi>

Chapters

Lamont AM, Greasley AE, Sloboda JA. 2016. Choosing to hear music: motivation, process and effect. In The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology (2nd edition). Hallam S, Cross I, Thaut M (Eds.). (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lamont AM. 2016. Musical development from the early years onwards. In Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology (2nd Edition). Hallam S, Cross I, Thaut M (Eds.). (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lamont AM and Greasley AE. 2016. Musical preferences. In Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology (2nd Edition). Hallam S, Cross I, Thaut M (Eds.). (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lamont AM and Greasley AE. 2013. Keeping it fresh: How listeners regulate their own exposure to familiar music. In Music and Familiarity. King E and Prior H (Eds.). Ashgate.
Murray M and Lamont A. 2012. Community music and social/health psychology: Linking theoretical and practical concerns. In Music, health, & wellbeing. MacDonald R, Kretuz G, Mitchell L (Eds.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. link> link>
Lamont AM. 2011. Negotiating music in the real world: Development, motivation, process and effect. In Music and the Mind: Investigating the functions and processes of music. A book in honour of John Sloboda. Deliege I and Davidson JW (Eds.). Oxford University Press.
Lamont AM and Maton KA. 2010. Unpopular Music: Beliefs and behaviours towards music in education. In Sociology and Music Education. Wright R (Ed.). Ashgate.
Sloboda J, LAMONT AM, Greasley AE. 2009. Choosing to hear music: motivation, process and effect. In The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology. Hallam S, Cross I, Thaut M (Eds.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
LAMONT AM. 2009. Music in the school years. In The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology. Hallam S, Cross I, Thaut M (Eds.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
LAMONT AM and Greasley AE. 2009. Musical Preferences. In The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology. Hallam S, Cross I, Thaut M (Eds.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lamont A. 2002. Music education and research. In Aspects of Teaching Secondary Music: Perspectives on Practice. Spruce G (Ed.). Routledge Falmer, London.
Lamont A. 2002. Music psychology and the secondary music teacher. In Teaching Music in Secondary Schools: A Reader. Spruce G (Ed.). Routledge Falmer, London.
Lamont A. 2002. Musical identities and the school environment. In Musical Identities. MacDonald RAR, Hargreaves DJ, Miell DE (Eds.). Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Lamont AM. Developing, supporting and sustaining musical identities. In The Oxford Handbook of Musical Identities. MacDonald RAR, Hargreaves DJ, Miell DE (Eds.). Oxford University Press.